Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-12-01
HOTEL.

The only FIRsT-cLAss HOTEL In the city.
cities OF the second class till the maxi
mum (SS50l is reached.
POSTAGE on LOCAL MATTER.
The postage on local matter at the
several offices aggregated $4,777 asa 81,
an increase over that Of the preceding
year of Sil7, .65, and over the total
cost Of the service 81 ,2T3, 1885, an in
crease of 0.95 per cent. in the former
and 1888 per cent. in the latter. The
average cost per piece for handling |
matter was 2.S mills, a reduction Of |
one-,enth mill as compared with last |
year. The average cost per carrier |
was SS9S,7S, an increase over that of |
last year of S3S.S3. This was owing TO |
the fact that the number of carriers |
receiving the maximum salary was
considerably increased during the
year under the provisions of the act Of
1888.
The mail matter delivered during
the year was rs follows: Mail letters,
402, 577, 395 an increase of 1910 per
cent. over that OF the preceding year
mail postal cards, 9742l, 725, increase
Of 1910 per cent; local letters, l2l $751;
932 increase OF l6 IS per cent: local
postal cards, 60 go, 704, increase of
IL As per cent; registered letters, $685.
06l, an increase OF 8 32 per cent; news
papers, 23l ,6l5, 1856 an increase of 1879
| per cent
The mail matter collected was as
| follows: Letters, Ana 1885, SOL an in
crease over that of Last year OF 1895 per
cent; postal c9rds, 1870 057,3l4, an in
crease of l2,9S per cent; newspapers,
including circulars, "a, 475, 0l0, an in
crease Of S.s4 per cent
The pieces Of mail matter delivered
and collected aggregated l5i0,55i, III,
an increase OF 10 30 per cent; and the
average number by zach carrier, $780,
| 020, an increase of 10. % per cent
Experience has shown that the de-
livery by carrier Is more acceptable
than the old custom of calling at the
postOflice that IL tends 10 more thor
oughness and accuracy in the delivery
of letters; that it diminishes the num-
Der of dead letters, and dlverts to the
postoflice many letters that would
otherwise be delivered by private ex-
presses and messengers; that IL stimu-
laUes correspondence, both mail and To-
cal, and largely increases the postage
on the latter THAI il saves time to the
people ana fruitless calls at the post
office, and yields a large surplus of
postage ON local matter above its cost.
There are in the more densely-popu-
lated parts of the country certain
towns within short distances of one
another, each with its separate post
Office, having in the aggregate the re-
quired population and revenue, but
which cannot be reached by the pres
ent law, AS none OF them singly have
the required qualifications, viz, 10000
population within its corporate limits
or $4,000 postal revenue.
In nv Judgment the law should be
so changed as 10 permit the aggrega-
ton of population and the postal rev.
enue of these towns, and the service
should be extended 90 them when they
meet the requirements Of the law.
The result would be diminution in
the number Of offices and more sat
isfsctOry and economical service
REDUCTION OF POSTAGE ON LOCAL
LETTERS.
The free delivery service has now
reached that period in its history
4 when It is largely self-sustaining, the
surplus over the entire cost of the ser
vice having gradually increased for
the past ten years until, during the
I last fiscal year, it amounted "a
81 273. DTS. % | feel, therefore, that
| can with great propriety urge the re-
duction OF portage on local letters to
? one cent, the single rate. The reasons
: for such reduction seem to me stronger
| than those presented for the reduction
of postage on mail letters to two cents.
Letters which are strictly local In
character involve but comparatively
, little expense to the department IN
their handling, and therefore the i'm
preston very generally prevails IN
cities where the free-deliyery service Is
. in operation that the present local rate
:. of postage two cents is excessivei al
J least. that IL Is imlnOderate in com.
: harrison with the transmission by
! mail and delivery by carrier, of u let
i Ter from New York to San Francisco,
= FOR the same amount Of postage.
= So far as known. the reduction -ol
u the rate on mail letters has met with
! great favor, aud the public undoubteo
j N believes that it should be the aim o.
. a prosperous government toreduce tins
T retea of hostage on mSil matter when
o ever practicable. Considering, there
2 fore. the very large revenue derived
II from the letieI-carrier service durtnt
'e the mast year, the times seems prnpi
y tious FOR a reduction Of the postage OF
% local letters TO one-half their presen
Il rate, I ana confident that such
% change would result ia very cOnsid
3 cradle increase in the number OF l0ca
" letters mailed, and that the free deiiv
l. erv revenue would not be 80 great.
~ impaired thereby AS 20 prevent IL iron
= again reaching the present amount II
few years.
SPECIAL STAMP FOR SPECIAL Dl
10 LIVERY.
a The necessity and demand, in cities
for prompt trensmission and deliver
n. ~ letters passing between huslnet
.. men and others has resulted IN the e
"A tablishment, III many pisces, OF VIVA
- NAV be termed letter-express comp
ME-. which, by the employment
90 messenger boys, are enabled greatly.
~ e1oiiitgfa intercourse OF this charactt