Connecticut western news., 1885-11-18
WASHINGTON NorRa

Hams shows at the beginning of the fiscal year there were file in that office 87, 487 unsettled accounts. amounting to s94, 067, ASA, and dur ing the year 15, 775 new accounts were Il ceiVed, aggregating $99, ,662, ,069, the total number of accounts on hand and received being s2,262 amounting to $193 729, 553. Of these 16, III were disposed of, amounting to S122, ,225s 935, leaving at the close of the year 37, ,091, covering the sum of $71, ,503, ,617.
 The report of the Lighthouse Board, sub mitted to the Secretary, asks for an appropriA- ton of $1 1865, 75e for the fiscal year.
 Judge McCue, Solicitor of the Treasury, in his annual report to the Attorney General states that during the f>cal year ended June 30, 1885 1903 suits were commenced. of which 30 were for the recovery of $793, ,503 from de- faulung public officers; 193 were for the re- covery of $1.06S. 99 on account of violations of the postal laws; 30 were for the recovery of $55. .748 on custom house bonds; 129 were for the recovery of $15 S73 for violations of cus- toms and navigation laws; 625 were suits against collectors of customs aud others for refund of duties and taxes, and l, 646 were suits involving $1, ,301, 766, in which the United States is party or is interested, making 8 total sued for of $3, ,235, ,889. Of the whole number of suits brought, 1,170 were decided in favor of the United States; 43 were ad- versely decided; 372 were settled and dis missed, and 1, ,318 are still pending. The en- tire number of suits decided or otherwise dis posed of during the year. was 2,S73; the
  exclusive of decrees fin rem' was e6l9, 626, and the entire amount collected from all sources was S932. .6S2.
 From the annual report of General Super iutendent Jameson, of the Railway M iil Ser vice, it appears that the milage increase dur ing the past year was only LOOT mil g. In crease in the number of pieces of mail matter handled, exclusive of registered matter, was As, ,397, 800. In 6 total distribution of 4 948,- O59, 400 pieces, the number of errors charge LlA A<~k ..l- -lwo kkzD AE-sl was but S87, 704, or one error to each 5.574 pieces handled, being at the rate of 224 errors per clerk per annum. The average percent age of mal correctly distributed was 99.93. This is the highest rate attained since the es- tablishment of the service. Ths General Su- perintepdent recommends that Congress be asked to empower the Postmaster General to pay to the widow minor children of any clerk killed while on duty an amount equal to one years salary of the grade to which the deceased belonged at the tune of his death.
 The estimate for special facilities (fast mails) on trunk lines for the ensuing year is the Same in amount as the sum set apart for that purpose for the GU rent fiscal year namely, $251, 725,
 The amount of the. estimate for railway postal cars is S1 ,888, ,577, which is an increase of seven per cent. over the amount Rppropri- ated for the current fiscal year for roads other than those that are subsidz zed. The sum of &4,S77, ,060 is asked for ihe pay of railway DOS al c.erks. This is an increase of six per cent over the amount of the existing appro- Dliation. j The Postmaster-General in his report says that the number of post-ofices established in 1885 was 2, 2,12l, and the number discontinued 886. making the whole number of post-ofhces a. the end of the fiscal year 51, ,252, 8 net in. crease of l, ,235 during the year. The number of offices subject to appointments by the Pres;- dent (Presidential grade) was 2, 233, and the number subject to appointment bV the Post master General (fourth class) was 49,019.
 The whole number of appointments during the year was Il ,203, made up as follows-On resignations and comissions expired, 6,204; re- movals and suspensions, BIO; changes of names and sites, 3 q; deaths of postmasters, 4l2; es- tablishment of new offices, 222I. The in- crease in the number of post off es was dis tributed as follows:-New England States, 4s; Middle States and District of Columbia, Ill; Southern States and Indian Territory, 638 the ten States and SIX T.. rritories of the West and Northwest 375; the three States and three Territories of the Pacific slope, 65. The great est increase in any State or Territory was 100, in Virginia. The increase in Dakota for the year was n. and Mississippi 9. The only de- crease was in Nevada. The six s; ates having the largest number of post offices were:- Pennsylvauis, 8,894; New York, 3, ,15T; Ohio, 2, 725; Illinois, 2188; Virginia, 2,084, and Mis- souri, 1,990 New York contained the largest number of Presidential offices-213.
 ! The total number of money order ofdces Eas 6,sa2-sn increase of 74s over the preoed- las ZssE.