The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-11-05
FOREIGN MAILS.

The Superintendent Of the Foreign Inu
Service Makes his Annual Report.
WASHINGTON, Oct 27.-Hon. Nicholas
Bell, Superintendent Of Foreign Mails, has
submitted his annual report to the Post.
master General, showing the operations Of
that Office during the last fiscal year, which
/. he says has been characterized by great
deal Of discussion relative to compromising
American steamship companies for the
conveyance of the United States mails to
foreign countries. Tho American steam
ship companies declined to convey the mails
after August l. 1885, for the whole amount
OF sea aud inland postage upon the grounds
OF inadequate compensation, but Congress
having failed to increase the rate Of pay,
the companies have all rendered their ships,
and such of them as can be used to ad-
vantage for expediting the mails have been
accepted. The total weight of letters dis
patched to foreign countries by sea was
500, 1917 pounds and of papers 1885,, SIS
pounds. The estimated total number of
letters sent to foreign countries was ST..
002.s93 and so. 405. s47 were received, while
47.049,o64 newspapers were sent and 26,
700,O5O were received. The cost of the
year was s357,443, as against $751;.
9O3 last year. The estimates for the
service next year are as follows: For trans
portatiOn of mails, calculated OIL the basis
Of paying the full sea and inland postage
for conveyance of United States mails
transported by United States vessels.
1866, 1000; balances due foreign coun.
tries, 100000; total, S565,OOO. During
the year the Kingdom of Siam, the
independent state of Congo and the Repub.
lie of Bolivia We're admitted to the Univer.
sal Postal Union. The repor. presents sta
tistics of the postal service of the different
countries included in the union. COmpar.
ing the area of the country with the num-
Der of post-Offices it appears that Swtzer-
land stands first with one pOstOflice to
every 5.4 square miles, while the United
States takes twelfth place with one office
to every 7O2 miles. On the basis of popu-
laton Canada heads the list with one Office
to every 633 inhabitants, Switzerland second
with one TO every 9G4. and the United States
third with one to every 1902 inhabitants.
The United States ranks first i'm the length
of railway service with 117.S46 miles and
Germany second with 22,111 miles. The
United States heads the list of countries in
length of postal routes other than oyer rail-
ways, the percentage of railway routes as
compared with other routes, the number Of
miles of annual railway transportation and
tile number of miles of transportation on
all other routes. The United States spent
more for salaries of post-oflice employees
than any other country. but exhibits a large
deficiency in revenue as compared with ex.
penditures. A careful estimate of tho mail
matter of all kinds exchanged throughout
the world in one day places the total at
1l,6i0, 900 pieces. The total number of pack
ages and articles of value conveyed through
out the globe in 1854 was about 40l, 600, 600
and the total value of money orders and
other declared articles of value was SILL
594,6i6. Superintendent Bell recommends
that the compensation to mail carrying
steamers to Great Britain be regulated in
accordance with their speed.