Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1886-11-26
THE UNITED STATES NAIL
Postmaster General Villas Makes His
Annual Report.
How the Special Delivery Works. The
Fol eigr Nails.

Postmaster General Villas. in his an
nual report, says that the mileage of the
mail transportation last exceeded by
more than 125,000OOO miles the service
rendered any other government. Other
companions are made showing that the
mail matter handled By our postal service
greatly outweighs and outnumbers that
of any other postal systsm- Trustworthy
estimates place the number of letters
mailed during last year at 1OC0000G0
more than were mailed in Great Britain,
long the leading letter-writing nation,
and nearly that number more than were
mailed in Germany, France and Austria
combined. Excluding Germany, it is
thought all other postal union countries
do not together carry so many news
| papers in their mails as did ours last year.
| OF all pieces OF matter mailed. the pro-
portion to each inhabitant of the United
States is estimated at G6. of Great Britain
at 81, of Germany at 10.
The appointments of postmasters dur
| ing the last fiscal year numbered altsgeth
er %, TAI; of which zip were made to
fill vacancies occasioned by designations
| or expired commissions, 5S7 to vacancies
| caused by death, 3,4S2 on the establish
ment of new offices; and 1866 upon re-
movals. OF the total number of appoint
ments, 1893 were made by the president,
| the vacancies having occurred from the
| following causes respectively, VIZ: By
| expiration of commission, 46o; by resig-
| nations, 253; by death, "a; by removals
or suspensions, PAT; and to offices which
! had been assigned from the fourth to the
| third class, II.
! The postmaster general renews his re-
| lrt 10 lnIi
! TEN be extended to places of 10000 in
! habitants or $4,000 of gross annual re-
| venue.
MONEY ORDERS.
| The money order cystem was extended
| during the year 10 81 additional Offices,
while ten were dropped from the list.
| The total value of the domestic orders
| issued was littlemoTe than 100000.
| The total net revenue paid into the trea-
! sury for the year was $3.50, 55l.S7, sum
more than sufficient to pay all the cost of
! the money -Order clerical service in tina
! department, and the auditors, the rent of
buildings and the maintenance of them,
| besides all incidental and miscellaneous
expenses.
| OF the special delivery service the post
master-general says in part:
The act limited the service 10 free-de-
! livery offices and such others as served
places with a population Of 1000 or more;
and its privilege were thus operative at
but 555 postofiices. The restriction gent
| ~ limited the convenience and employ
ment of the service, because 1t required
| the sender Of u letter to consult the list
of postoffices where the stamp would be
available, q list often inaccessible at the
proper time. Nor was the stamp ettca-
cious upon any but first-class matter
| Notwithstanding, the pusiIc appears to
! have found the system advantageous, and
during the full year of its use, to the END
| of September, LIS $50 letters were re-
ceiyed for special delivery at the deSIg-
mated offices, of which 7S5,020 came
by mail and 333, 500 were drop letters
RAILROAD TRANSPORTATION.
Under the aead of railroad transporta-
ton, the postmaster shows that there are
irregularities and abuses in the matter OF
! compensation which ought to be correct
ed. This is especially true of apartment
cars. Great care has been exercised and
a considerable saving has been affected
/ Mr.. Villas says:
The conviction will force itself upon
the mind of every careful inquirer, 1T may
be safely affirm ed, that the present meth
/ Cd of measuring the compensation to
railroads for mail transportation Is clum-
sy, unequal in effects, difficult of satisfac
tory adjustm Ont, and by no means fixed
upon a true basis. The subject deserves
early consideration. The evils and IN
CAPABILITIES of the present system increase
with the increase of railroads and mails
the difficulties of adjustment become more
trying, and the perils of serious inconven-
fence to the service is far from inconsider-
/