Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-11-24
THE MAIL BAGS.
The Postmaster Generals Annual Report
He Favors the Postal Savings Banks and
Postal Telegraph.

with the remark by maynard that as he took
| charge of the department only on the 25th of
August last he speaks of it historically and az
| he finds it with little reference to his own ad-
| ministration which did not, commence until
after the expiration Of the fiscal year with whose
transactions present report is chiefly concerned
The report presents vast amount of statisti-
Cal information concerning operations of the
department which has already been published
in abstracts of reports of his subordinate
officer. Attention is invited to the statement
of Assistant Postmaster General Brady re-
spectlng star service transportation
and last years deficiency as worthy of careful
consideration. To have restricted the postal
service to the meagre appropriation for 1879
would hsve rendered it entirely inadeu uate to
| the wants of the people. He further says he
has carefully reviewed the estimates submitted
by General Brady for the nexi fiscal years mail
transportation in all it's branches and approves
| all of them as being in accordance with proba-
BILE requirements of the service.
An appropriation is recommended for the
continuance of special mail facilities on rail-
roads, such as extra trains with mails only and
the acceleraton of regular trains carrying mails
etc., which the people have enjoyed for several
years past. The report further says: 1T is
not doubted that regular and frequent means
of mail steamship communication with Mexi-
can, Central American, South American and
trans Pacific ports, would prove important aux
iliaries to American commerce, and
I think it would be wise
measure of public policy to encourage by leg
islatiOn the establishment by our own citizens
of American lines of steamers to such of said
ports as will, in the judgment of Congress,
promote our commercial interests. think it
would be wise measure to so amend the gen.
eral law on the subject as to
authorize the payment by the postmaster
general of just and reasonable compen-
sation, within prescribed maximum limit,
commensurate with the importance of the SER
vices performed. to such line of amended
steamers as may be employed under cont tract
with this deparsment in transporting mails of
the United States to Mexico. Central America,
South America and trans-Pacifc points.
MONEY ORDERS.
The money order system continues to grow
in popular favor. The superintendent of the
money order system suggests plan for tie
reduction of the fees which seems to me en-
tirely feasible and which is commended to the
attention of Congress. Briefly stated his plan
is to reduce the fee for money orders not ex-
ceeding five dollars to five cents and extend
the maximum limit of an order from $50 to
$l00 SO that Increased commissions received
for large orders may Offset the loss resulting
from the reduced fee for small orders. The
money order business and operations of letter
carriers were reported in highly satisfactory
condition.
MIR. Maynard renews the recommendations of
his predecessor for legislative authority to ac-
cept and to carry into effect the provisions of
an article of the universal postal union con-
vention concluded at Paris the first of June,
1878, respecting the payment of limited in
demnity for registered articles of the postal
union, the original address Of which may be
lost or stolen during transmission through the
mails, and also for such modification of the
provisions of the act of March Sd, 1879. as will
authorize the adoption. by the secretary of
the treasury and postmaster gen.
eral, of regulations providing for
delivery by mail to addresses at offices of
destination in the United States, subject to
payment of customs duties thereon, any
packet of dutiable mail matter received in the
mails from foreign countries. He is of opinion
also that authority to transmit and deliver
dntiable articles of mail matter to addresses
through the mails subject to the paympet of
customs duties thereon, should not be restrict
ed to such mail matter as Is nOw eXchaDgeabie
in the universal postal union mails, but should
embrace all articles of dutiable matter received
in its mails from other countries.
POSTAL SAVINGS BANK AND TELEGRAPH.
The postmaster general suggests the estab.
lishment of postal savings system and also
of postal telegraphs in the country, iusthe fol-
lowing terms
One of my predecessors some yeara since
recommended the incorporation into the de-
partment of a system of postal savings. The
subiec has from time to time occupied the at
tention of Congress for several years. The
| system has been in operation in Great Britain
| and Ireland and Canada. When in London re-
Gently her majesty's postmaster general
kindly gave me facilities for OBJ
| serving the management Of his department.
learned that .he postal savings system had
been remarkably successful and had constant
| ly grown in public favor. As managed in
that country it ia source of some profit to the
government. In this countay incline to the
| belief that the system would have advantages
| even greater than in a compact population like
that of Great Britain. In by far the larger
portion of the United States there are no saw
| ings repositories, and are not likely to be. To
| people of these parts the use Of the postOffice
| for this purpose would be real boon. 1t
| would be an additional advantage that depos-
it's would be available at anv depository office
| in the United States, an important consider.
alton with people SO migratory as ours.
1t is believed the system would interfere little
| with the business of savings banks. but would
absorb funds NIT now deposited in them, mol
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 the numb ber
| Your attention and the attention of Congress
| is respectfully invited to it.
During my visit to the British postoffice
examined with much interest the system OF
telegraphy for several years past connected
with the postal service. This method of cor.
respondence is thought to have made great
advance since it was changed from the manage
ment of a private corporation, responsible tt
nobody, hardly to public opinion, and placed
under control of the government. The bust
ness has Increased many fold. The cost oi
sending messages has been largely reduced anG
| the service is performed in localities which
would never be reached under the stimulus OF
private enterprise. At the same time i
yields margin of profit to the royal treasury
This is not the time for us to renew the in
quiry whether it is wise to leave this importan
instrument of correspondence in charge O.
corporations whose primary object is gain tt
the managers and stockholders, and conven
ance of the public secondary only.
Mr.. Maynard renews, for the consideration
of Congress, the suggestion made by his pre-
decessor, that the word fraudulent" as
occurs in sections 8, ,429 and 4,041, revise,
statutes, preceding the word ''lottery," shoult
be stcicken out. He says ''that Congress
while expressly forbiddipg the use o
ordinary mails to all lottery companies, ,whethe
fraudulent, or not, should intend to affor
special security of the registry system, ant
convenience and safety of the money orde
system to persons engaged in employments de
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