Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-12-21
Report Of Postmaster-General Howe.

Report Of P0stmaster.General HOWe.
the fiscal year ended June 30. 1882. shows total
disbursements Of the poetai-service during
the year of s4o.4 OIL; ordinary receipts, Sal,-
6l5,642; receipts from money orders, $3.50, 767:
excess of receipts, 81 ,3tA ,35s. For the first
time in thirty-one years the postal service Is
determine the real cost Of the postalservice
for the past year there should be deducted
from the total disbursements *i42, 1856. which,
though paid out last year. was for service rem
dered previous years. There should be added
$3ssS $50. estimated due for service rendered
last year There should also be added 81, u.s.
ia earned by railway companies for trans
portation of mails between the Missouri River
and the Pacific The account thus stated
shows an excess of earnings of but $30,050.
The deficiency the previous fiscal year was
$2.446,3,S. In 1880 the deficiency was more than
$l0,0O0050. Some part of this great improve
perity of the country. but the larger part is
due to improved methods in the administra-
The heaviest item of expenditure is for
trans portation of the mails on railways. The
masters. These two items must swell with the
Eo1ume of business, since the rate of compen-
sation is proportioned to the amount of busi-
ness done. The expenditure next in rank is
for what is known as the starr service. That
INCLUDES all mail transportation not on rail-
ways nor on steamboats: The amount and the
arbitrary control of the department. For the
year ended June 80. 1881, the star service coy
Of for the " YEAR ended June 90 isss
the same service covered 1854. S67 miles, and
cost Sa55S4s The estimates for 1881 promise
financial results still more fiattering than those
realized the last fiscal year. Those estimates
are: Ordinary revenues. 81, 22b3,s27: from
money orders met revenues s4ss, rs; total ss-
tures, estimated. Sa6.741,111, estimated excess
of revenue, s3,ssa3 80 as.
tics from the report of First Assistant Post
master-General Hatton, AMI proceeds:
quite concur in the recommendation of the
HrsteA ssistant Postmaster General for ref
ornation and augmentation of the blank
agencies. Still more cordially do l recon-
mend the tons sof that officer as 10 the
able report of the First Assistant Posmaster-
General calls attention to the great difficulty
experienced in adjusting salaries to postmast-
ers of the first three classes, md in making
allowances for Office expenses to those of the
first tWa Glasses He does not 1t e.
he could exaggerate them. Necessity herself,
though admitted to be the mother of inven-
or complex method of adjusting salaries"
Speaking of clerk-hire, the report says:
"Postmasters are eager for large allowances.
The most importunate are apt to be the best
served. They ask the earliest and the often
est They employ every kind OF entreaty: and
litical. The clerk must act upon such case as
the Postmaster presents. He has no means OF
rebutting it. It is not surprising. therefore,
that recent investigation by the First AS
sistant Postmaster-General resulted in a re-
ductionsat eight offices amounting in the ag-
gregates to $54.53O Congress is invoked to
make one mores effort to engraft upon the
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 consideration L have been
able to give to the subject of postal telegraph.
am forced to the conclusion that the time has
fully come when the telegraph and posta! serv-
ice should be embraced under one manage
ment." After assigning reasons for this con-
clusion, the Postmaster-General continues:
COmDntti0n nrOfitS
purchase the service, it becomes Injurious to
the companies which SELL When it becomes
Injurious to the companies, competition is ex-
tnguished by the purchase and absorption OF
the competitor. The price paid for the fran
or rya f she rone
must pay fees which will yield dividends on
the new and old capital So it has happened
the most miles of telegraph has been
the largest purchaser OF telegraph property.
rich ss sS p is to
vent the organization of new and competing |
enterprises Its sole protection is to buy when |
or just may be the management |
of the purchasing company, 1t will demand |
from the public dividends on the capital in- |
vestedto extinguish the rival. The only Sc |
curity capital can have against these recurr- i
ing raids is to surrender the business to the |
eara hs ony tine
for the Government to assume exclusive con-
troll over the transmission of domestic mos
ribie a power to be- welded BY other than rep
resentatives of the whole people,"
In the report of Fir t Assistant Postmaster
General Hatton tt 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 I
If postmasters is limited. not by appropri-
ation bills but by fixed statutes. and to the
gross revenues of the postal service not
,nly appropriated but hypothecat ID to their
Postmasters collect. the postal
'evenues, and they are authorized by
aw to deduct from the moneys in their hands
heir legal compensation. They account TO the
Treasury for the excess only. If not a dollar
g appropriated. the Postlnasters VIII receive
herr salaries 1.-the same. 1t seems hardly
theref fore. to effect much in the |
interest of economy by appropriatlng SS,0n-
700 to pay Postmasters. while we place SiD,-
'0ae00 in their hands out OF which they may
lelp themselves to the full extent OF their
egdl dues.