Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1882-12-14
The NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Report.


The repore Of Observation-Disclosures Howe for
the fiscal year ended june So 1852, shows total
disbursements of the postaiservice during
the year of S4O,4S2 Os1; ordinary receipts, SAL
6l5ei2; receipts from money orders, $500, 767:
fiToe IL fi,irf,- -, Z 1-,,S.- .,-~;o a
not burden upon the -Treasurys In order to
determine the real cost Of the postaFservice
for the past year there should be deducted
from the total disbursements S442, 1885, which,
though paid out last year, was for service rem
SS2sS $50. estimated dus for. service rendered
last year. There should also be added 81, 49,
I74 earned by railway companies for trans
portation of mails between the Missouri River
anu the Pacific. The account thus stated
shows an excess on earnings OF but S33O,O1O.
The dehc, ency the previous fiscal year was
$2.44S,356. In 1860 the deficiency Yves more than
S1OO000J0 Some part of this great, improve
perity ofHhes country, but the larger; part is
due 10 improved methods. ia the administra-
The heaviest item of expenditure is for
transportation of the mails on railways. The
next heIV i is that for the pay OF Post
volume of business, slice the rate of compen-
station, IS pr9Rpruoned 70 the amount or ousl-
for what is known as the star service. That
includes al. mail transportation not on rail-
ways nor on steamboats,. The amount and the
cost of that serviceis left almost wholly 20 the
arbitrary control of the department. : For the
year ended June 30. 1881, the star service COW
cred 70 So, POD miles of transportation, at cost
of SO 3555 for the year ended Juney3O 1852,
the same serYies covered 46sS6 glilies ana
financial results, still more tiattering than those
realized the fast fiscal year. Those estimates
are: Ordinary revenues, 50,253 g24; from
money orders met reveuuel. $3.50, 5228; total es-
tmated revenue, S50,6I0, 1866 total eXpendi-
lures, estimated, $40, 741, Ill; estimated excess
The Postmaster General says; . The very
able report of the First Assistant Postmaster
General calls attention to the great difficulty
experienced in adjusting salaries to pestmast-
( ers OF the first three classes, nd IN making
first two classes He does not exaggerate
those difficulties. 1t may well be doubted if
though admitted to be the mother Of inven-
ton, could not Invent q more cumbrOuS
oreomplex method of adjusting, salartes.
Speaking of clerk7hire, the report says:
''Postmasters are eager for arre allowances.
The most mportun6te are 5apt to be the best
served. They ask the earliest and the often
est. They employ every kind of entreaty. and
Otfer every sort of influence, personal ana pO-
Htical. The clerk must act upon sdeh'case as
the Postmaster presents. He has no.Ineans OF
rebltting it.. 1t is not surprising, theretore,
that q recent investigation by the First AS
Bistant Postmaster eneral resulted in a re-
duction at eight Offices amounting in the ag-
gregRte to S54.5S0. Congress is Invoked to
postal service a system of deposits for small
sums, and the Recommendation is made that
postage on SecOnd-claSs matter -be abolished.
After the fullest consld eration L nave been
ableto gfgeto the subject of postal telegraph,
l am forced to the conclusion thatthe time has
fully come when the telegraph ana postal serV-
ice should be embraced under one manage
ment.' After assigning reasons for this con-
ciusioh, the PostmastereG eneral continues:
= When competition profits the puhlic who
purchase the service, 1t becomes injurious TO
the companies which SELL " henti becomes
injurious to the companies, Competition is ex-
tinguished by the purchase and absorption OF
the competitor. J he price, paid for the fran
chiSeS of q rival concerns the purchaser but
little; il concerns the public deeply. People
must pay fees which will yield dividends on
that one corporation which has built
the most miles of telegraph has been
1t must continue to be So GNo matter how
rich company may be, it is powerless to pre-
vent the organization of new ana competing
enterprises. Its sole protecIiollS 20 p1y Wnen
new rival proves hurtful. No matter how
conservative or just may be the management
from the pubic dividends on the capital in
vested to extinguish the rival. The only Sc
curity capital can have against these recurr-
ing raids is to surrender the- business to the
Government. The only protection the pubic
can have against these multiplied exactions IS
for the Government to assume exclusive con-
troll over the transmission, OF domestic mes
sages by electricity. The telegraph is too ter
rible power to be welded by other than rep
resentatives of the whole people.
In the report OF Fir>t Assistant Postmaster
General HattoR it is shown that the estimate
for Postmasters is largely in excess of the sum
appropriated or asked for during the current
year, The reason assigned is that the sum
appropriated is wholly inadequate. The pay
Of postmasters is limited. not by approprf-
alton bills but by fixed statutes, and to the
extent of their legal compensation the
gross revenues of The postal service are not
only appropriated but hypotheeated 10 IheIE
revenues. and they are authorized by
law to deduct from the moneys IN their nands
their legal compensation. they account 70 tue
Treasury for the excess only. II not a doilaf
is appropriated, the PostInasters VIII receive
their salaries ali the same. IT seems hardIy
practicable, therefore. 10 eHect mucn IN the
interest of economy by apprOpriatlng SS,0O9,-
900 to pay PostmasteTs, while we place S4U,-
100000 in their hands out. OF Fnlcn they . iIluy
help themselves to the full extent9of their
legal dues.