The Press., 1883-11-01


 It will only be five weeks from this date before the 18th congress begins it's frs session. The events which will follow vii be of importance both from political an( business view. Business and politics art associated in congress ]; in fact, they can not we'll be separated. The material in terests of the country are the first consid erations with the people. When congress meets, the first business, after organizing is to listen to the presidents message upoI these important matters. His recommend ations usually outline the party policy fol the future, as well as the past business Before this occasion arrives it will nc doubt be interesting to your readers tC have a resume of the work done under the great business departments of the govern. ment. Nearest to the interests of the peo- pie, perhaps, is the postal service, a branch of government business in which every body has a partnership. In the dead let ter office of the post office department may be seen an old leather bound book, which contains on few pages each days record of the whole number of letters mailed in the United States. This volume was kept by Benjamin Franklin, postmaster-gen- eral of the colonies, in his own hand-writ- ing, The little retail government post of
 
 creased to an expenditure of nearly fifty mil lion dollars year to carry the peoples mails Aud the people, for their part though they are now taxed but two cents letter, send so much mail that it is estimated that the department will soon be sef-sustaining Let us look into the great business system, and gain an idea of how it is manipulated and managed with so little friction and such fine results in convenience and bene- fit to the public. The postmaster-general and the first, second and third assistant postmaster generals are appointed by the president, and are the business managers of the, great concern. The former is a cabinet minister and is the responsible head of the great postal service. He ap- points all officers and employees of the de- pertinent, and all postmasters and officials whose pay is not more than one thousand dollars per annum. With the advice and consent of the president he makes post al treaties with foreign countries, awards contracts and generally directs the manage ment of the domestic and foreign mail ser vice. No one man could possibly give super vision personally to all the details which this scheme includes. As matter of fact the postmaster general only deals with results, or with ideas in the aggregate His assistants are each respectively the chiefs of certain branches of the concern. The first assistant postmaster general has charge of the appoint ing office, which itself includes five large di- visions, each presided over by chief, who manages it's affairs. The, second assistant postmaster general has charge of quite anoth- CT and distinct branch of the service. This is the arrangement of the mail routes and mail service. The letting of contracts for carving mails by railroad, river and ''star" routes. It is the province of the inspectors division to see that mail service is properly performed under mail contracts, and the equipment di- vision issues mail locks, bags keys, catches, &c. The third assistant postmaster-general has charge of the postal finances. His office is divided into the finance, postage stamp and stamped envelope, registered letter, dead let ter, foreign mail, money and postal order di- visions, the titles of which signify their re-. snective duties. All three divisions or branch es of the post office department are like the separate departments of any large business establishment, and have an infinite number of subdivisions which are in charge of the up- per grade officials under the chiefs or assist ants.
 q It will thus be seen how the whole business is systemized and controlled. The postmaster general has an aggregate of something like twenty-five thousand assistants in the manfp- ulation of the mails. Each one of these aids performs certain duties, and the aggregate of all that is done comes to the chief official in condensed report, which shows at glance the whole, result, So thorough and nice is the manipulation that any trouble comes at once to his attention and is corrected
 Among the matters which are now being discussed as improvements to mail service, and which the next congress may consider, are the establishment of postal savings banks, the further reduction of postage, the estab- lishment or purchase of telegraph lines to be operated by the department and other mat ters of less general inp6rtance.