Morning journal and courier., 1881-12-07

T \ among the nations of the world. THE POSTAL SERVICE. The report of the Postmaster General is g ! gratifying exhibit of the growth and efici- \ ency of the postal service. The receipts | from postage and other ordinary sources dur | ing the past fiscal year were $36, 499, 916 5S | the receipts from the money order business | were $295, ,581.39, making total of $336,- | 7S5. .397. .97. The expenditure for the fiscal | year was $69, ,251, ,736.46. The deficit sup piled out of the general treasury was $2, 401, ,. | 129. .35, or 63 per cent. of the amount. The receipts $3, ,469, ,918.63 in excess of the pre- vious year, and $4, SIS, 397.97 in excess oi | the estimate made two years ago before the present period of business prosperity had l fairly begun.
 l The whole number of letters mailed in thif country in the last fiscal year exceeded one | thousand millions. The registry system if reported to be in excellent condition, having been remodelled during the past four years l with good results. The amount of registra tion fees collected during the last fsca year was SIP, 1882. 20-an increase over the fiscal year ending June 30, 1878, of $345, l 445.4O The entire number of letters an6 packages registered during the year was S., 338, ,419, of which only 2,O61 were lost or de stroyed in transit. The operations of tht money order system are multiplying yearly | Under the impulse of the rapid development
 
 l consequent demand for additional means o1
 intercommunication and exchange during l the past year, three hundred and thirty -eigh additional money order offices have
 been established, making total of 5,49! in operation at the date of this re port. During the year the domestic money
 orders aggregated in value $105, ,O75, 769. 35 modification of the system is suggested l reducing the fees for money orders not ex 1 ceeding five dollars from ten cents to fivt
 cents and making the maximum limit $1OO il
 place of $50 Legislation for the disposition
 of unclaimed money orders in the possession ! of the Postoffice department Is recommend
 ed, in view of the fact that their total valu now exceeds one million dollars. The atten tion of Congress is again invited to the sub feet of establishing system of savings de
 positaries in connection with the Postofic department The statistics of mail transpor
 tation show that during the past year rail
 road routes have been increased in length 6, 249 miles, and in cost $1,114 ,3S2, whil
 steamboat routes have decreased in lengtl 2,1S2 miles, and in cost $134 ,O54. The so | called Star routes have been decreased il
 length 3,949 miles, and in cost $364, IA l Nearly all the more expensive routes hay
 been suspended by the railroad service Tn cost of the Star service must therefore rap idly decrease in the western States and Terri tories.
 The Postmaster General, however, calls at ] tention to the continually increasing cost o | the railway mail service as 8 serious difficult
 in the way of making the department self
 sustaining. Our postal intercourse with fo1
 eign countries has kept pace with the growt ! of the domestic service. Within the pas year several countries and color;es have de
 clared their adhesion to the Postal union
 It now includes all those which have an o1
 ganized postal service, except Bolivia, Cos
 tarico. New Zealand and the British colonie 1 in Australia.
 THE STAR ROUTES.
 | As has been stated great reductions hay
 been made in the expense of the Star 1out ! service. The investigations of the Depart I ment of Justice and the Posfoffica danart