Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1883-01-13
THE POST OFFICE.

The report of Postmaster-G General
Howe for the fiscal year ended June
30. 1880. shows total disbursement OF
the postal service during the year
of S4O,4S2,021; ordinary receipts,
S41,515,642: receipts from money
orders, S360,7GS; excess of receipts,
s1,394,3SS; For the first time in
thirty one years the postal service IS
not a burden upon the Treasury. In
order to determine the real cost OF
the postal service for the past year
there should be deducted from the
total disbursements S442,3S6, which
though paid out last year. was for ser
vice rendered previous years. There
should be added $32S, $50, estimated
due for service rendered last year.
There should also be added S1,17S,-
ia earned by railroad companies
for transportation of mails between
the Mississippi river and the Pacific.
The account thus stated shows
an excess of earnings of but $3.50, $50;
The deficiency the previous fiscal
year was $2,446338, In 1860 the
deficiency was more than So.
100000. Some part of this great
improvement is due to the wonder
full growth and prosperity OF the
country, but the larger part is due
to improved methods in the admins
tration of the service. The heaviest
item of expenditure is for transpor
tation of the mails on railways. The
next heaviest is that for the pay OF
Postmasters. These two items must
swell with the volume of business,
since the rate of compensation is pro-
portioned to the amount of business
done. The expenditure next in
rank is for what is known as the star
service. That includes all mail trans
portation not on railways nor on
steamboats,. The amount and the
cost of that service is left almost
wholly to the arbitrary control of the
department For the year ended
june 30, 1881, the star service Gov
cred 1855, 299 miles of Transports
ton, at cost of $6,597 1856; for the
year ended June 80, 1882, the same
service covered 75,926,667 miles, and
cost 1858, 849. The estimates for 1884
promise financial results still more
fiattering than those realized the
last fiscal year. Those estimates
are: Ordinary revenues, SOC, 233, 927 F.;
from money orders met revenue),
$436,528; total estimated revenue,
$50,97O, 456; total expenditures esti-
mated $46,741,111. Congress is in
voked to make one more effort to en-
graft upon the postal service sys-
tenn OF deposits for small sums, and
the recommendation is made that
postage on second-class matter be
abolished. CATER the fullest con-
sideration 1 have been able to give
to the subject of postal telegraph, 1
am forced to the conclusion that
the time has fully come when the
telegraph and postal service should
be embraced under one management"
After assigning reasons for this con-
clusion, the Postmaster General con-
tinues: "When competition pro
fits the public who purchase the ser
vice, it becomes injurious to the
companies which sell. When it be-
comes injurious to the companies,
competition is extinguished by the
purchase and absorption of the com
petitor. The price paid for the
franchises of rival concerns the
purchaser but little; it concerns the
public deeply. People must pay
fees which will yield dividends on
the new and old capital. So it has
happened that the corporation
which has built the most miles of
telegraph has been the largest pur-
chaser of telegraph property. 1t
must continue to be so. No matter
how rich company may be, it is
powerless to prevent the organiza
ton of new and competing enter
prises. Its sole protection is to buy
when a new rival proves hurtful
No matter how conservative or just
may be the management of the pur
chasing company, it will demand
from the public dividends on the
capital invested to extinguish the
rival. The only security capital can
have against these recurring raids is
surrender iofthe business to the Gov
eminent. The only protection the
public can have against these multi
piled exactions is for the Govern
ment to assume exclusive control
over the transmission of domestic
messages by electricity. The tele-
graph is too terrible power to be
welded by other than representa-
tivoe NJ tho whola raOr,lan