The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1882-12-16
The Postmaster. Generars Report.

The report of Postmaster-Gcneral Howe for
the fiscal year ended June 70, lsSe, shows total
disbursements of the postalservice during
the year of S40,ls2,02l; ordinary receipts Sil,-
5la.eie; receipts from money orders, $3.50 767;
excess OF receipts, Sl,84,3,s. For the first
time I'm thirty years the postal service il
no. burden upon the Treasury. In order to
determine the real cost of the pOstal->crvice
for the past year there should be deducted
from the total disbursements Sii2,aSj. which,
though paid out last year, WIS for sngvice rem
dcrct previous years. There should Zoe a ided
S,i!i,5iO, est mated due Tor service rendered
last year. There should also be added 81, u.s.
"a earned by railway compani for trans
pgrtation OF mails between the Missouri River
an the Pacific. Tho account thus stated
shows an excess Of earnings OF but $4,000.
The detc eucv the previous fiscal year was
So.i4 3 8 In 1881 the deficiency was more than
so 10000. some part Of this great improve
ment is due To the vond rful growth aud pros
perty of he country, but the larg'r part is
due 10 improved methods in the udmnistra-
ton OF the service.
The heaviest item of expenditure is for
trans plrtation Of the mails on raiiwlys The
next heaviest is that for the pay OF POST
masters. These two items must swell with the
volume of business, since the rate of oompeu-
satiOn is prOpd rtiOned to the amount of busi-
ness done. The expenditure next in rank is
for what is known rs the star service That
includes all mail transportation not on rail-
ways nor on steamboats,. The amount aud the
cost of that service l. LETT almost wholly to the
arbitrary control OF the department. For the
year ended June ~. 1881, the star seryice COW
cred iN55i,2]6 m les of trtnspOrtit On, at cost
If 500 1850; for the year ended juno ~, lSS2,
the same service covered 1Gg2l,s61 miles, and
cost Sh53,Si9. The estimates for 1884 pr misc
financial results still more futtering than those
realized the last fiscal year. Those estimates
are: Ordinary revenues, S50,2)3,927: from
money orders met revenue) S4:6,52S; total es-
timated revenue, Sb,6i0456; total eXpcndi-
lures, estimated, SIG, III Ill; estimated excess
of revenue, S3,H2g3t5.
The Postmaster-G General SAYS: 1.-THE very
able report of the First Assistant POsmaster-
General calls attention to the great difficulty
experienced in adjusting salaries to postmast-
crs of the first three classes, nd in making
allowances for office expenses to those of the
first two classes. He does MT eNaggerate
those difficulties. 1t may well I've doubted If
he could eXaggerate them. Necessity herself,
though admitted to he the mother of inven-
ton, could not invent more cumbrous
or complex method of adjusting salaries"
Speaking of clerk-hire, the repOr says:
"Postmasters are eager for arge allowances.
The most impOrtunate are apt to he the best
served. They ask the earliest and the often
est. They employ every kind OF entreaty, and
offer every sort of influence, personal and po-
l1tical. The clerk must act upon such cuse as
the Postmaster presents. He has no means OF
rebutting II. 1t is not surprising, therefore,
that a recent investigation by the First AS
sistant Postmaster-G eneral resulted in re-
ducuon ut eight offices amounting in the ag-
grcgOte 10 $5i.530. Congress is invoked to
make one more effort to engraft upon the
postal service a system of deposits Tor small
sums, and the recommendation is made that
postage on second-class mntter be abolished
After the fullest consideration 1 have been
able to give to tho subject of postal telegraph,
| am forced to the conclusion that the time has
fully come when the telegraph and 3stal serv-
ice should be embraced under one manage
ment." After assigning reasons for this con-
cluSion, the PostmasterGeneral continues:
when competition profits the public who
purchase the service, it becomes injurious to
the companies which sell. When it becomes
injurious to the companies, competition is ex-
t!nguished by the purchase and absorption of
the competitor. I he price paid for the fran
| chses of a rival concerns the purchaser but
little; concerns the public deeply, People
| c nj Wv oh Nvil VII al fNri1 do n
the new and old capital. So it has happened
that one corporation which has built
| the largest purchaser of telegraph property.
| Ii must continue to be so. No matter how
rich company may he, it is poweriess to pre-
vent the organiZat on of new ana comp eting
enterprises. It's sole protection is to buy when
new rival proves hurtful. No matter how
'onservat We or just may be the management
| of the purchasing company, it Will demand
| from the public dividends on the capital in
| vested to eXtingush the rival. The only Sc
| rurity capital can have against these recurr-
| ing raids is to surrender the business to the
! Government The only protection the public
! can have against these multiplied exact ons Is
| for the Government to assume exclusive CON
| troll over the transmission of domestic mes
sageS by electricity The telegraph is too ter
! rihle power To be welded by other than rep
resentatyes of the whole people"
In the report OF Fir Assistant Postm1stcr-
| General Hattoh it is shown that the est nate
for Postmasters is largely in excess Of the sum
appropriated or asked for during tn, current
year. The reason assigned IS that the sum
appropriated 70 wholly inadequate. The pay
of postmasters IS limited, not by approprl-
alton bills but by liked statutes. End To the
extent of their legal compensation the
| gross revenues of The postal serli g ere not
only appropriated but hypothacat d TO their
payment Pos masters collect tho postal
revenues, AMI they are author Zed by
law to deduct from the moneys in their hands
their legal compensation. They count to the
Treasury for the excess only. If not Il dollar
is apron iatei the POstmasters VIII receive
the salaries all the same. 1t seems hardly
practicHbl' therefore, TO effect much in the
Interest of economy by appropriaung S6,00l
0Y to pay Postmastets, while we place T4O,-
WOtOO in the HAMS out OF which they may
| help themselves 10 the fun eXtont of their
leg a dues