Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-11-22


lst of Julv, regulated rs thire-clas, offices to
the fourth class, while at the same time but
"a of the latter were advanced Thu. the
number of Presidential office. with which the
current year began was 2244, gain of II; of
these, 15 of the first class, gain OF 4 400 OF
the second class, gain of II; and 1863 of
the third class, a loss of 10 as compared with
the beginning of the late year.
In the fourth class, comprising on the lst
of July 81 $40 offices. there was gain OF
2 35l, the new establishment. having been
1882, those discontinued l,l20, and ii be-
come presidential The increase in the num-
Der of establishments over the previous year
was l, 36l. The number discontinued dur
| ing the past year also Increased by 234 over
the preceding
| The appointmentments of postmasters dur
ing the last fiscal wear numbered altogether
22,741; of which g., ll2 were made to fill va
caucies occasioned by designations or expired
commissions, 5S7 to vacancies caused by
death, 3.4S2 on the establishment of new
offices, and 566 upon removals. OF the
total number of appointments, l,039 were
made by the President, the vacancies having
occurred from the following causes, respect
! lively, viz: By expiration of commission. 46S /;
/ by designations, ,253; by death, "a by remov-
ais or suspensions, 2+7; and to offices which
had been assigned from the fourth 10 the
third class, At.
The compensation of postmasters, a sub
ject which has been productive of many
changes in legislation, is, under the act of
| March 3, 1883. now regulated by awarding
| fixed salaries to those of presidential appoint
menr, who are therein divided into three
cla.se, and to all others their box rent. and
commissions upon the business of their Off
ces
The free delivery service by carriers was,
during the last year, extended to three cities,
Aurora, H., Duluth, Minn. and Newport. Ky,
making on the Both of June, 1896, ISL free
delivery offices in all. The limits imposed by
law on the discretion of the department IN
extending the system have nearly been
reached, and unless they be expanded the
addition of other communities to the enjoy
ment of the privileges of the system will be
few, as, from year TO year, they gradually at
tain to the population or volume of business
now required
! The money order system has been conduct
ed during the past year in accordance with
its well-establshed methods and with custo-
mary efficiency. During the past year there
issued 1910, 1902 domestic orders, amounting
to nearly Sll4 100000; 5,999,42S postal
notes, amounting to Sll ,7l8,000, and 493,
I \
7S6.2l, besides the payment of foreg gn orders,
reaching total of almost $4,000,000. The
entire amount of fees received was $l,2l4,
506.3S, less by 81, $50. 60 than the previous
year. There was some dlminuton in the
| fees from domestic orders, but a greater
arose from the reduction of the charges on
| international money orders from one and
one half to one per cent. The total net rev.
enue paid into the treasury for the year was
! $3.50, 55l.87.
TRANSPORTATION By RAILROADS AND STEAM
ERS.
The conviction will force itself on the
mind of every careful inquirer, it may be
safely affirmed, that the present method of
measuring the compensation to railroads for
mail transportation is clumsy, unequal in eff
fects, difficult of satisfactory adjustment.
and by no means fixed upon true basis. The
subj ject deserves early consideration.
The foreign mail service has been, for the
most part, very satisfactorily performed dur
| ing the year under revie~. Although the de-
purtment has sedulously preferred the steam
ships of the United States wherever they sail,
the greater proportion (about nine-tenths) J
of the foreign mails have been necessarily
transmitted in foreign bottoms. Petitions,
numerously signed by well-known and enter
| pTlelUR neTCnauts ADu WAHuIdctu[ere OF new
York. Philadelphia, Baltimore. New Orleans,
st. Paul, Minneapolis, and other places, have
been presented to the department for the es-
tablishment of direct and regular mail com
munication with the Argentine Republic, the
republics of Uruguay and Paraguay, and for
a semi monthly service to the Empire of Bra
| zil. The particular application of these pc
! titioners appears to me to be entitled to seri-
Gus consideration. There is now direct mail
communication between this country and no
port south of Rio de Janeiro. TO the latter
! the ships of the United States and Brazil Mail
Steamship Company afford but one dis
patch a month To more northern ports of
the Brazilian Empire, somewhat greater ire
quency is attained by the occasion use of
other vessels; but the sailings of these are
not regular, and the gain by their employ.
ment is but moderate. 1t is not to be doubted
that the extension of direct service to the
southern republics of the continent, and reg
ular semi-monthly service to the Brazilian
metropolis, would be valuable and desirable.
measured by the principles which should
alone govern sound postal administration.
THE FINANCIAL EXHIBIT.
The financial condition of the postal SER
vice for the year has improved beyond expec-
tation. Although the revenue fall short of
the expected total by So4, ,OOO, the expendl-
lures have been limited to S5l 200, 900, and
the deficiency is diminished within that Of
the year before, being below Sc 900, 900, ex-
elusive of Pacific railroad service. The last
three wears have sustained the effects of the
reduction of letter postage from three to two
cents, of rates of second-cass matter by one
half, and of doubling the unit of weight of
first-class; the heaviest checks upon its re-
ceipts which the service ever suffered.
The Anarchists Threaten to Capture Chi