Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1881-12-01
THE NATIONAL POsTOFFICE.
Synopsis of VIZ. James Yearly Re
mort.

fiscal year ended June 80, 1881, opens with the
general financial statement, by which it appears
that the total expenditures made on account Of
service for the fiscal year were $50, 251. 1856 46
The revenues we're 1885, 7s5, 397. 81 made up of
ordinary receipts, $50, 4s9 1859, and from the
lnoney-order business, 1895, 5s1 49, The total
excess Of expenditures over receipts on account
of the fiscal year was 81, 4s1, 1895, of which
S14, 100 SO appears on the books of the Auditor
for "bad debts and compromise accounts.
Ii addition TO the expenditures above stated,
the sum OF $40, 76 was paid on account of
Indebtedness incurred in previous years, maxi
ing the total amount expended during the year
$50, 5Z9, 56622 The item of compensation TO
Postmssters was the only one in which the ex-
penditure exceeded the appropriation, the lat
ter amounting to 81, 500,00 and the former to
| $S,29S, 7A2.79. In the remaining items there
was total unexpended balance of the appro-
| priations OF SOL, 907.73.
The total amount OF appropriations was $780,
204, Dol 40, leaving an excess OF expenditures OF
@l6, $50. o. growing out OF the excess OF COM
pensat;on to Postmasters. The receipts for the
year were 50, 469 g. or 10.4 per cent, more
| than those Of the preceding year, and "a, 575,-
1877 81, or l4.2 per cent, more than the estimate
which wss made two years ago, before the pres
ent period of business prosperity had fairly
begun, to which the increase is in a large degree
attributable.
The estimated expenditure for the current
fiscal year is $43, 66l, 800; the estimated ordina-
ry revenue is S42, sci ,722.05, and money-order
! business $3.50, 900, making a total estimated
revenue Of 274l, 722.05, leaving an estimated
deficit of 1920, 077 80 to be appropriated out of
| the treasury. The decrease i'll the estimated
| amount of money-order receipts is owing to a
| contemplated reduction of the fees on money
orders for small amounts
The total income from the sale of postage
4 -Fr ato -
the fiscal year was S34, CPS 435.01 against $32,-
OS5. 342 46 in the proceeding year, an increase
| of IL per cent.
The total amount OF postage collected during
the year on newspapers and periodicals mailed
TO regular subscribers from known offices OF
| publication, and from news agencies at cents
per pound, was 81 ,399, 04S.64, an increase of
| S172, 596.05, or q little over Ii per cent.
By careful reckoning based upon an actual
| count made in every postofiice in the United
! States daring the first week in December, 1880
| it has been aseertaned that the whole number
| OF letters mailed IN this couatry in the last
fiscal year was ,046, l07 ,34S. The number
reaching tho Dead Letter Office during the
| same period was 1898, 62l, or one in every 3l5
| or the letters and packages opened, 1867 were
! found to contain money amounting to $40, 5S7.-
| 30; 220I2 contained drafts, money orders
checks, notes, etc, the aggregate face value Of
| which WAS 81 699, O62 81. The records of the
department show that s, 33S, 91S registered let
| tiers and packages were mailed in this country
! during the year. OF this number, only 2Gl4
reached the Dead-Lette Office, aud of these
| 2, 1871 were finaiig delivered to the owners, the
| balance being placed on file awaiting identihca-
| ton by tine parties interested.
| Tho amount OF unclaimed money orders, do
| nestle and foreign, at the close Of the fiscal
| year ended June 80, 1881, is estimated by the
! Auditor as 81, $50, GOO.
postal order for sums less than IS, for 8
| cents, is under consideration.
| The Postmaster General recommends postal
savings repositories as worthy the considera-
! ton of Congress.
| In regard to inland transportation, the re-
| port states that on June go 1881, there were
5, 1856 contractors for transportation Of mails OF
/ inland routes.
There were in operation IL 500 routes (of
which l,l94 were railroad routes showing an
increase of seventy-six routes of this class since
the last animal report. aggregahng in length
| 3A, DOG miles, and III annual cost, $40, 1928 $50.
| The service was divided as follows:
Railroad routes Length, 81, 500 miles; an
nual transportation, 1913. 521, go miles annual
cost, S1l,6l3, 1853 Gncluding Sl,364, l07 for
railway postolicecar seryice), about IL % cents
per mile.
Steamboat routes Length. 81, 1873 miles ;
annual transportation 5,046 507 miles an
nual cost, 1888, 1877, about IA 90 cents per mile.
