News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1883-12-27
BUSINESS OF THE POST OFFICES.
The Report of OSimuster-GencrnI CSresh-
am-Effecr of Postage Reduction.

The report of POstmaster-G General
/ Gresham states that the revenues of the
/ department for the fiscal year ended
| June 80, 1888, amounted to $40. sos, 692.
/ The disbursements for the year, not in
| Guiding credits TO the Pacific railroads,
and including S466, 243 paid on account
| of liabilities for previous years,
amounted to S43, $50, 944. The receipts
exceeded those for the previous year by
S3, So, 2S2, or Sc per cent, being a
ratio OF increase of 3 per cent less than
the average rate of increase for the three
preceding years. This, the Postmaster
General says, may be accounted for in
large part, if not wholly, by the fact
that the public were induced to limit
/ their purchases of three cent postage
stamps and stamped envelopes in antici-
patton of the change of letter postage to
two cents, fixed to take effect on the 1st
of October last.
The receipts for the fiscal year ending
June 30, 1885, are estimated at S47,
104, 07S 81, and the expenditures at $780,
062, 1880, leaving deficiency to be
supplied out of the general Treasury of
| 81, 95S, 111.29.
The salaries of Presidential Postma as
tiers have been adjusted on the basis Of
the gross receipts, as required by the
act of Congress approved March Sd,
1888. This was never done before.
The gross receipts of the 2.193 Presi-
Dental offices for the fiscal year ending
June 30th, 1888, amounted to $33, $751;
253 50, and the salaries amounted in
the aggregate to 50, 707, 500, or HOG
per cent. of the gross receipts.
The present status of the Star service
shows for 1888 cost of 81, 739, ATS with
n, 99S, 7S2 miles of annual transporta-
ton, against a cost of 81, 321, 499 with
rs, 070, 995 miles of annual transportation
in 1880, being an increase from 1880 of
1,727, 1877 miles of transportation and
81, $50, OBJ decrease in cost. This SER
vice is now all performed under con-
tracts made upon proposals submitted
in response to advertisements.
The report says the relations between
the Government and the companies
owning the subsidized Pacific roads are
unsettled and unsatisfactory. The
General Superintendent of the Railway
Mail Service asks for an appropriation
for the next fiscal year of 81, 295, 2S9.60,
an increase of 1913, 100. 60 over the cur
rent year, which, the report says, seems
to be reasonable. An increased appro-
priation of $4,000 is asked to pay for
additional postal cars.
During the past year there was a
steady increase of the money order
business. The Superintendent of the
money order system states that the new
postal notes are being extensively en-
ployed for remittances of small sums.
OF the letters and parcels which were
opened during the year for the purpose
of restoring them TO the writers 49, 01
contained money, amounting to S32, 647.-
%; S,O95 contained drafts, checks,
money orders, etc., representing 81, 3S1,- |
991. At; 90, sos contained merchandise, |
samples, books and miscellaneous arti- |
cles; 66, 1877 contained postage stamps;
49, contained receipts, paid notes,
cancelled drafts, insurance papers, etc
80. $50 contained photographs. From |
letters for which the department failed |
to find owners the sum of 81, 1872. 16 was
and deposited in the United
States Treasury.
The cost of the ocean transportation
of mails to foreign ports under the gen
eral law restricting the compensation to
the hostages on the mails conveyed, was
1915, go. 10, an increase of $50, 35S Is |
over the cost of the same service i'll 1882. |
As to a reduction of the rate on drop |
letters to one cent the report says:
ga reduction to one cent on the pres
ent volume of business would leave the |
carrier service a heavy charge on the |
general revenues of the department at
every office save that of New York.
at is true that an increase of bust |
ness is to be expected, but that would
require additional carriers, and thus
augment the present expense. At few
offices, if any, is such an increase prob !
able as would compensate for the loss
by a reduction OF the rate"
The POstmaster-Gcneral says he is of
opinion that the unit of weight for
rating first-class matter should be
from one-half an ounce to one
ounce. He recommends that the rates
of postage on newspapers and periodical
sent by others than the
publishers or news agents be made ont
cent per three ounces.
He reviews the history of the exclus-
ION of the business OF lotteries from the
mails and recommends, with view to
render the legislation on this subject
more eficaciOEs, the passage of an act
providing that every newspaper which
contains an advertisement Of a lottery
or agency thereof. shall be excluded
from the mails, and rendering the persOs
who deposits it for sending by mail liable
to the penalties which, under existing
laws, he incurs for so depositing letter
or circular concerning lotteries and
that, so far as they are applicable, the
provisions Of the Revised Statutes relat
ing to the District of Columbia upon the
subject Of lotteries be extended to all
the Territories of the United States.
The report deals with the question of
a postal telegraph, and General Gresham
says:
From the best consideration which l
have been enabled to bestOw upon the
subject, have reached the conclusion
that Congress has the constitutional
power in providing for the postal service
of the country to avail itself of all the
facilities devised by the inventive genius
of modern times for transmitting mes
sages and intelligence, aud that it has
full authority to adopt either of the first
two plans which have mentioned. list
The acquisition and operation Of the ex-
istiDg liues by the Government %.
The construction iy the Government oi
lines which it viii operate in competl-
ton with existing companies.
4 Strange Discovery.
The skeletons of twentv-three persons
and about the same number OF horses