Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-11-28
Postal Service.

Our Post Office Department con-
tiuues to cost the people more than
il brings in. The deficiency to be
made up out of the Treasury for the
wear ending the first of last July
was over three millions OF dollars.
That is. the total revenues were $50, )
O41 $50 and the total expenses $685.
ora, 437.
These figures we get from the re-
mort of the Auditor of the Treasury
for the Post Office Department just
handed in. TIL y show an improve
ment in revenue compared to expen-
ditures. which is TO be explained
rather bv the increase in correspond
once and in the use OF the postal
facilities due TO the uprising OF bnsi-
ness, than Ivy any WISE and system
attic economy in the management
of the department by Erring Brother
Kew. Since the advent OF Key,
some measures tf reform OF the pet
,y sort have bten Introduced; but
they chiefly terl 10 produce annoy
ancc among core ;rondents and add
completely to the work, OF the post
office employees.
The report of the English Post
master General for 1873, lately is
sued. shows that the British postage
and money order business was pro-
Ga'.ivc, last year, of S31 ,31O, 900,
Wade the expenditure was $l2, no.
600 less. The total receipts of our
Post Office Department for the year
ending with last June, from stamps,
stamped envelopes, postal cards and
fees on money orders were S29 ,0O7,-
ZIG. We had revenue from box
rents, not included in the English
returns CT 81 1881 ,1G2. The postage
business OF tho two countries Is
therefore very nearly on level, so
far as the amount of revenues from
these sources is concerned.
The English report gives us some
very interesting facts and statistics.
At the end of 1878, there were open
1881 post Offices; and the enor-
nous growth of the postal business
since the establishment of penny
postage in 1910, is shown by the cir
cumstance that whereas then there
we're only 4 ,O2S places of deposit for
letters, there are now 25, 761.
Nearly 40, OOO,OOO more letters, o.
600 900 more postal cards, 7,775 600
more book packets and circulars, and
1887 900 more newspapers were de-
livered than in 1877. The increase
in correspondence OF oil kinds was
hard on 10000, 900, an average OF
As letters per head of the population.
Actual counting shows that days
work in the East Central District
Office of London consists of one mil
lion letters, and the largest number
Of letters and mail packages OF all
sorts received daily by any one COM
pany in London is about 5000. The
average number of letters, exclusive
tof postal cards, books and newspa-
pers, delivered yearly per head was
in the London postal district, ~; in
the Liverpool, 43; in England and
Wales, 81; in Scotland. %; in Ire
land IA; in the United Kingdom, 80.
The postal telegraph forwarded
during the year nearly 25, 600, 900
messages, over II 100000 Of which
passed through the Central Tele-
graph Office in England. Nearly
2SG millions of words were delivered
to the newspapers, clubs, etc. The
Postal Savings Bank had 1895, 1855
depositors at the end of the year,
and the amount to their credit was
the vast sum of 1852 ,O57 ,Sl5, the
average balance to The credit OF each
open account being over $50.