West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1886-08-20
a PROOF BY EIGhRES-
The Success OF ter-GencraI villas
Administration Demonstrated by Cold


| Facts.
The annual financial statement, Of
| the post-ollice make showing that
must be extremely satisfactory to the
Administration and its friends. Since
the new Admini tration came i'm all
| contracts for adhesive stamps, postal
cards. stamped envelopes and wrap
| pcr>. and mail-bags and mailbag
catrhcrS, running four years. have
been let at rates that for the whole
contract term on estimated quantities
would come to Sj.3g7.i29. At the
prices of the former contracts these
articles would cost 80. ~. 2SS. Here is
a saving for the four years Of Sl.3i6,-
5SS, or 1919 per cent. The four classes
OF articles enumerated above, and
the -oilicial envelopes. tags, etc.
wrapping paper. facing slips,
twinc, marking and rating stamps.
lctter-balauccS and stationary, which
are contracted for annually. cost for
the fiscal year, under contracts made
since Postmaster-Gencral Villas took
Office, S1O6.SO The same quantities
under the contracts existing March 4.
| 1889, would have cost 1881 .OS3. Here
is an annual saving of STA. 222. or 10. :
per cent. For the miscellaneous OK
penscs Of the department. exclusive Of
salaries, the appropriation for 1886 was
Sl3S, So, the expenditures were $50. -
$50. and the uneNpended balance was
5000. For 1885 the approximation
was Sl27,9l9. the expenditures Sis
3Sl, and the mcNpcnded balance only
S9,3J1. The decrease of the miScei-
laneous expenses for the year was 1913,
JSi, or ~ per cent Among the items
OF supplies above mentioned the only
one which does not show decrease i'm
the cost was that of lcttcr-balances.
That shows an increase of 75 per cent.
The reason Of this apparent increase
was that the figures of the previous
year were false Two years ago an cx-
ccSSivc numbered balances were bought
by the department at unusually HIGH o.
urcS. The next year-that is 1SSJ-the
contractors, knowing that the pur-
chaScs IN 1884 were so large that no
more would be needed for some time.
put in their bid ut nominal figures. and
the department bought no scales. The
division chief who stocked up the de
partmcnt for two or three years ahead
with balances at high figures ia not
priation for 1884 was a little larger
than for 1888. But i'm 1884 the unex-
pended balance for salaries was
$1,000, and for 1885 it was 81. 600.
= Though, as shown above, the mscel-
! meouS expenses of the department
fDr 1886 were S2S, 600 less than in
1880, the expenditures OF 1886 covered
number of items, aggregating nearly
$1,000, mainly connected with the
leasing of building for the sixth aud
itors clerks, that were not included
in the expenditures for 1880
The expenditures of the Post-oilice
Department not regulated by law
that Is, discretionary with the Post
master-General, but exclusive of the
transportation of mails have for TWEEN
" years been used mp with the eXcep-
ton of an average annual uncXpcnded
balance of 10 per cent. I'm 1886 the un-
expended balance was 6.S per cent.
For twenty years the average annual
increase of these expenses has been
% per cent; last year tie increase
was only Ia per cent. Since the new
Administration came i'm the net reduc-
ton of Star-rOute service has been nj
the rate of S3l6.973 a year; of steam
boat service, Sl39. 800, and of mail
messenger service, SO. 59l a total net
decrease ut the rate of SjO1 .1S5 per am
mum. ON payment for railroad scrv-
Zee there has been cut off SI2.95O rs
needless, SOS, 9Oj of compensation TO
Immigrant roads which were previously
not classified a> such, $50. I6l disallow-
apceS of pay for department car service
hitherto allowed but not authorized by
law, and $1,000 of postal-car service
discontinued aS unnecessary "a total
saving on railway transportation at
the rat" OF Sl12,jlG For purposes of
contracting for >tar-routc and steam
boat transportion the United States is
divided into four sections Contracts
for four years i'm the fourth section. in
ending States and Territories west of
the Mississippi and the Missouri. were
Jet at the rate OF $3.50, 900 a year les.
/ than the previous contracts. The
| original estimates for postal service for
| 1856 were $4,000, 900. and the appro-
| priatiOns were sol. 900. 600.
In" POStma-trr-G Generals estimate
| last fall for the then current year was
| S53,OOj.OJO The actual expenditure.
/ a indicated by the auditors reports
| for three-fourths Of the wear. will come
/ inside of Sol 900. 600 The revenue
| viii be 1000, 600, so the deficit will
/ come inside of 7.OOD.OOO, instead of
/ r. aching $4,000, 900. and thi, i'm spite
/ OF loss of over - 900, 900 bv REDUCING
| newspaper postage onc-half ard some
/ reduction Of revenue by increasing the
/ un Of weight on letter, from one-hall
/ TO one ounce. fbjc0gO Times.