The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-12-01
THE6G00D SHOWING
Receipts and Expenditures Vt tho Yenr,
Eject " the Reduction Of Letter Postage,
Seine Good auggestionS- Changes
in tho Laws RscOml nj sndsL.
N tAtt-kA4AAh =
OF THE POSTAL DEPARTMENT..

made OH account Of the service OF tho Hs.
cal year ended June 30. 1884, were S4D,-
i0l,9O 05. Tho revcnues for the year
were as follows: Ordinary postal revenue
S49,slS.G'5, net revenue from money order
business s5lo,402 Os, total SIS, 33S, loost Os.
Excess OF expenditures over receipts,
S3,O0G. SG3 81, to which should be added,
estimated amount Of outstanding liabili-
ties Ss77,4I1 o., amount credited on books
OF Treasury to Pacific Railroad Companies
81, POO, 70 81; which gives estimated cost
Of service over the revenues for the iscal
year s. 204,4S+ l2. --lEIY :
phio percent less than those ofthe previous
year; the decrease being attributableEto
tho reduction Of letter postagetirom 3 to 9
cents, which took oifectS October l, 1888,
The estimates for 1885, are ias follows f.:
Ordinary postal revenues $5O,S7o $50 "a;
net receipts from money order business
100000 10, total S5l ,9722,S $50 "a Estimated
expenditures, including amounts credited
under existing law to Pacific railroud com.
panies S56,000, 100 80; deficiency to be sup:
piled out Of the general Treasury St,s2G,.
80 Is. g'1
" CENT POSTAGE.
The past wear marked an important
epoch in the history Of the postal service
through the reduction In the letter: rate OF.
postage from 70 2centa, taking object on
the LIST otSSOctober, 1883. under,th prroyi-
sions Of the act Of March 8, 1851. AS the
class Of matter affected yielded by far the
larger portion OF the postal revenue, the
change, Of course, produced an immediate
falling of in the receipts. The ordinary
postal revenue for the year ended June
80, 1884, was S2!,27S,4 1883 u less than that
of the preceding year. Tothis loss should,
Of course, be added that Of the natural in.
crease 10 have been expected hadthe g.
cent rate remained in force. GAn increase
Of . percent on the ordinary revenue
Of 1883 (exclusiye Of the money
order business, would amount tn
Sl,03S,73 3 So which, added to the
amount previously stated, would give
S8,3'6,l la So to represent the loss for the
first year under the change in the rate.
Though tho Scent rate was in force
during the quarter ended September 30,
1883, the sIle of stamps, &C., for TINT
quarter were Sl37.571 IS less than the
average for the three remain ing quarters
under the 2.cent rate; the anticipated
change in the rate having led 10 d serious
falling off in the sale of stamps. That the
loss of revenue was not greater must he
| ratru rfl1H M f,vaff{HysV.s i sx 80 "a. Al H. fD.X
that the estimates on which the change
was based, contemplated u loss for the first
year Of aboutS8,N0,000 1tsis evident the
predictions has!been fully verified that the
reduced rate would greatly Stimulate
letter correspondence, and lead to the
substitution d sealcd Enclosures for. postal
cards and open circulars. 80
In postal cards there was n decrease in
the issues Of ! 6,G40,000, or4.5perccnt, ior
the year ended June 80, 1854, us com.
pared Observation-Disclosures
Tho number Of letters and parcels sent
through the Registered mails during the
yen. was II, 246,5l5.
The gross receipts Of articles Of undeliv-
cred mail matter during the year were
4,15l;S79,; being an increase of a little more
than,S percentovcr the previous yeur.
DurlEs'or rosTMAsrERS.
In regard to the duties Of Postmasters
the Postmaster General says: Postmas-
tiers at first and second class offices should
be required to give their entire time to
their official duties, and should not be
permitted to engage in any other business
that requires any portion Of the time for
which they are paid by the Government.
The result should be brought about if it
requires a statutory enactment to effect it.
The. frec.deliyery system WIS extended
during the year to four cities, making n
total number Of 1859 free-ielivery Offices.
The total number Of letter carriers il
1880.
The Postmaster General says that the
free delivery system has reached that
point when it is largely self sustaining,
the snrplislastyear amounting to 81 1875
27S Is. He recommends a reduction OH
local letters to,one, cent.
THE Postmaster General recommends
the adoptionIo Of u special stamp for the
speedy ieliveryof letters in frce.delivery
cities, and that the amount Of the stamp
be ten cents. - Hg5 .,
"A standard weight for first class mail
matter is recommended and that the unit
Of weight in rating letters md all sealed
packages be changed from one.lialf ounce
to one ounce. This obyiates q great deal
Of trouble now experienced and would be
a saving of5time to clerks and employees
sS@ orpicXI. BoH66s.
In regard to official bonds OF paymastcrs
a'chnnge in.the' law is recon mIended SO AZ
to authorize the head Of a Departmental
accept corporate as well rs individual: su.
reties.upon official bonds.
Considerable attention Is given. 10 the
railwaS mail service and permanently. in
appoi1tlnenta9N n bend clerks in the service,
is specially ugedTbecausoS s. iIeirtsrenioval, !
~excep}5for cause, would. be d greut detri-
ment to the service in destroying its-e;aci-
ency for some time. I -
At the close OF tile last fiscal wear there
were 6,3l0 m%oney.order offices, nm incraasc
Of 1888 over the previous year. Their
transactions aggregated Sl29, l2l POI % in
domestic money,:orders. Issued and Sl2l,.
81! ,OS2 S0in domestic orders paid and re-.
paid, S7,6SS, 7705 81 in international orders
Issued and S3,57l,0B SO. in international
orders paid and repaid the total issues be-
ing SIPS, $40, 03S 81 and the total payments
and rcpayments $685. 4o, l49 49,
After deaucting all ascertainable expen-
SEES Of every kind there was q net profit Of
S244, $50 81.
The postal note system has been n great
success. OfStle total number OF trans.
actions the money.ordcB. comprised 6S
percent and the postal: notes 80 percent.
The revenue derived from postal notes up
70 tho close Of. the fiscal year anlountedto
4 suggestion rs made That liz ian
authorizing tlie,issius, o fltpostal !liotes be 50
amcndeG as to permit such notes to be
drawn payable, Ike money.order s to- de-
signatcd individual or his lndorsee, when
the purchaser desired it. biJ!igI Tg,!j1 -
a Recommendation is made tlat-the fec
for money orders not exceeding IS be re-.
duced from eight to five cents, q reduction
which theBysteln, withits present revenue