The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1886-08-19
A PROOF BY FIGURES.
The Success of Postmaster-General Villas
Administration Demonstrated by Cold
Facts.


the new Administration came in all
contracts for adhesive stamps, postal
cards, stamped envelopes and wrap
pers, and mail-bags and mailbag
catchers, running four years, have
been let at rates that for the whole
contract term on estimated quantities
would come to S5, 1897, ,429. At the
prices of the former contracts these
articles would cost 1914, 23S. Here is
a saving for the four years of $l,346,-
5S8, or 1873 per cent. The four classes
of articles enumerated above, and
the official envelopes, tags, etc.,
wrapping paper, facing slips,
twine, marking and rating stamps,
letter-balances and stationary, which
are contracted for annually, cost for
the fiscal year, under contracts made
since Postmaster-General Villas took
Office, $706,8OO. The same quantities
under the contracts existing March 4,
1885, would have cost $751; .083. Here
is an annual saving of $174, 222, or 1877
per cent. For the miscellaneous ex-
penses of the department, exclusive of
salaries, the appropriation for 1886 was
$13o, o52, the expenditures were $780,
1856, and the unexpended balance was
$40, 015. For 1885 the appropriation
was S127,9l9, the expenditures $118,-
3S1, and the unexpended balance only
SO, 357. The decrease of the miscel-
laneous expenses for the year was $685.
584, or "a per cent. Among the items
of supplies above mentioned the only
one which does not show decrease in
the cost was that of letter-balances.
That shows an increase of Is per cent.
The reason of this apparent increase
was that the figures of the previous
year were false. Two years ago an ex-
cessive number of balances were bought
by the department at unusually high fig
ures. The next year-that is 18S5-the
contractors. knowing that the pur-
chases in 1884 were so large that no
more would be needed for some time,
put in their bid at nominal figures, and
the department bought no scales. The
division chief who stocked up the de-
partment for two or three years ahead
with balances at high figures is not
now in Office. For salaries the appro-
priation for 1884 was little larger
than for 1885. But in 1884 the unex-
pended balance for salaries was
$4,000, and for 1885 it was 5000.
Although, as shown above, the miscel-
laneous expenses of the departure mt
for 1886 were $28,OO0 less than in
1885, the expenditures of 1886 covered
a number of items, aggregating nearly
$1,000, mainly connected with the
leasing of a building for the sixth aud
itor's s clerks, that were not included
in the expenditures for 1898
The expenditures of the Post-office
Department not regulated by law
that is, discretionary with the Post
master-General, but exclusive of the
transportation of mails-have for twen-
ty years been used up with the excep-
ton of an average annual unexpended
balance of 1.6 per cent. In 1886 the un-
expended balance was 6.8 per cent
For twenty years the average annual
increase of these expenses has been
SO per cent; last year the increase
was only IL per cent. Since the new
Administration came in the net reduc-
ton of star-route service has been at
the rate of $316,973 year; of steam
boat service, S139,5O6, and of mail
messenger service, S45. 591-a total net
decrease at the rate of S501, 7S5 per an
mum. On payment for railroad serv-
Ice there has been cut off S12,950 as
needless, $68, 905 of compensation to
land-grant roads which were previously
not classified as such, $50, 161 disallow-
ances of pay for department car service
hitherto allowed but not authorized by
law, and S10,500 of postal-car service
discontinued rs unnecessary-a total
saving on railway transportation al
the rate of $172,517. For purposes OF
contracting for star-route and steam
boat transportion the United States is
divided into four sections. Contracts
for four years in the fourth section, in
cluding States and Territories west o
the Mississippi and the Missouri, were
let at the rate of $269,00 a year less
than the previous contracts. The
original estimates for postal service fol
1886 were 56,000,0 900, and the appro
priations were $54, ZOO, 900.
The Postmaster-Gene estimate
last fall for the then current year was
100000. The actual expenditure
as indicated by the auditors reports
for three-fourths OF the year, will come
inside of S51, 100000. The revenue
will be $44, ,O0O,O0 so the deficit viii
cdme inside of S7,000,00O, instead O
reaching $4,000, 900, and this in spit,
of a loss of over 81, 900, 900 by reducing
newspaper postage one-half and SOM
reduction of revenue by increasing th'
unit of weight on letters from one-hal
to one ounce Chicago Times.