The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-08-25
A PROOF BY FIGURES.
The Success of Postmaster-Gcneralv Villas
Administration Demonstrated by Cold

The Success of Postmaster-Gcneral Villas
Administration Demonstrated by Cold
Facts.
The annual financial statements of
the post-otfice 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
been let at rates that for the whole
contract term on estimated quantities
would come to $5,397, 429. At the
prices of the former contracts these
articles would cost S., 744,2SS. Here is
a saving for the four years OF 81, 346,-
5SS, or 1919 per cent The four classes
of articles enumerated above, and
the official envelopes, tags, ETC.,
wrapping paper, facing slips,
Irvine, marking and rating stamps,
letter-balances and stationary, which
are contracted for annually, cost for
the fiscal year, under contracts made
since Postmaster-G General Villas took
Office, $7O6,SOO. The same quantities
under the contracts existing March 4,
1885, would have cost S881.08 Here
is an annual saving of $l74, 222, or 1877
per cent For the miscellaneous ex-
penses of the department., exclusive OF
salaries, the appropriation for 1886 was
$13S,S52, the expenditures were $780,
$50, and the unexpended balance was
S49,O15. For 1885 the appropriation
was S127,9l9, the expenditures $118,-
3S1, and the ur~xpended balance only
$9,357. The decrease of the miscel-
1aneous expenses for the year was $685.
5S4, 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-
cessivenumbero of balances were bought
by the department at unusually high fig
ures. The next year-that is 1SS5-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 $4,000
Although, as shown above, the miscel
laneous expenses of the department
for 1886 were $4,000 less than il
1885, the expenditures of 1886 covered
number of items, aggregating 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-offic,
Department not regulated by law
that is, discretionary with the Post
master-General, but exclusive of tn
transportation of mails-have for TWEEN
ty years been used up with the excep
ton of an average annual unexpende,
balance of 1.6 per cent. In 1886 the un
expended balance was 69 per cent
For twenty years the average annua
increase of these expenses has beef
SIS per cent; last year the increas
was only IL per cent. Since the nev
Administrator came in the net reduc
ton of star-route service has been a
the rate of $316,973 year; of steam
boat service, $139,506, and of mai
messenger service, $45, 591-a total ne
decrease at the rate of $5O1, 785 per an
mum. On payment for railroad serv
Ice there has been cut off S12.950 a
needless, $68,905 of compensation t.
land grant roads which were previousl
not classified assuch, $50, 161 disallow
ances of pay for department car servic
hitherto allowed but not authorized b
law, and $10,5O0 of postal-car servic
discontinued as unnecessarily tota
saving on railway transportation a
the rate of $172,517. For purposes o
contracting for star-route and steam
boat transportion the United States
divided into four sections. Contract
for four years in the fourth section, in
. Guiding States and Territories west q
the Mississippi and the Missouri, wer
let at the rate of S2S9,000 a year les
than the previous contracts. TIL
original estimates for postal service TO
1886 were S56.000,000, and the apprc
priations were 100000.
The Postmaster-GeneraIs estimat
last fall for the then current year wa
S5S,0O0,00O. The actual expenditure
as indicated by the auditors report
for three-fourths OF the year, will com
inside of SOL, 100000. The revenu
will be $4,000, 900, so the deficit wi
come inside of S7,OO0,000, instead {
reaching $4,000, 900, and this in spit
of a loss of over 81, 000,0Q0 by reducin
newspaper postage one-half and som
, reduction of revenue by increasing tt
unit of weight on letters from one-ha
to one ounce. Chicago Times.
A Proud "Cheese Parer."
No account of the Democratic LEAF
| ,ry1,,f1 ,,0sct1,ft I