Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-12-11

trea sury from the transactions of this
department during the past two years
is shown 10 have changed from the
receipts OF a cash surplus gain of near
ly two millions 10 an outlay Of over
seven millions surplus OF cost; or,
reckoning also the amouats credited
To- the Pacific railroad companies for
mail transportation. the difference ia
the pecunIary results of the service
realized during the two years exceeds
so, 100000.
''This difference is due, first, to the
decrease Of the revenues which
amount in total only to 81 947, ,S48 70;
and, second, to an increase of expedi-
lures TO the extent OF sc, 1866 .955 80, Of
which st 052, ,439 10 nave been IN the
cash disbursements and $424 sic 81 in
the cost of transportation upon the
Pacific railroads. Chit hy the de-
crease Of revenue mas resulted from
The dlniulshmeut in the rate of letter
postage from 3 To 2 cents upon the
hall ounce, which Was the unit of
weight during The PERIOD, while the
increase Of expenditures has arisen
principally from the natural j. crease
OF mails 10 b. carried and the natural
extension Of tie GervIcs, although
other causes have contributed Aom,
thing TO both effects
The Ievenu" from tie money or
der service has follen off from 1919,
492 GS in the pr. crdin. to but $4O8,-
933 30 IN the last ear, a SIN Il er sum
than was realiz.i LHO years before.
The division OF registration rt-
ports decTt ase from rhe number of
tho previous year Of registered do5. es
TIC letters aud parcels amounting 10
29G, S33, or 32 per cent, while for
several years bef JIo there had been an
increase averaging lG T per cent dur
ing the first Blk, but dropping to 3 3
per cent, Ia the seventh.
Tne postmas.,r general attributes
thus falling of To- the uhfavorable
crcnmstances attending the business
affairs OF the people during the car.
EXPENDITURES.
. The sum total Of the cost Of the |
service for the year figures $50, 942
AIS II, including the estimated unpaid |
Liabilities, or, setting TO one side the |
cost Of transportation on the Pacific |
railroads, $49, COZ, 1873 Al For this the
appropriations, made in thirty seven !
items, were $50, 147, 400 None of
these items have been exceeded, except |
the Que for compensation to pOstmast
ers, which fell short $243 S4S a. and |
the one for ship steamboat and way
letters, which lacked 1901 IL of the |
expenditure. Both are beyond con
troll of the Department, being govern
ed by Law, postniastCrs paying them
selves
Two thousand and twenty one |
Offices were newly establish: d aud $50 |
discontinued during ths ear, leaving |
ut It's close the total number to be |
5l,252; OF which 2 233 were prosiden-
tial and AZ, Ol9 fourth class. Both es-
tablishmeuts AMI appointments were
considerably less ia number than dur
ing the proceeding year More new |
offices were created in the Southern !
States than in any other section, as |
was the case during She year before,
aud it rs inter- sting To note that of |
these Virginia required more lEan
any other s'ate-10O In every state |
and territory the number of post |
offices was increased, save only Ne |
vads, IN whica discontinuanc ces ex-
Ceeied new establishments.
NNlLNA1 NAIL SERNICE
The additional equipment of the |
past year in The railway mail service |
has been: Railway postofiice lines, 13;
postal cars or apartments in cars 1876;
clerks OF all classes 424; with an in
creased annual mileage OF 3,76l, 701 |
miles. The employment Of one steam |
boat line was discontinued, the clerks |
on steamboat lines were diminished in |
number by five, AID the annual mile |
age Of clerks upon them fell Ctf 81
329.
The total lcngth of clerks routes "a
tanned IN the year was 121, 1877, miles,
and the entire number Of miles actu- |
ally run gives daily average TO each |
clerk OF l20 "a miles. Thegros mum |
Der of pieces handled, exclusive Of reg
lStered matter, increased by 4S per
cent. Altogether about I've thousand |
miIlIon pieces We're handled by these
clerks during the year.
SPECIAL DELIVERY SERVICE
With a view TO the introduction of |
the system OF immediate delivery,
author z,d by the last Congress, pre-
vision was made in the contract for |
adhesive stamps entered into IN June |
for th manufacture and supply of the !
distinctive spt cial delivery stamps, |
and soon after the contract term COM |
menced, dssiQu was ad pied and the |
manufacture OF stamps begun Toe l |
Of October was fixed as the date on |
which the system should go I@to oper. |
alton, aud IN preparation for 1t, the |
stamps were furnished for sale at bout |
IL, 600 Ctliclss, circulars of instruction |
issued t0 poStmaSters and published |
FOR general information and other |
means takea to commend the system
TO ready popular use and favor.
From reports received from these |
Offices for the mon h o. October, II |
appears that lao, $50 let ers bearing
the special stamp were i'm nsGialely |
delivered at the several deS eSignated |
offices during thas ti.Nr, at which 9S, !
900 came III the II ais and Al, 9l4 we're
local. OF all these, 1923 SIP we're |
carrier delivery offices, and II, ,OeS as
the others. Sales OF special delivery |
stamps az special delivery thcss alone |
aggregated $40, 1872 80 for the month. !
There has been at most offices sutfi- |
cient application 10 supply msSsen- !
SmailneSs of tho service has so limited !
the compensation that poStmasters
have found it difficult to secure them.
The average compens ltion 10 the !
messenger for the month WAS about
Sc, 50, and the average rnmbGr of let |
ters delivered on trip but small !
fraction over one. TIE average time !
required for delivery has been seven
tetn minutes.
No sufficient experience has yet
been afforded to justify much genera
2ation from il. Yet it is apparcn
that the public have accepted the sls,
tenn with favor. and that IL affords
privilege TO the patrons of the service
which is very convenient sua o'ten of
much value
FREE DELIVERY STATISTICS.
The carrier service has been extend
ed 10 nineteen cities, among them
Decatur and E'gin. in ILLINOIS; Eau
Claire and Lacrosse, in Wisconsin,
and Sioux City, in Iowa, -Four
hundred and sixty eight new carriers
have been employed, swelling the