The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-12-10
PosT-oFFIcE DEPARTMENT.

POST-OFFICE DEPARTMENT.
Annual Report of the Postmaster General
Statistics of Interest.
WASHINGTON, December 2-The report
Of Postmaster General Villas for the fiscal
year ended June so is a most eomprehen-
sive document. In its entirety it furnishes
convincing proof Of the efficiency of the de-
partment and of the progress therein of the
work of reform. The report would fill
sixteen pages of metropolitan newspaper.
A few extracts from it are appended.
The past fiscal year has witnessed three
persons at the head Of administration Of
the department 1t was, when the year
begun, under the charge Of the Hon. Walter
Q. Gresham, who resigned this Office Sep
TENDER "a, 1884, to assume the duties Of
Secretary of the Treasury. To him sue
ceeded the Hon. Frank Hatton, whose
service as Postmaster General conf
menced October IA, 1884. and termi-
mated, upon the acceptance Of his resigna-
ton, on March z, last, at which date, by
virtue of your commission, l took the Of
fee. The exposition OF the transactions Of
the year must therefore, be in the greater
part derived from the books and records,
which imposes the risk of less satisfac-
tory presentation of the affairs in which
had no part than my distinguished prede-
cessors would have given for themselves
risk leSsened by their able administration
and faithful records.
The financial summary of the year shows
a considerable increase in the deficiency of
the postal revenues to sustain the cost of
the postal service. This deficiency has not
attained to large figure. The statement
for the past year is as follows:
FOR THE YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 1tS5.
Revenue, ordinary postal. Isl, 80 So
Money order business. ....... 40S, 1858 so
Total. ............... 81, $50, 1888
Expenditures to Sep
TENDER 81, 1885. .$49, 317, 1854
Estimated outstand-
ing liabilities. 2S5,0O0.OO
---SI SAG, 60e, Iss A
Estimated cash deficiency . 7O4l,A46s
Add amount credited Pacific Rail-
way Companies for transporta-
ton during the year. I340, 22s 50
Total net deficiency partly esti-
maleut.- .---.---..-.--....--...-S S,3cl, 5Il.H
THE GENERAL RESULT
to the public treasury from the transactions
of this department during the past two
years is shown to have changed from the
receipt of a cash surplus gain of nearly
S2,00O,0 900 to an outlay of over $1,000, 900
surplus of cost; or, reckoning also the
amounts credited to the Pacific Railroad
Companies for mail transportation, the diff
ference in the peclniary results of the ser
vice, realized during the two years, exceeds
SO, 1901 900.
The First Assistant Postmaster Generals
report gives a detailed exhibit of the work
accomplished during the year in the six
general divisions of his heavy laden bureau.
His care is of postmasters and poSt-offices,
and his statistics cover the establishments
and discontinuances of post-oflices, appoint
ments and removals, deaths and
designations of pOstmasters. Two
thousand and twenty-One offices
were newly established and $50 dis
continued during the year. leaving at its
close the total number to be 1852, of
which 1888 were Presidential and 49,OI9
fourth class. Both establishments and aD-
pOintments were considerably less in num-
Der than during the preceding year. More
new offices were created in the Southern
States than in any other section, as was the
case during the year before: and it is inter-
esting to note that of these, Virginia re-
quired more than any other State-1OO. In
every State and Territory the number of
post-offices was increased, save only in Ne
vada, in which discontinuances exceeded
new establishments.
The number of appointments of postmas-
tiers during the year was II, 203, less by 2,6SS |
than during the year preceding. The de- |
crease arises from the fact that compare |
lively few offices were established or ap- |
pointments made during the incumbency of /
Postmaster General HattOn, who left it to /
the incoming administration to fill vacancies /
to the number of 1000 and upwards occur
ing during his period of service. The num-
Der of removals during the year was $40, /
by 297 those made in the pre-
ceding twelve months. The vacancies
caused by death were Az; less by G5. The
postage upon local mail matter at the car
rier delivery offices amounted to S.
121.1O, exceeding the cost of the service by
S ,295, 1885. There has been also gen.
erai increase in all the usual statistical
items because of the additional cities taken
into the system. The average cost per piece
for handling, 2.3 mills, remains unchanged,
however.
From reports received from these offices
for the month of October. it appears that
lao, $50 letters bearing the special stamp
were Immediately delivered at the several
designated offices during that time, of
which 9S, 906 came in the mails and 41,914
we're local. OF all these, 1881 were at
carrier delivery Offices and l1,OOS at the
others. Sales of special delivery stamps at
special delivery Offices alone aggregated
$50, 4S2. 80 for the month. There has been
It most Offices sufficient application to sup
bly, messenger. although in some places
he smallness of the service has so limited
he compensation that pOstmaSters have
0und 1t difficult to secure them. The
lverage compensation to the messenger for
he month was about $3.50, and the average
lumber of letters delivered on a trip but a
mall fraction over one. The average time
equred for delivery has been seventeen
In May. 1886, Postmaster General Ken
lall communicated to the Senate his Opin-
on that four assistants were necessary to
~ the act of July 9, 1896, the Office of
Third Assistant Postmaster General was
reated. There were then about IL, 100 ,
'Ost-offices, 11S,3OO miles of post routes.
8. 100000 Of annual revenue and So, s40,-
90 of annual expenditures.
The service has since grown TO the pro
'ortiOns shown by this report; and on No I
ember 1 there were 1875 pOst-Offices,
65, PSI miles of pOst-rOutes; S4i, 400, coo Of
nHual revenue, as estimated, ami S53, 000,- I
90 of annual expenditure. The manage I
nent of the affairs of the several bureaus {