81 Star routes, which the mails are re-
! CURED to be conveyed with celebrity, certainty
| and security" Length 23l, 299 miles annual
transportation, 1857, 296 miles annual cost,
50, 957, 355, about 8.74 cents per mile
There are 50li offices supplied by mail mes
sengers at an annual cost OF s763, 34l.
| The railroad routes were increased IN length
6,2l0 miles, and Ia cost 81, ia 49,.
/ The steamboat routes were decreased in
lenet h 2, Isl miles, and in cost Sl34,054.
The "star" routes were decreased in length
3,949 miles, and in cost 1864, IA.
The report then says that the founders OF
our postal system intended that it should be
Of its growth and the gradual reduction in post
age and the annual deficiency.
/ According to the report of IKE Second Assist
ant Postmaster General which he quotes, the
total reductions during the last fiscal year III
| the star service was $500 1872 per annum, but
some OF the orders did not take effect until the
beginning of the present fiscal year. The mel
| reduction, allowing for new and increased
service, was 1864, IA. The aggregate reduc-
uon OF the cost of steamboat service was $685.
G09 from which is to be deducted the cost OF
! increased service, $50, 653, making the net re-
ductien 1851 $3.50. Thus far in the current ifs
eel year reductions amounting to SOL, SOL have
been made III the star service. The net reduc-
tons from July to Oct. 81, in the star and
steamboat service. are $53225
In leaving the consideration of the star routes
the Postmaster General SAYS a minute investi
vice was instituted by direction of the late
President and Is still being prosecuted The
pOstoifce Department has co-operated and
will continue TO cooperate with the Departnen
of Justice in this investigation. No one who
has not been directly concerned in the matter
can fully appreciate the magnitude of the
undertaking, the mass of record evidence ex
amned, the difficulties of a personal investi
cation in sparsey.setted territories and the re
suits attained by the patient and intelligent
labors of the inspectors of this department
There can be no doubt. from the facts ALREADY
ascCrtained, that the existing statutes leave tn,
way open to great abuses, and that there i.
abundant ground for asking judicial investi
cation of the transactions of the last few
years.
The report then turns to the question of
reduction in the rates of postage, and says i
the recommendations for a decrease in the cos
Of railway service be successfully carried ou
the reduction of letter postage from to cents
will be possible within three years. 1t believe,
this reduction could be accomplished without
the proportionate diminution of receipts which
followed the adoption of Scent postage IL
1851.
There were 2.9i5 new posto1ices established
during the year. and an equal number of new
Postmasters The total number of employees
iii the department june 80, 1881, was 81, Ala
sganst 60.530 June 80, 1880.
The report urges the extension OF the free
delivery system and collection. system, as it has
been found that the convenience of deliver,
and deposit acts rs an incentive to letter
writing There was an increase during th,
year Of si.000,000 in the number of letters anC
other articles OF mail matter delivered anc
collected by carriers.
Attention Is invited to the fact that of the
1856 complaints of registered letters snt
packages as lost nhed tempered with anC
detained. 2.575 were recovered or satisfactorily
accounted for, leaving only 2,061 still undel
investigation, or finally closed as lost, including
losses by fire, highway rcbberies and othel
thefts. By comparing this number 2,csl
with the entire number of letters and pack1il
registered during the year, namely, $780, coo
the certainty and security of the registered
mail is clearly demonstrated.
There we're 1862 ordinary letters reported
lost, OF which 12l0s were letters with valuabI,
enclosures, and !. 454 contents not specified. o.
thus number 1871 were reported as being do
hvered.
Three hundred and twenty-three robberes
Of postoffices were reported during the year
and ninety-two Offices were burned, Ro5beue
Of mail stages the highways numbered
eigbty-six. One hundred aud thirtv-five com
plants Of dcpredations were made by Postmas
tiers, OF which nineteen we're found 10 hay.
been grouHdless Eleven mails were reported
as tulEe- 80 r.ail cars, in railroad accidents o.
70 postoticcS. and slxty-fve were reported q
losI by carriers, bv GOODS, snow blockades OF
from other causea
In concluding Lis rerort Postmaster Genera
James has SGD to say in favor Of ciyil-ser
vice reform He is convinced Of the grea
pubic beneht to he derived from couduetinl
the public business en- business principles. TIL
pubic Is best served by honest, experience
anG competent otheers, and changes, there
fore should be nadc carefully and only fol
reasons affecting oiil.a conduct