New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-12-14

Y. DECEMBER IA, 1883. ---TEI
makes them for the moment our superiors, but
Il is absolutely ntolerable to be put in sub
lection to the brutality of thieves. and thieves
mt heart and in action considerable number
of the city's dog-catchers undoubtedly arc
No one expects to receive any courtesy at the
hands Of men who are willing to embark in
that business, but the law ought at least to
secure women against public assaults.
-"-s------~.ss.------------
| THE PROOFS OFPOSTAL DEMORALIZATTON
Some months ago Senator Chace directed
attention to the fact that the proofs in cold
| figures Of the Democratic Generalization of the
postal service were to be found in the reports
of the Democratic Postmaster-General. Since
that time we have had new report, and our
Washington dispatches have carried on the
| parallel. The figures cover with ndicule the
statement Of the Presidents Message that the
efficiency of the service has been greatly i'm
proved Take first the tabular Statement Of
Errors made by postal clerks and postmasters.
The number of pieces of mail matter handled
| by postal clerks has been as follows:
1882 3.433,390,4S0 Increase
1883 500, s762O2 80 per cent
| The rate of increase during the three years
of Democratic administration has not been
so great as during the last three Republican
years The point is important, because both
the President and the POStmaster-G eneral have
dwelt upon " the great expansion of the SER
vice" as bearing upon its relative efficiency.
Now the record of errors made by postal clerks
shows these incorrect slips' returned;
1882 . 434,26s
s SS P IsSTss:S 7S per per cent cent
The number Of errors on these slips was as
follows:
1ss3 1924 SccssS e159 per per cent cent
| So that while there was during the last three
years of the Republican Administration an in
crease of IA per cent in the total number of
pieces handled, there was an actual decrease
| in the number Of errors under this head; but
| during the first three years of the Democratic
Administration these errors increased 90 per
cent, although the total number Of pieces
handled increased only 80 per cent. In other
words, the plumbers multiplied more than three
times as fast as the business increased. Take
now the mis- sent1 letter packages, pouches
and sacks:
.5 5 5ss55 '''d' 'S5P + ct cent
Here again, with a great increase in business,
during the Republican years the increase in the
number Of errors is 50 slight as to be almost
impepeptble but with a smaller increase
during the Democratic years the plumbers grew
10 per cent Then take the errors checked
by postal clerks against other employees:
i3:s 5555s{{E,SS55SS a per PEI cent
We continue this striking showing at the
risk of being monotonous. The following are
the number Of incorrect slips returned from
postmasters
i:.s S S5Ss55 s So per- per- cent cent
There is no flaw IN the dramatic contrast of
Republican efficiency and Democratic incom-
potency. The errors on these slips were as
! follows:
I I:ss 44 1882 % Per Per cent cent
The point might be illustrated under many
other heads, but these ought to suffice. There
is no exception in any of them to the rule al
ready made clear. In considering these fig
| urcs it should be borne in mind that the Re
publican percentages cover a period during
| which the postal business increased almost one
half while the Democratic figures cover a
period during which it increased barely one
! third yet in this record of errors the lowest
! Democratic percentage of increase is 60 per
| cent, or more than twice as great as the in
crease of business the highest is 90 per cent,
or three times the natural increase, if we are
to suppose that the blunders must multiply in
strict proportion to the business done. But
this did not occur when the Post Office Depart
ment was in Republican hands. In those
| branches Of the service in which the bulk Of
the postal business is done the greatest increase
in errors during the Republican years was
per cent, or about one-seventb as great as the
increase in the business done.
This is disgraceful showing, and may we'll
make business men rejoice that the Post Office
! Department Is to pass again into faithful hands.
The first duty of the Republican Administra-
ton should be to straighten out the tangle Mr..
Cleveland has made Of the mail service
/
The determination of the Aqueduct Commits
sioners TO obtain from the State Board of Health
an opinion on the advisability of constructing
| the big dam at Quaker Bridge is wise The ques-
ton laid before the State Board is whether the
sanitary condition of the water to be impounded
! in the Croton Valley will he best maintained by
collecting il in one huge lake in several smaller
reservoirs It. is eminently n question for ex-
perts, and deserves the most thoughtful consider
alton. But this is only factor involved in the
Quaker Bridge problem The engineering ques-
ton and the financial question are both of the
! highest importance
IL.
81 ? GOO 900 River and Harbor bill just reported
10 the House may be derived from the circum-
stance that $500, 900 is appropriated for improv-
ing the harbcr of Galveston and 81 co. 900 for the