The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-12-07

STasiiyuS eAmDlt or growth and
efficiency of the postal service The
receipts from postage and other ordl-
nary sources during the past fiscal year were
$50, ,4s9, s16 So; the receipts from money
order business were 1895, ,5S1 SO, making a
total of $36, ,785. .397.97. The expenditure
for the fiscal year was $39, 251. .736. 46. The
deficit supplied cut of the general treasury
was $2.4S1.129. .25 or SO per cent of the
amount. The receipts were "a, ,J69, ,918. 63
IN excess OF those OF the previous year,
and 80, ,575, 397.97 in excess of the estimate
made two years ago, before the presant
period of business prosperity had fairly
begun The whole number of letters mail
ed In this country in the last fiscal year ex
ceeded 1000, ,000, 600. The registry system
is reported to be in an excellent condition,
having been remodeled during the past
four years with good results. The amounts
of registration fees collected during the
fiscal year was $712, 882. 90, an increase
over the fiscal year ending June 90, 1877,
of S345, ,443. 40. The entire number of let
tiers and packages registered during the
year was S,33S,919, of which only 761
were destroyed Or lost in transit. The OPP
erations of the money order system are
multiplying yearly under the impulse of
immigration, of rapid developement of the
newer states and territories, and the con
slant demand for additional means of inter
communication and exchange. During the
past year, 33S additional money order of
fees have been established making q total of
), ,499 in operation at the date of this re-
port. During the year the domestic money
orders aggregated in value SIC, ,597. SIG, 935.
A modification of the system is suggested,
reducing the fees for money orders not ex-
ceeding five dollars, from ten cents to five
1fy,off
$1o0, 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 exceeds 81 600, 900.
The attention of congress is again pointed
to the subject of establishing a system of
savings repositories, in connection 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, 112, ,382, while steam
boat routes have been decreased in length
2, 1872 miles, and in cost $134. .054. The SO
called Star routes have been decreased in
length 3,949 miles, and in cost 1864, 145.
Nearly all of the more expensive routes
have been superseded by railway service.
The cost of the Star service must there
fore rapidly decrease in the western states
and territories. The postmaster general,
however, calls attention to the constantly
increasing cost of railway mail service
as serious difficulty in the way of max
ing the department self sustaining,
Our postal intercourse with foreign
countries has kept pace with the
growth of the domestic service
Within the past gear several countries and
colonies have declared their adhesion to
the Postal Union. It now includes all
those which have an organized postal ser
vice, except Bolivia, Costa Rica, New
Zealand and the British colonies in Aus
tralia
AS has already been stated, great reduc-
tions have recently been made in the ex-
pense of the star route service. The in
vestigation of the Department of Justice
and the post Office department have result
ed in the presentation of indictments
against persons formerly connected with
that service, accusing them of offenses
against the United States. i have enjoin-
ed upon the officials who are charged with
the conduct of the cases on the part of
the government and upon the eminent
counsel who before my accession to the
Presidency were called to their assistance.
to duty of prosecuting with the utmost
vigor of the laws, all persons who may be
found chargeable with frauds upon the
postal service.