Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1880-12-08
ABOUT THE MAILS.
The Postmaster Generals -4nnual
Report.

w AS1lNOION, NV 20 He an
nual report of the Postmaster Genera
is made public 1t begins with the re
mark by Mr.. Maynard that as he tool
charge of the department only on the
25th of August lust, he speaks of it his
torically and as be finds it, with litt.C
reference to his own administratin'
which did not commence until aftef %.
expiration of the fiscal yea MI
whose transactions the pre- cut report
is chiefly concerned The report PIE
sents a large amount of statistical in
formation constituting the operations
of the department. The important
points of which are given as follows
The total expenditures of the depart.
ment during he fiscal year eadng
June 30, 1850, were $50. 542 S03 68
The revenues We're "a follows: Ordi-
nary receipts, $32, 934, 1896; receipts
from money orders, 1869, ,205. 25, and
receipts from o!fcal stamps and stamp.
ed envelopes, Sill 534 70 total, $685.
3l5, ,419.3&. Excess of expenditures
over receipts S3,227, ,32334 Included
in the above statement of receipts and
expenditures is the sum of $40 9S3 80
paid on lab lities incurred in the pre-
vious fiscal year Deductng this sum
from the aggregate amount it leaves
as the actual expenditures on account
of the service for the year ,6, l0l $780,
80. The amount appropriated for the
service of the fiscal year lS79-50, in
cluding sums appropriated by special
acts, was 37,757 ,0S9S7 The amount
expended for 1S79-90 was S}6, l0l,-
500 3o, leaving and unexpended bal
ance of appropriations for the year of
81, ,655, ,26949. This balance will he
largely reduced when unadjusted lia-
bilities for the year have been reported
and paid. The estimated expenditures
for the fiscal year ending June 30,
1881, are $42, ,932 The ordinary
revenues are estimated at S3S, ,545,-
174.l0 Estimated revenues from money
order business 100000 Total esti-
mated revenue for the fiscal year end
ing June 30, 1892. SSS,845, ia 10.
Estimated excess of expenditures to be
appropriated out of the general trea-
sury as deficiency, $3.50. 1870.
The appropriation is recommended for
the continuance of special mail facili-
ties on railroads, such as extra trains
with mails only, and the acceleration
of regular trains carrying mails ETC.
1t will be impossible to maintain the
service at its present state of elficie cy
without this appropriation.
The Postmaster General suggests
the establishment of the postal savings
system, and also of postal teiegraphs.
| in the country in the following terms !:
One of MY predecessors some years
since recommended the Incorporation
into the department of system of pos
tai savings The subject has from
time to time occupied the attention of
Congress for several years. The sys-
TEN ha been in operation in the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
and IN Canada When in London re-
Gently Her Majesty's Postmaster Gen
eral kindly gave me facilities for OBJ
serving the management of his depart
ment learned that the postal saw
! ings system had been remarkably sue
cessful. and had constantly grown in
popular favor As managed in that
country it is a source of some profit to
the government In this country | in
cline to the belief that the system
would have advantages even greater
than in compact population like that
of Great Britain In by far the larger
portion of the United States there are
| no savings repositories, aud are not
likely to be- To the people of these
parts the use of the postoflice for this
! purpose would be "a real boon. 1t
would be an additional advantage that
J deposits would be available at any de.
pository office in the U. States, an i'm
portant consideration with a people 50
migratory as ours. 1t is believed the
system would interfere title with the
business of savings banks. but would
absorb funds not now deposited in
them. Nor would the patronage of
the government be sensibly increased,
since the system would be operated by
persons already in public service,
with no considerable addition to their
numbers. Your attention and the at
tention of Congress is respectfully IN
vited to it.
Mr.. Maynard renews for the con-
sderation of Congress the suggestion
made by his predecessor that the word
fraudulent" as it occurs in sections
1929 and 4,04I of the revised statutes
preceding the word lottery" should
be stricken out. He says, that Con-
gress, while expressly forbidding the
! use of ordinary mail to all lottery COM
panies, whether fraudulent or not,
should intend TO afford the special Sc
curity of the registry system and con-
j venience and safety of the money order
system to persons engaged in employ
ments declared by the Supreme Court
| of the United States To be 'demoralz-
| ing in their effects, no matter how
! carefully regulated" unless express
proof of fraud can be made against
! such companies, is not to be assumed.
! Congress will not Intentionally aid in
demoralizing the public by affording
extraordinary postal facilities to per-
/ sons or companies whose business ac-
complishes this result.
He further says that the legal posi-
tions taken by his predecessor concern
, ing the power of the Postollice Depart
ment to exclude lotteries from the use
of the mails meet his approval, and
] under the recent decision of the United
/ States Supreme Court in the case of
Stone vs.. State of Mississippi. he has
felt it to he his official duty also to
give full effect to the action of any
State Legislature in its efforts to re-
leve itself from the evil consequences
of pernicious legislation in the past
A remark that always provokes a
smile, "What'll you takey"