The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-11-23
aP0STAL POINTS.
Annual Report of the Post
maSter-General.
yAsTNEsS OF THE SERVICE.
"The Postal Machinery in Some Res
poets, Exceeds That OF any
Other Nation on the Globe"
Postmaster-eea.raI,s Report.

port Of Posjmaster-General Villas for the
year ended June 30, 1856, says, in i'm
mensity aud extent Of means, the ex'
penditures, performances and results OF
the postal machinery of the United
States exceeds lin some points, far tx
| ceeds) that of any other union on the
globe. The entire length OF all railways
/ employed by the United States nearly
equals the combined extent of those OF
al other countries Of the world, while
other post routes more than quadruple
| the total of any single people besides,
and the mileage OF last year OF our mail
transportation exceeded by more than
| l25. 600. coo miles the service rendered TO
any other government. OF postotficSS
no other nation has one-tbird our num-
Der. II is estimated that Ie0, 0CO, 900
more letters were mailed in the United
States than in Great Britain, and nearly
that number more than we're mailed In
Germany, France and Austria COM
bined. sThe proportion OF each inhabi-
tant is estimated in the United States
at &C, Great Britain 81, Germany
10. At the close of the fiscal year,
the total number of postoffices
was 1854, be1ides 497 branch
tial Offices. Concerning appointments,
the report says: Appointments of
postmasters during the last fiscal year
numbered altogether 22,7i7, of which
9,1l2 were made to ill vacancies occa-
stoned by designations or expired com
missions, 5S7 TO vacancies caused by
death, $3.50 on the establishment OF new
Offices and 8. SOS upon removals. OF the
total number of appointments ,039
were made by the President, vacancies
having occurred from the following
causes, respectively, viz: By eIpira-
tIon of commission, 46S; by reslgna-
ton, z53; by death, "a; by removals
or suspensions, 247; and 70 offices
which had been assigned from the
fourth to the third class, forty-seven.
The work performed BY the carriers Is
summarized as follows: The number of
pieces Of mail matter, counting collec-
tons and deliveries, handled By carriers
during the year, was $40 So, 500, an
increase over the previous year Of 2o4.-
9S3, lS6, or 1lZ per cent, while the
carriers increased bat IL o6 per cent. in
number.
The money order system has been
extended TO 81 additional Offices
during the year, while ten were
dropped from the list. During
the year there were issued ,940SO2
domestic orders. amounting to nearly
STA 900 500; 5 1893 .428 postal notes
amounting TO $1I, 7lS,0o0; and 4S3. s2S
international orders, aggregating SlI6,-
1861. besides payment OF foreign
orders, reaching a total of almost
100000. The entire amount Of fees
received was SI,2I4. 506.SS, less by
$4,000 than the previous year. The
act establishing the special delivery
system limited its privileges to So
postoficss. During the full year of It's
use, to September 30th, 1885, l,119, $40
letters were received for special delivery
ct these Offices. Taking the full year,
the total amount Of fees received from
this source was $S,4T2, leaving q gross
profit to government Of S2z,o97. From
the enlarged system extending the
privileges Of the act 70 all postofices
and all mailable matter, the Postmaster
General expects great results. The total
revenues Of the department for the wear
were $43 ,9lS, 40. an excess of cost over
revenue Of Ss,2s4. Isl. or the total appro-
priation for the year, amounting TO
$54 ,l86, 642.14, the entire outlay actually
made and estimated to be made is but
So. SSe, S4o.46 leaving a balance to be
eventually covered into the treasury OF
50 81 ,301 IS. The letter sheet envelopes,
the report says, have been long author
lzee, but no real attempt was made to
introduce them until last October, when
8 contract was made with the owner of
the patent, by which the department
receSTes them without cost, and paws
for only what it sells. So far the en-
yeloFe appears to find popular favor,
bat The P0stmaster-General thinks a
Longer experiment desirable before re-
commencing the purchase of the patent
and zsnufacture By government. The
dead letter Office during the wear
handed SOS. 745 pieces of mail matter,
OF which number 1S6, AS were delivered
unopened to the proper parties, and
3S6. S7s6oreign pieces were returned to |
the country Of origin Of those opened |
about o1e-han were destroyed as un-
delivered or valReless. Letters to the |
number OF p ,l3S, containing money,
4 sgregsGng S21, 732, besides IL los letters |
c ontainIng drafts. checks or other in
struments for the payment Of money,
Of total face value off, 121. l54.74, was
delivered 60 the owners. The revenue
derived from dead letters which couId /
rot be restored 70 owners, and from
the auction sale Of unclaimed parcels.
amounted TO $S,S79-29. The records OF |
TIE inspectors show the following facts:
For violation Of the postal laws, GOO |
persons were arrested, SS3 of whom
were in the service and Al were not:
llG were pOstmasters, assistants or
clerks, fourteen postal railway I
CLERKS, tventy-four letter car
rlers, twenty-SeVen mail carriers
and eleven lof various employment;
burglars and thirty-one
postEasters are included among the
arrestR, outside Of the service. State
courts took jurisdiction of thirty-four
cases AID the Federal courts of eos. OF !
the latter, convictions followed ia pa. |
acquittals in twsnty-six, trial waits In
20, and the residue were dismissed or
allied OF indictment. Three foreign
postal agencies. at Colon and Panama.
in the United States OF Columbia, and
u Shanghai. in Oh m iiave been main.
Iained- The cost of the Panama Agency
was $50 and the Colon Agency up TO
The end of March. so far as allowed S225.
The expense OF the Shanghai Office ia
part reported and in part esti-
mated, was 81 500. ARRANGEMENTS (,
have been effected with the Panama
Hallway Company TO directly perform (
al ecessary ;, ryices at Colon, and the