The Sentinel. [volume] (Trenton, N.J.) 1880-1882, 1881-12-10

be made at this session, a commission
such as was lately approved by the
Senate, and is now recommended BY the
secretary of the treasury, would doubt.
less tighten the labors of Congress
whenever this subject shall be brought
to its consideration.
WAR 'DEPARTMENT.
The accompanying report of the sec
rotary of war will make known the
operations of that department for the
past year. He suggests measures for
promoting the efficiency of the army
without adding to the number of its
officers, and recommends the legislation
necessary to increase the number of
enlisted men to 10000, the minimum
allowed by law. This he deems neces-
sary to maintain the quietude of our
ever shifting frontier; to preserve peace
and suppress disorder and marauding in
new settlements; to protect settlers and
their property against Indians and In
dams against the encroachments of in
truders; and to enable peaceable i'm
migrants to establish homes in the most
remote parts of our country.
THE INDIAN BUREAU.
l ask attention to the statements OF
the secretary of war regarding the re-
QUESTIONS frequently made by the Indian
bureau upon the subsistence department
OF the army for the casual support of
bands and tribes of Indians whose ap-
preparations are exhausted. The war
department should not be left, by rea-
son of inadequate provision for the In
dian bureau, to contribute for the main
| tenance of Indians.
RIVER AND HARBOR IMPROVEMENT.
The report of the chief of engineers
furnishes detailed account of the oper-
ations for the improvement of rivers and
harbors. | commend to your attention
the suggestions contained in this report
in regard to the condition of our fortifi-
cations,e specially our coast defenses,
and recommend an increase of the
strength of the engineer battalion, by
which the efficiency of our torpedo sys-
tenn would be improved. / also call
your attention to the remarks upon
the improvement of the South
Pass of the Mississippi river,
the proposed free bridge over the
| Potomac river at Georgetown, the i'm
| portance of completing at an early day
the north wing of the department build
ing, and other recommendations of the
secretary of war which appear in his
report. The actual expenditures of this
department for the fiscal year ending
June 80, 1881, were $40 ,122 POI SO. The
appropriations for the year 1882 were
S44 $3.50 1852. The estimates for 1883
are $44 SAL 1861.
POSTAL AFFAIRS.
The report of the postmaster-general
is a gratifying exhibit of the growth and
efficiency of the postal service. The re-
ceipts from postage and other ordinary
sources during the past fiscal year were
| $50, 489 ,Sl6.58. The receipts from the
money order business were 1926 ,58l 80,
making total of $50, 785, 397.97. The
expenditure for the fiscal year was $780,
PSI ,736.47. The deficit supplied out of
the general treasury was 50 ,48l 1895,
or $40 per cent. of the amount ex-
pended. The receipts were So ASS, 918.63
in excess of those of the previous
year, and s4,575 ,397.97 in excess
of the estimate made two years
ago, before the present period
of business prosperity had fairly begun.
The whole number of letters mailed in
ibis country in the last fiscal year ex-
ceeded 0,000,O00. The registry
system is reported to be in excellent
condition Having been remodeled during
the past four years with good results.
The amount of registration fees COL
tected during the last fiscal year was
$712, 1920, an increase over the fiscal
year ending June 30, 1877, of S345 ,443,-
40. The entire number of letters and
packages registered during the year was
1888, 9l9 of which only 2,06l were lost
or destroyed in transit.
The operations of the money-order
system are multiplying yearly under the
impulse of emigration of the rapid
development of the newer States and
Territories, and the consequent demand
for additional means of intercommuni-
cation and exchange. During the past
year 1913 additional money-order offices
have been established, making total
of 5 ,499 in operation at the date of this
report. During the year the domestic
money-orders aggregated in value $685.
075, 1895. =
A modification of the system is sug-
gested, reducing the fees for money
orders not exceeding SIS from ten cents
to five cents, and making the maximum
limit 500 in place of $50. Legislation
for the disposition of unclaimed money
orders in the possession of the postoffice
department. is recommended, in view of
the fact that their total value now ex-
ceeds one million dollars.
The attention Of Congress is again
invited to the subject of establishing a
system of savings repositories in con-
nection with the postoffice department..
The statistics of mail transportation
show that during the past year railroad
routes have been increased in length
,249 miles, and in cost 81 ia 1882 while
steamboat routes have been decreased
in length 2,1S2 miles, and in cost Sl34.-
054. The so-called star routes have been
decreased in length 3,949 miles, and in
cost 1854, IA. Nearly all of the more
expensive routes have been SUPER
seeded by railroad service. The cost of
the star service must therefore rapidly
decrease in the Western States and
Territories. The postmaster general.
however, calls attention to the con-
stantly increasing cost of the railway
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