The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1886-08-14
a PROOF by FIGURES.

Tho Success OF Postmaster-Genera1v Villas
Administration Demonstrated by Cold
Fncts.
The annual financial statements of
the post-oliice make showing that
must be extremely satisfactory to the
Administration and its friends. Since
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
contract term on estimated quantities
would come to S5.397, 429. At the
prices of the former contracts these
articles would cost 1914. 2S8. Here is
n saving for the four years of $l,346,-
5SS, or 1919 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
:he fiscal year, under contracts made
since Postmaster-General Villas took
Office, S706,S00. The same quantities
under the contracts existing March f.
1885. would have cost 1881 1888. Here
is an annual saving of $l74 222, or 1917
per cent. For the miscellaneous ex-
penses of the department.. exclusive of
salaries. the appropriation for 1886 was
Sl3S, S52, the expenditures were $780,
1856, and the unexpended balance was
S49,0l5. For 1885 the appropriation
was S127,9l9, the expenditures S11S.-
3Sl, and the uneXpended balance only
1875 The decrease of the miscel-
laneous expenses for the year was S28,-
5Si, 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 7j per cent.
The reason of this apparent increase
was that the figures of the previous
wear were false. Two years ago an cx-
ccssive numbcrof balances were bought
by the department at unusually high fig
ures. The next year-that is lSS5-thc
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 a little larger
than for 1885. But in 1884 the uneX-
pended balance for salaries was
$4,000, and for 1885 it was $4,000
Although. as shown above the miscel-
laneous expenses of the department
for 1886 were $4,000 less than in
1851 the expenditures of 1856 covered
a number OF items. aggrcgating nearly
$1,000, mainly connected with the
leasing of a building for the sixth aud
itor's clerks, that were not included
in the expenditures for 1885.
- The expenditures of the Post-ollicc
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 cycep-
ton of an average annual unexpended |
balance of 1.6 per cent. In 1856 the un-
expended balance was 6.S per cent.
For twenty years the average annual
increase of these expenses has been
5.5 per cent; last year the increase
was only Ii per cent. Since the new
administration came in the net reduc,
ton of star-route service has been at
the rate of S3l6.973 n year; of steam
boat service, S139.506 aud of mail
messenger service, $40. 59l--a total net
decrease Mt the rate of Sj0l. .1Sj per an
mum. On payment for railroad serv-
Ice there has been cut off Sl2,950 as'I
needless, SOS, ,905 of compensation to
land-grant roads which were previously
not classified as such, $50 l6l disallow-
ances of pay for department car service
hitherto allowed but not authorized by
law, and $l0,5C0 of postal-car service
discontinued as unnecessarily total
saving on railway transportation at
the rate of Sl72,5l7 For purposes of
contracting for star-roGte and steam
boat transportion the United States is
divided into four sections Contracts
Tor four years in the fourth section, in
Guiding States and Territories west of
the Mississippi and the Missouri were
let at the rate of $2S9, 900 year less
than the previous contracts. The
original estimates for postal service for
1886 were SOC. 200, 900, and the appro-
priations were S54, 100000.
The stmaster-Gcnerals estimate
last fall for the then current year was
S53, 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 44,000,0 900, so the deficit will
come inside of S7,O0O.000. instead of
reaching S9,000.O00. and this in spite
of loss of over 81 900, 900 by reducing
newspaper postage one-half and some
reduction of revenue by increasing the
unit of weight on letters from one-half
to one ounce. Chicago Times.