Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1885-01-15
NORTHERN TRIBUNE.
THURSDAY. JANUARY ID. 1885.
POSTAL SERVICE.

statistics for Michigan---One of Two Self
Sustaining Western States.
Special to the Detroit Post.
WASHINGTON. Jan. 3.-The officials of
the pOstOffice department have prepared |
some interesting statistical tables Civ
ing the operation of the postal establish |
nlent during the year. AS matter OF
local interest to the readsrs of the Post |
your correspondent has prepared the fol-
lowing relative to the postal service in |
Michigan: 1t might be well to say tina |
there are only two western states in |
which the postal service is self-sustain-
Michigan and lllinois-all the eth
ers showing deficiency The figures
will make this more apparent than
words.
During the year the total postal re-
ceipts in the state reached the sum OF
$1.459, 1884, while the total eXpendit
ures amounted to $1,420,007,32, leaving
the department net revenue OF $685.
461 62. 1t may be interesting to note
where these funds came from and how
they were spent. The principal source
of income was OF course derived from the
sales of stamps. stamped envelopes and
postal cards, which were 81 ,362,073 so.
Box rents and branch Offices paid $685.
7S6 IS, and the sales of waste paper $607
80. In the matter Of expenditures the
largest item is for the transportation of
the mails which amounted to $685., 500 %.
There was paid to p0stmasters as COM
pensatiOn $49l ,232 50, and for clerks in
postoffices. fuel. lights and rent, $1lS,.
los 33. The letter carriers were paid
$72,674 0S, and the railway pOstOfice
clerks $l49,027 "A.
The gross receipts of the pOstOffice ut
Detroit amounted to $29S054 20, while
the total expenses were only $S1 1873 10,
leaving net revenue of $2l6,921 10.
The percentage of expense to the gross
recelDts was q per cent, The following
are the receipts of the other leading Of
fees in the state.
Grand Rapids, gross receipts, $751;
90; expenses, $26,052 90; Ret revenue,
S49,73f SO; percentage of expense to gross
receipts, 81 per cent. Ann ArbOr, re-
ceipts, $20,9o6 SS; expenses, 1865 SO; net
revenue, $13 ,694; percentage of expense
to gress receipts, "a per cent. Battle
Greek, receipts, $20,460 OF, expenses, &c.
100 IS; net revenue, $13,669 26; percent
age CT expenses to gross revenue 33 per
cent. Bay City. receipts 24.064 05; eX-
peRses, $l2,093 90; net revenue, $l1,970-
16; percentage of expense to gross re-
ceipts so per cent. East Saginaw, re-
ceipts, $28,310 SO; expenses, 81, 1858 81 4;
net revenue, $l6,64S O5. Jackson, re-
ceipts, $27,976 SO; expenses, $12,553 "a;
net revenue, $15,422 80; percentage of ex-
psDse to gross revenue As per cent. Kal-
amazoo, receipts, $2S,0i5 20; expenses,
81, 049 81; net revenue, $16,995 SO; per-
centage of expense to gross receipts 80
per cent. Lansing, receipts, $25, 1888 81;
expenses, $l0,515 20; net revenue, $l5,-
1868 Al; percentage of expense to gross
receipts 46 per cent. The above are all
the offices in the state where the gross
receipts are in excess of $4,000 a year
There are in the state of Michigan |, )
Cos p0stOflices, an increase OF 70 during
the year. Within twelve months 100 new
p0stOffices have been established, 30 dis
continued, and in 10 the name or site
has been changed. As to the pos tmas.
tiers. $50 have resigned or their commits
slons have expired, II have been removed
or suspended, and IL have died. There
are 115 presidential Offices in this state
or Offices where. the salary being at least
$1,000, the postmaster is appointed by
the President, which is an increase OF
ten. The salaries of these postmasters
amount to $l87.600 annually and ths
gross receipts of their offices to $l,0S6,
1856 38.
LETTER CARRIER SERVICE.
One Of the most important branches OF
the postal system is the free delivery OF
letter carrier service. Under the law II
is limited to such places as have at least
10000 population, and although efforts
have been made to reduce the Limitation
to 10000 they have thus far failed. The
department has always opposed 1t be
cause it would involve large addition
al expense and yield but very little rev
enue in return. There are only sever
cities in Michigan having the free deliv
cry service. They are Detroit, Bay City
East Saginaw, Grand Rapids, Jackson
Lansing and Kalamazoo. While the i'm
p0rtance of this branch Of tho service i:
universally conceded there are few whC
understand the immense amount of worl
done by the letter carriers. Take Detroit
as an illustration. There are In Detroit
forty-four letter carriers. During TIT
year they delivered from the mails COM
ing into the city 7.474978 letters, 1904
10S postal cards, So, 246 registered letters
3,412,57O newspapers. IS local mail the,
delivered 1,335,317 letters. and 78007,
postal cards. Within the same perio,
they colleeted while making the roun,
OF the city 3.44S,12l letters, 1,022, 693 pos
tai cards and 324,600 newspapers. TIL
total number OF pieces OF mail matte
handled was 1869, 706, or an average O
447,039 for each carrier. The total amour
collected for local postage was $35,
27S 81. II might be said, in view Of tn