Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-12-01
Excess of expenditures over re-

Tic letters, ,902 were letters addressed to
foreign countries, l,OO5,S65 were domestic par
GELS of third and fourth class matter, 29, ,4Ss
were parcels of third and fourth class matter
to foreign countrie', and 1,675, 1852 were letters
ana parcels OF official matter for the govern =
ment, by law free from the payment of regis
Try ices. The amount OF registry fees collect
ed was $951, ,O59 80, an increase of $30,5O9 co. or
3.3 per cent, over the previous year.
The actually ascertained losses during the
year numbered 5l6, or one in every 2l. .795 let
ters and parcels registered. This is a smaller
proportion of loss than in any previous year,
and shows increasing efficiency and fidelity
on the part of postal officials in this branch of
the service,
DEAD LETTERS.
The gross receipts Of articles of undelivered
mail matter during the year were 4,75l, ,872,
being an increase of a little more Than per
cent. over the previous year. There was a
decrease in the held-fOr-pOstage matter re-
ceived of 44,6Sl, or about "a per cent. which
was caused by the reduction of postage on
letters (many of those which were formerly
detained for postage in cities having been
actually prepaid by 2-cent stamp, ana the
changed method of treating such matter in
pest offices.
NEW OFFICES.
During the year 3,4l4 new post offices were
established and ,260 discontinued. The whole
number of post offices at present is 50,0I7 OF
TINS number the President fills by appoint
menu 1873 ana the Postmaster General AZ ,694.
In the service of the department at Wash
lngton there are in all 56l persons. The whole
number of persons in any way connected with
the postal service is 1851.
MAIL DELIVERED.
The mail matter delivered during the year
was as follows: Mail letters, 402, ,577 1885, an in
crease of f770per cent. over that of the preced-
ing year; mail postal cards, 97,42l. .725, in
crease of 1910 per cent; local letters. 12l-
S53,932 increase of 1858 per cent; local postal
cards, 69, 23O, 704, increase of l4.4S per cent.
registered letters, 3,093,961, an increase of 8. 80
per cent; newspapers, 23l, ,645. .1S5. an increase
of 1873 per cent.
FREE DELIVERY SERVICE.
The free delivery service has now reached
that period IN its history when it is largely
sel1-sustalnlng, the surplus over the entire
cost OF the service having gradually increased
for the past 10 years until, during the fast
hscal year, 1t amounted to $l,273,278 rs. /
teel, therefore, that can with great proprie-
ty urge the reduction of postage on local LET
ters to one cent, the single rate. The reasons
Tor such reduction seem to me stronger than
those presented for the reduction of postage
on mail letters to two cents.
renew the recommendation of my prede-
cessoT, that the unit of weight in rating let
ters ana sealed packages (tirst-class matter)
be changed from One-half ounce to one ounce
INLAND MAIL SERVICE.
The statistics of the inland mail service.
June 30, 1884, are as follows:
The number of routes in the star service
was II, ,729; the length of the ro 2tes 226 miles
the annual transportation, 81, l09.052 miles, at
cost of $5,OS9,94l being about 6.28 cents per
mile.
The number of routes in the steamboat SER
vice was III; the length of the routes 4. .59l
miles; the annual TRANSFORMATION, 8. 1889. .2SS
miles, at an annual cost of S596, ,573, being about
1887 cents per mile.
The number of routes in the railroad service
was l,5l3; the length of the routes. III, 100
miles; the annual transportation, l42, ,54l 1892
miles, at cost of $15,012,6O3 exclusive OF
$3.979,362 for railway postal clerks) being
about 1888 cents per mile.
LOOKING OUT FOR THE CLERKS.
AS experienced clerks are absolutely indis-
pensable to an efficient service, it:cOuld not do
other than work confusion and DELAY to the
whole mail system of the country If the pres
ent force should be set aside and new and iu-
experienced men besput in their places.
