, 1874-12-07
TIE POSTAL BERVICE.

ing information Of tho operations of Il,
Post Office Department for tho year ondin
July !, 1s7i. Tho rovenuoB Of tho Dopnrl
mont for tho yoar were $2&, ,19o, ,5oo, an
tho expenditures Of all kinds a32, ,12G,.l15,-
anlncrcase Of rovcnuo over tho provious yoar
$l,a7f,411, mud Of expenditure of SO, oil 400
including tho appropriations by Congress 70
the transportation Of pnblo mails, tic. do
'ficionoy In tho revenues Of tho Dopartmen
wero 30, ,k:l4, ngainst 50, 5,205,475 i'll til
previous yenr.
..lllo estImatos for tic year ending Juno 30
1870, 'are $aG,o6f,09l, and the estimated
rovenuo Mt 500, ,14s, 15G, 1oaving dotlcionc,
! Of $7,616,078. This docs not include til,
rovenuo for carrying tl.o Government mailg
amounting to SO, ,0oO, 900.
The operations Of the .lenl-lettor oiIlct
show TINT 4,G01 ,773 doat1-lottors wcro re-
coived, Of which 1,892, ,224 letters, represent.
ing In value sB,go0, 1858, were delivered.
On Juno 10, 1871, the postal service con.
sisted Of Co,784 miles Of railrontls; animal
transportation, q, AGO. 545 miles; annual cost,
$9,1 LIB, 10o, or 1903 eonts per mile. Tho an
nnal transportation on steamboats, cost over
2t IL cents q mile, aud on n1l other routes at
about II 1-3 cents per milo.
Tho foreign mail service has been increased
to four mails per week.
The international Postal Compress TINT met
ut Dorno iii September, 1874, ended in n treaty
by oil the Powers represented. Under this
treaty uniform letter rate of G cents was
adoptod. This rate covers all postagea between
tho otlico whero tho 1otter is lnailed and tint
Mt which it is delivered. Each country is to
collect and keep oil the postage Oh lottors TO-
coivcd.
During the yoar, the monoy.orlor depart
mont worked satisfactorily. The whole
amount Of money thus transmitted was over
S74, ,0oO, 900; tho average amount Of eacl, or
der yas S1G.BU. The revenue from this do.
pRrtment over its expenses was S1O5,
Thero wero but seventy four onses Of frauilu-
lont payment, or one case in each 5D,G7T let
ters.
Tile whole number of Postmasters in tho
United States is al,2Dl, of which 1,403 arc
appointed by tho President. The number OF
employees of tho Postal Railway Service Is
2,l79, and their compensation So,851, 500.
The whole number Of persons in the employ
Of the Post-OM Service is 10, 900
Tho estimate. for the year beginning in
July, 1875, is, as We have stated, $780, 9G4 900.
This includes S7,000,0oo for salaries of Post
masters, and $4,000, 600 for clerks The
compensation of Postmastors and their clerks
ia now regulated by ITO law. Postuastera in
small towns md cities, with population 1eBs
than 90 600, aro paia the samo compensation
as is paid to Postlnasters in the larye cities.
The Postmaster Of Chicago in paid 81 1000,
aud tho business Of that office exceeds TINT
Of any other Office saye New York, and yet
there are 200 Postmasters in tho country
who receive $1,000 to $1,000 a year
saoh. There is noed Of vigorous reform in
Ibis mattor, and the Postmaster-G General
who frankly acknowledges lis mex
perionca i'll managing a business which
s not aelf-sustainiug is just tho man
% apply the proper remedy to this sys-
em. Tho Post-Olfices want to be classified
With regard to tho population within the range
If their delivery and the amount Of their bus
ness, aud salarios should bo graded down to
meet this classification. At lnast million or
million and half Of dollars could thus bo
'aVed annually without any loss to tile SER
!leo IN either tho ability or the efficiency Of
ho Postmastcrs. The Railway Postal Service
III additional charge on the transportation
# mails. It costs S., ,0Go, 1000 to transport the
mills OIL tho railways, and for railway postnl |
Jerks, route agents, etc., noarly S3,00O,O0 |
more. This latter service seems to be bocom-
ng expensive out Of oil proportion to the sor-
ice.
The subsidy OF 100000 year to tho
mn francisco, Japan & China Line is ono Of
J M outrage upon tho country, I,haro ia mn