New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-11-22
THE MAILS OF THE NATION.
,vpopr THE posTMAsrER-GENERAL

xRss-PHE FINANCIAL SHOWING.
WASHINGTON Nov. 9l.-The report OF the Postmaster
,.ra, for the year ending Juno 80 1856 has been
suntfed to the President After briefly indicating the
sccrr Of the document. Mr.. Villas writes:
1e international Bureau Of the Universal Postal Union
mas recently collected and published statistics Sl ha
s@1th These DO not extend to later period than the
Senr 1884 when every feature OF our service nas
paSS;sS in With Hs snRS S The
fnct that immensely and extent OF means OF
~ the United states exceeds--in some points
TAR excccdshst Of any other r nsCs tho @" nu sme
6er or letters mailed during last year at loo9ooWoo
more than were mailed In Great @ n Seg more than
were mailed In Germany France and Anstra nion
90 %ot sosSer 50 many in
iSSr mails "' as did ours last year Of all pieces
q matter IF Rs ''S Tned states Is Estimated at &C.
Of Great Britain at S OF Germany anwin.,ro,;on
smIilary conveniences and systems such as the tele
graph savings banks the parcels post me c9,econ o.
tSrs Of declared value some Of which might perhaps be
grated usefuy upon ours n IN tne es,sn, trnshed
nv the international Bureau and other sources exhibits
nndeniaby the superior magnitude which that o. the Re
nss Se Sosoces Of the United
6ered 1891 besides 497 branch Offices or stations ~
shewinS Of their returns thirty two offices had during
the year added s Hut the annual
and readsnen, which took effect on the lsl OF 1nf
RELOCATED 40 tme Sut ~ Of the latter were advanced
r. se he humber OF Presidential Offices with which the
Ssfren r yf% class gain Of T. 100 Of the second class
81 inc Of III ' and 700 the third class loss Of as
omnarcd with the beginning Of the late year Inc prsncb
offices are auxiliary to the large city Offices ana Of nese
1857 are only for the sale OF stamps ana poi reS
try and money Orier stations az well ana 81 more io
carrier stations in addition only o. wnsn no are so y,
these branches equipped post offices WIN u,
fendent instead Of postmaster requiring the rchng OF
cle
Der of these stations maintained at very sIna
al NO oices there was gain of 2,35l the new esa6
lishments having been 3ts2 those dissonmu IN The
nnmer Of Establishments over the previous year was
1851 chiefly arising from the disposition OF app'
Tor new Offices which accumulated in the office dur
INC the wear before for Of action. condition ndi
Gated In the last annual report nv tne ss s on
trssed with the wear ended Jnne so 1894 The hummer
discontinued during the past year also increased ps S
Sxsr tse STATES gained 50 the Ave Middle States
with the District Of Columbia 2ol o ,Re thyes so
and three Territories on the Pacific slope 100 Inc w VS.
states and Territories op As Of a Sew oce being
2ss' with al discontinnances. while Colorado sus
tanned the greatest dim9 % cstaSsbe V
II NAV prove convenience II there he added mere tne
rcsut Of changes the beginning or the current year
prior to this report ON the LIST of October the ioal ae
Der of posofces had become OF w,nh
standing rs in the first 400 in the second and SIG IN
the third class Adding the stations the total number
order Offices and stations reached 7sG3 ,o., ssoo,
The appointnents OF posaerS % Which f eII5 were
made to I'LL VACANCIES occasoned by resgnaons or ek
Ped commissions 5s7 to yscanes c"nS TS Ky es ypon
removals OF the total number OF appointments, l,oo
were made by yourself the vacancies having %
frnm fhc following causes respectively. VIZ ny cxl
ton of commission 46s hy esisn!ions 2o3 oy dea,
"a by removals or suspensions ~ ana ~ ~ on; ~ ~
had been assigned from the fourth tn the thrd Glass;
Tho report then discusses the compensation OF post
masters II shows increase In salaries FOR presdeh-
ta posnasters ef S54 900 and adds that TINS increase
marks the growth of the 60 untrys business remarks
The changes Of ostmasters during the eighteen months
mast have contributed disclose the fact that many viola
lions of the law have been practsed AM illegally exces
alive has too often been retained nv lor
class postmasers As the quarterly returns o me newly
onnonte1 Ulcers were received from time to time the
cancellations claimed nv them were perceived IN many
instances significantly less than those re- W
their predecessors upon which examinations by nspec
tors were ordered resulting often In evidence that he
turns of the former incumbents had eXagger,lSu ,ne
amounts cancelled sometimes grossly ana uauuuehu|
The number of pieces of NAH matter counting cohec
lions and deliveries handled by the carriers during 'he
year was 949 520,599. increase over the previous
wear Of 2O4 1885, 1175 per cent while the carriers
Increased but per cent in number the amount OF
money transferred by the postal orders was nearly
"A 600 900 The special delivery stamps were used
IN the year ending septe noer3O on lllsS2o letters
The expenditure for transportation OF mails mas oeeh
S277553 % with claims TO the amount OF Sl'oVo'
still unadusted. The report adds:
In the report OF last year II was stated geneay tho al
examination had shown me that for years extra pay
ments had been made to some railroad companies io e
OF apartments less than forty leet III lenson gnu ~
other than railway postal that they were oeeVet
10 he unwarranted by law and that the second assh
had been directed 70 prepare po t report TSa
inquiry. when carefully pursued developed pay %
osed when that report written and il proved impos
eihle 10 satisfactorily complete the lnVestgauon I'D .i'
The tabulaton was subsequently finished aud submitted
10 the Congress and il appended hereto in connection
with the Second Assistants report was disclosed Una
payments aggregating up to the 3Oth of June, 1888
E91S 959 81 had been thus unwarrantably made. an(
that the d ann src Tse ws 81 a This expenditure
was at discontinued and the Congress approved ht
discussion arose between the Department and the com
panies concerned but with one exception an aqnesGet
so. So'I and Providence Railroad Company h~
denied the OF apartment cars
disregard OF the obligation Of the statute.
The FOREIGN MAIL SERVICE.
OF the foreign mail service the report says:
The foreign mail service has been, for the most part
yey The trnsportation was chiefly upon the
with increased use OF railroads IN he carriage
Mexican mails No separate account OF the welgnts o
open mails by rail taken settlements gong on th
tTiennial statistics. - -
grams or vas g SSa;7 81 w g%ns
IS;s grams or 1897 $50 pounds The
in the total weight OF mails so carried eontrasted VIII
l62, 400 pounds. gain of over q per cent
of the letter mail 90 Sc per cent was sent across tht
Atlantic and but Ia per countries where Amer
icau vessels mainly ply on the American Continent anc
Islands and across the Pacific Ocean. or paper mails
there was, usual less percentage TO Europe The
proportions being 81. AZ and 1882. respectively .
The disagreement between some merican steamship
companies and the Department In respect 10 Their com
pensaon and the method Of engaging their vessels II
fhe aervice occ asoned much healthy discussion. The
carriage of our foreign mails was. however but very
slightly interrupted Inconvenience The prncpa
di1nfion from the best service attainable existing
lines was due 10 the refusal the Pacific Mail Steamship
Company and Red Company OF the use OF their yes
routes From Francisco to Japan and China me ser
vice was performed by the Oriental and Occidental
Steamship line alone whose steamers sail from our pO
at Intervals Of about twenty days, alternatin.
with like sailings by the vessels, o.
the Pacific Mail Company; ana the relusal %
the latter reduced the frequency OF outward dspatche
by ouehan though not otherwise diminishing orimpar
ing the service which wen performed by the former
company. The other lay between New-iork ano