During the past twelve years not q single
clerk has been removed without good cause
and that cause has been incompetencv, in
temperance or neglect of duty. By such
means the clerks have, in great measure felt
secure in their tenure, and have devoted
themselves with all energy to the best inter-
ests OF the service. And, as the retention of
the present force oftpostal clerks is essential
to the integrity OF the mail serv1ce-if the
tenure of this class of employees cannot be
made secure under the civil service law now
on the statute boOks-I would recommend
that Congress enact law whereby railway
postal clerks shall be secure in their posi-
tiOns, and be liable to removal only for one of
the following causes, viz: incapacity for the
duties of the office, disObedience of official in
structlons, inattentiOn to or neglect of duty,
mtemperance, or conduct unbecOming q gem
tleman.
FAST MAILS.
The appropriation for special facilities on
trunk lines for the present year is $3.50
This amount, in my opinion, is being econom-
ically and judiciouslv eXpended and great
ture. | therefore recommend a continuation
of the appropriation for the coming year
with the increase recommended by the Sec
Ond Assistant Postmaster General. making a
total of $266,764 so. In my opinion the fast
mail system should be continued and extended
as rapidly as circumstances viii permit.
FOREIGN MAILS.
The total weight of the mails dispatched to
postal union countries, exclusive of Canada
during the last fiscal year was 1878, ,S5I pounds
an increase of l46,S6l pounds over the preced-
ing year. The weight of the letter and nOst-
card mails was 497,S89 pounds, and OF the
printed matter and sample mails 2,lSl, 1851
pounds, an increase compared with the pre-
ceding year of l6 412 pounds of letters and post
cards, and l30.44S pounds of printed matter
and samples. Compared with the weights for
the fiscal year 1888 the percentage of increase
for letters and postcards is 3. Al per cent: for
printed matter and sample mails, 6 SO per
cent, and for all the mails 5.S per cent
The cost OF the ocean transportation of
mails to and from foreign ports was $332 22I 81.
an increase of SIS, ,699 O8, or nearly per cent
over the cost of the same service in 1888 OF
this amount $275,962 "a was for trans Atlantic
service, $40, l25 7S for trans-Pacific service.
and $37, 1872 50 for West Indian, Mexican, Cana
dian, Newfoundland and Central and South
American service.
POSTAL CONVENTIONS.
special postal convention vet to be rati-
He'd, was concluded with Mexico ON Oct 20
last, which will prove to be of great advan-
tage to both this country and Mexico, An
advantageous special arrangement has also
been concluded with the Argentine Repub-
lie.
The total number of mail depredations re-
ferred to inspectors during the last year was
50,6l0. The number of arrests for Violations
of postal laws was 756.
MONEY ORDERS.
At the close of the last fiscal year there
were 6310 money order Offices an Increase of
3S3 over the previous year. Their transac-
tiOns aggregated $l22 l2l,2 ,26l 9S in domestic
money orders issued and Sl2l. .97I, ,Os2 so in
domestic orders paid and repaid. 81. .68S. .776 SO
in international orders issued and 1851 066 "a
in international orders paid and repaid, the
total issues being $l29, ,SlO.33s 81, and the total
payments and repayments $l25, 5,542. .I49 49,
There were received from the public fees
amounting to $950,065 10 on domestic orders
issued anG to $40, l02 35 on international or
ders issued, a total of $l,120, ,l6S IA These
totals show gains over the fiscal wear s92-,s9
of Los per cent. in the domestic business and
4.54 per cent. in the international business,
and losses OF 1871 per cent. in domestic fees
and .0S per cent. in international fees.
The gross revenue for the year for domestic
business was S24l, ,74l.S4; from the interna-
tlonal money-order business for 1882 -'53 it was
$l2S, 800 64, and for lSS3-S4 Sis, l9I 81. After
deductiug all ascertainable expenses of every
kind there was net profit of $2I4,S56 81
POSTAL NOTES.
The number of postal notes issuesl was
1858, ,237 of the amount of $74lI. .99a as The
net revenue derived from postal notes was
$780, 1893 80.