The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-04-03

ord of the Two Senators.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON, April 2-Under the direc-
ton of the Postmaster-general some interest
ing facts have been collated relative to the
postal management. There are some features
local to Indiana, and consequently of inter-
est to the readers of the Journal.
Indiana is one of the States in which the
postal receipts more than met the postal ex-
penses. 1t is close shave, though, as the
surplus is only $3,366.49. During last year
the total receipts reached the sum of 81, 112,-
536 A. while the expenditures were 81, 109,-
1855. The main source of revenue was, of
course, from the sales of postage stamps. 1t
was 81, ,057, ,516,08. The rents from postoffice
boxes $54, 12S. 90, and even the sales of waste
paper brought $SS7.95.
The largest expense met was for the trans
portation CT the mails. This cost, for Indi-
ana $501, ,S63.64. The compensation of post
masters amounted to 1888, $4,000, and for
clerks in postofices rent and fuel, $95, ,S1S. 9S.
The letterearriers received 500, ,984. 96, and the
railway postofice clerks, $l16,611.01.
Under the law the free delivery or letter
carrier service is confined to such cities as
have at least 900 inhabitants In Indiana
there are six cities which have this service.
They are indianapolis, Evansville, Fort
Wayne, Lafayette, Richmond and Terre
Haute and each one of them not only pays
expenses but returns a good revenue to the
government for the facilities furnished. OF
course indianapolis is first in rank. In In
dianapolis gross revenue was returned last
year of $167, ,061.10 The expenses of the
year amounted to $65. 725.03. These ex-
penses were, for Office expenses, $36, S67.75,
and free delivery service, $27, ,s57.2S. The
net revenue to the government was $101,-
336.07. 1t need not be said that the letter
carriers fairly earned their money. There
is no class of government employees more
severely taxed. To give some idea of the
immense labor required OF these men, the
statistics of the capital city will be of interest.
indianapolis has thirty letter carriers.
During last year they delivered from the
mails coming into the city 3,367, $3.50 letters,
964, 732 postal cards and 23,465 registered let
ters. Besides this they delivered local let
ters to the number of 362, ,793, and postal
cards, 432, 157 The number of newspapers
delivered was ], 1926, 5O2 In the same period
they collected 2,125, 1853 letters, S45 4S1 postal
cards and 800, 961 newspapers, making the
total number of pieces of mail matter
handled 10, 1868, ,4S9. or 10 each carrier 345, 616
During the year new postal service was
placed on nine lines of railway in the State
the total length being over 80
miles. There is now in operation
in Indiana postal railroad service on 4,116
miles of track, at cost each year of $780,
40; OF this amount $79, ,3s025 is paid for
railway postoffice cars.
There are eighty-six postmasters in Indi-
ana appointed by the President, and their
salaries combined amount to $15S, 800 The
aggregate gross receipts OF these offices are
$719,962.
Authority has been granted for establish
ing postal lines on the following routes in
Indiana From Cloverdale to Cataract Ker-
cheval, via Santa Claus Fulda to Huffman's;
Bengal to Marietta Joppa, in Hendricks
county, to Mooresville, in Morgan county;
Fincastle to Raccoon; Byneville to George
town; Green Oak to Wagoner's station; Sar-
DINA to Harper; Waterman to Eugene; Wild
Cat to Coulter; Dudleytown to Langdon sta
ton; Velpen to Pikeville; Ramsey's station,
via Hancock, to Fredericksburg; Blooming
Grove, via Bentley, to Everton Bentley to
Alqueina; Blooming Grove, via Bentley, to
Blllingsville, and Barren to Fredericksburg
The architects office of the Treasury De-
partment, with the money on hand, is wait
ing for the selection of the sites and the
or e r
thereto before commencing the construction
of the authorized new public buildings in
Fort Wayne and Terre Haute. The SUPER
vising architect says he is not advised when
the Legislature will act in this matter. For
commencing the work on the building in the
first-named place there is on hand $50, 900,
and for the latter place $4,000. These sums
are still in the treasury, no necessity for
drawing the money having as yet occurred.
The people of Indiana are high up in the
scale of mparison on the educational test.
Not that you can't find some illiterates, but
the percentage of such individuals is small
as compared with other States. The census
bureau, in this connection, gives some inter-
esting statistics from which the following
are taken: The total population in the State
who cannot read, ten years of age and over,
is TO- 008 or 3. "a per cent of the total popula-
ton. The total population who cannot write,
ten years of age and over, is no. 761 OF these
the whites number 10o,39S; the colored, 1O,-
363
In the compilation of the Adjutant Gen
eral OF the army giving the military strength