Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-07-25
improvement. in the Postal service.

Postmaster General Key told n Tribune re-
porter, in course of a recent conversation,
that the general public has very little idea of
the vast improvements made In the postal
service in recent years. No one outside the
post-office department can appreciate them
There are now, he said, 1900 Offices in the
Union, and the number is increasing so rap
idly that do not know where it will lead us.
The department should be entirely free from
political influence, and believe 1t will be be
fore very long. The work it does is especial
ly for all classes Of the people. The English
service is ahead Of ours, although it is not
long since Sir Rowland Hill said that without
the income from the London Office there
would be IA deficiency in the British service.
One marked distinction between the employ es
of the British and American services is that
the latterare more independent and profession
al. An English clerk is satisfied to perform
the routine of his Office from years end to
years end, and at the termination of stated
terms accept the regular increase of salary.
The qualification for large salaries there seems
to be longevity. Here we are glad to accept
suggestions from every employe, and some Of
the best ideas have emanated from quarters
least expected. The lower grades of clerks
in the British service are paid much less than
those holding similar positions in this country,
but the salaries of the chief officials in Great
Britain are greatly in excess Of what is paid
our officials. OF the 10, 600 postmasters in
the United States, only 1000 are appointed by
the president and are paid by salary. The
3, 900 others are designated by the postmas-
ter general, and are paid i'll proportion to tue
amount of business done at their Offices The
remuneration of this class. until recently. was
based upon the number of stamps sold at the
office of each. This system brought about
anything but satisfactory results. Postmas-
tiers, who were also merchants, when purchas-
| ing goods made arrangements to pay for them
in postage stamps at a discount of perhaps -
| per cent. In some instances they were al
| lowed 60 per cent of the sale of stamps, and
| in such cases they could readily make money
and at the same time dispose Of them at a
| large discount. One merchant in New York
| city who had done business with country mer-
| chants, who were at the same time postmas-
tiers, brought to the New York post-ofiicC
more than $4,000 worth of stamps which u
asked to have redeemed. The system has
| been changed, and now country postmaster
| are paid in proportion to the number of stamps
Cancelled in their offices. The time is coming
when all postmasters will be paid "A salary
The principal feature of the past year il
| the post-ofiice service was the adoption of the
registration system for third class matter
| Any parcel of less weight than four pound
| can now be sately carried ny Jhc pOst-olnce u
registered. Since the law came into force
the department has carried $1,000, 900 il
specie, shipped as third-class matter. Tn,
express companies had been in the habit o
charging extortionate rates for the conyeyanc,
OF specie, and the business has come to til,
post office. The greater portion Of the speci,
has been transmitted for the government from
San Francisco. One thousand dollars in COL,
coin weigh n trihe less than four pounds
The money is put up in $1,000 packages, ans
is conveyed in sealed safes. On their arriva
in New York the seals are broken by tn
agent of the treasury department and tn
safes are opened by the postmaster. Although
this has taken business from the express com
panies it has not added TO the income OF tn
post-ofiice because the treasury use oficia
stamps. 1t is in fact carried at dead loss Il
the postal department because the railroad
are paid by the pound for all matter CARRIE
for US. But this is not the only matter whicl
the post-office loses on Tons of matter ar
sent from the departments in Washington Al
over the country under official stamps. Tn
post-office has to pay the railroads for ever
pound of this weight, and the system is on
of the abuses to be reformed In other re
spects the registration system has been grea