West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1877-12-15
POstofilce Department.

POst0fllce Department.
The Postmaster General reports that
The total expenditures of this depart
ment during the fiscal year ended
Jnne 50 ls' wcre...'. S3s ,322 "a
The revenues were as follows;
Ordinary recciptS.,...., S26, ,psS, ,4i4 "a
Receipts from money or
der huEincss.............. i72, 400 ~
Receipts for official stamps
and stamped envelopes. $40, ,7SO 1927 ,5S ,bs5 2e
Excess Of expenditures over roccipts.5 9Si 7s7 is
lnaddition TO the receipts shown above.
there was realized on grants from the
Treasury for various purposes, herein
alter detailed, the sum of $7,0l3, 300,
making the total amount received from
all sources $34, ,644, ,SS6. .26, an excess over
the expenditures of 81 ,05S, ,562.S2 In
cluded in the above statement of cx-
penditures is the sum of 81, 1881 20
paid on liabilities incurred in previous
fiscal years, and not properly chargeable
to the expenditures of the last fiscal
year. Deducting this sum from the ag-
Eregate amount leaves S32 1922, ,504. "a, AS
the actual expenditures for the year.
In the receipts from money order bust
ness is included the sum of 500, ,261. .SI,
received from international money
orders for the year ended June 80, 1875,
which, deducted from the total receipts
In the above statement, leaves the sum
of $lO9, l4S.Ol as the actual receipts
from that source, and reduces the
amount OF revenues for the year to $27, -
46S, ,32342.
The expenditures and receipts Of the
Department, therefore, on account of
and appertaining to the business of the
last fiscal year Excluding expenditures
and receipts on account of previous
years) are as follows, viz:
Expenditures.............. ....... s32 S22 sOt "a
Receipts, ordinary, from money order
business and from official stamps.. "a, 7,46s,3 1928 ~
Leaving excess of expenditures
oV~ieceipts ptsoi..........."........t t4,S6i, tSO 81
The expenditures during the fiscal
year were 1922, ,S34.S6 more than those
OF the preceding year, and SO, 1853, ,483. 90
less than the estimates therefor.
The total receipts for the year were
N,ll2,6l2.N (or about four per cent. }
less than those of the preceding year,
and 81, l26,6lS.54 (or about four per
cent? less than the estimates therefor.
The decrease is largely in the item
OF official postage-stamps, the amount
derived from which during the last fiscal
year was only 1870, ,73 '.47, while i'm the
previous year it was 81 ,2S1 ,389.43. Ex-
Guiding Official pOstage-stamps and
money-order receipts from both fiscal
years, the reduction in ordinary receipts
was only 1888, 1929, or about three
fifths Of one per cent.
The expenditures and receipts by
fiscal quarters, and the increase and
decrease therein, as compared with the
corresponding quarters of 1S74-75 and
l875-76, are shown by table No. 3, which
accompanies the report of the Third
Assistant General.
Under the present system of collecting
postage on newspaper and periodical
publications mailed TO regular subscrib-
ers from the Office Of publication,
(Which system originated in the act Of
Congress approved June 70, 1S74,) there
has been collected during the year on
this class Of matter the sum Of 81. .O24,-
7l9.l6, derived from 1855, ,246 pounds
at two cents per pound, and 6,913, 1903
pounds at three cents per pound. The
increase in the whole amount collected
over that for the preceding year was
$40, ,554. 80, or .04 per cent.
There were i'm the service Of the De
partment on the Both of June, 1877.
6,Ol5 contractors for the transportation
OF the mails on public routes.
There were at the close Of the year
SOB special offices, each with mail
carrier, whose pay from the Department
IS not allowed TO exceed the net postal
yield Of the Office
OF public mail routes in operation.
there were 1924 (Of which 958 were
railroad, being an increase Of As routes
OF this class over the previous year,. ag-
gregating in length 202 $50 miles: i'm an
nual transportation, 147 ,863, ,25l miles.
IN annual cost, $l5,3S4, 800. Adding
the compensation Of railway pOstonice
cler =, route agents, mail-rOute messen.
gers, local agents, and mail messengers.
amounting to 80, IA, ,348. the aggregate
annual cost will be $l8, 1928. .288.
The cost Of railroad service to june
20, 1877, was 80, ,0j3, 936. The apprOpri.
alton for the current fiscal year il
$9,2jO,OO0. The increase in the cost of
the service 70 June 30 1877 was 4. .67
per centum. This rate Of increase an.
piled 10 the $9,0j3, ,936, would make the
cost for the current year $9.476,7 ,754 81.
This sum Is used ~ the basis upOn which
to cast the estimate for 1879, and, antici
pating a mars ed revival Of business. tho
rate Of increase is placed ut seven per
centum, making the estimate for 1879 al
SO, ,14O,126.
The number Of persons arrested fol
Oflenses against the Postal laws durino
the year ended June 81, 1877. was 548
an increase Of l04 over the previou.
year. OF these, 271 were held for trial
in the United States Courts, with the
following results, viz: Convicted, ] 57
acquitted, l6; not yet tried, lS9. In
addition, l72 persons, whose ohenses il
was deemed advisable tOprOsecute i'm tho
State Courts, such as burglaries Of post