Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1888-12-07
THE DEPARTMENT REPORTS.
PoSTOFFICE, WAR DEPARTMENT
AND THE MINT.
Abstracts from the Reports of POST
master-General, Secretary and
Director.

Postmaster General Dickinson's annual re-
port presents concisely the condition and
history of every branch of the postal service
for the fiscal year ended June 80, 1888, with
many comparisons with previous years show
ing remarkable expansion Of business and
large increase in expeIa tire The gross
revenue for the year was S52, 695, 176, while
expenditures amounted to $56 sS5, ,4O3 The
estimated deficiency is, therefore, S4, 100, ,227.
The deficiency for the fiscal year ended June
80, 1885, was $6,973, ,944 For 1856 it was 81,
166, ,594, and for 1887 the cash deficiency was
81, ,297, ,23s. The revenue for the current ifs.
cal year is estimated at S62 sos, COS,
and the expenditure for the year
is estimated at $65, ,Sl2073, with
a probable deficiency this year of about
So 100000. During the past year 12,2SS
postmasters were appointed, 652l upon res1g-
nations and commissions expired, 1914 upon
removals $50 to fill vacancies by death and
1864 on establishment of new postofhces.
The railway mail service shows an increase
of IL, 900 miles and decrease OF 72-lO0 per
cent. In the rate of cost per mile travelled.
The volume of business in the money order
division was upward of $l43, GOO, 900, and it is
selI-SusUalnlng, Win net prohJ 70 Ine gov
ernment of $50 000 The volume of ordinary
mail matter has largely incre issd, and it is
estimated that the revenue during the past
year would have be n, without reduction OF
postage, upward of SIC, 1000, 900.
Carefully prepared statistics are submitted
in every branch Of the service, demonstrat-
ing, in the opinion of the postmaster-gener-
al, increased efficiency over previous years
Carefully prepared statistics are submitted,
i,,or i,oa 1yith tbot Of (irpa
Britain, Germany and France, demonstrate
ing that, in cheapness of postage, gross
revenue and expenditures, number of post
offices, extent of mail routes, mileage of mail
service and volume of mail matter trans
mitted, the postal system Of the United
States is the leading one of the world. In
connection with the foreign mail service,
and especially in relation to our means Of
communication with South and Central
America and Mexico, the postmaster gen
eral vigorously reasserts his views against
making the postal administration the dis
burser of subsidies. In his opinion such a
function would hamper the mail service, and
he urges that if the policy Of subsidizing
American lines for the promotion of COM
merce be adopted, the appropriation be
voted directly to the owners.
Among the recommended ms submitted
are: The ownership by the s ov ,rnment OF
postoffice buildings, allowance lor rent for
third-class postoffices, revision of the
franking privilege law, and that at the ter
mination of existing contracts for the manu-
facture Of postage stamps, postal cards and
stamped envelopes the government take the
work into its own hands. The postmaster
general thinks that If the franking privilege
were abolished and a regular yearly allow
ance Tor the purchast If postage stamps
made instead every sena or and member OF
the house of representatives would be placed
upon an exact equality. 10 one could make
use of the mails beyond his own allowance,
and no unauthorized person could make use
of the mails to forward unofficial matter,
Discussing the relations Of the govern
ment with the railroads, Postmaster General
Dickinson calls attention to the urgent need
of the revision Of the law, as it confers no
authority on any official Of the government
to compel owners of railroads to receive and
carry the mails Of the United States. He
says that public opinion and sentiment are
the only forces to which the department can
now appeal to secure improved mail facili-
ties when amicable negotiations fail and that
the only existing law providing an alterna-
tive in case of refusal of any railroad, not
under contract with the government, to take
the mails, is for the department to send them
forward by pony express.
On the subject of postal telegraphy, he
says: If the correspondence of the country is
TO commune TO D6 uQuer Une CndTRe anu pro-
lection of the government, the vast and in
creasing volume conducted by telegraphy
and the right of the great body of the people
to be afforded facilities for the best and
quickest transmission at rates within the
means of all will press this subject upon the
attention of the congress with more and more
urgency. The chief difficulties in the way
are the great cost of present methods
and the absence of safeguards which,
according to the theory Of the present
| mail service, should protect the privacy
of correspondence have given the sub
| ject much consideration, and | believe the
| inventive genius of this country has
reached stage in the discovery of electric
science when these problems may he
| solved. The subject is of such great import
ance to the people that believe an oppor-
| tunity should be given for the presentation
and examination of inventions which have
been informally presented to the COMMITTEES
Of congress, the department and the public,
and that a stimulus should be given to in
ventors to turn their attention to the i'm
provement of old methods. recommend
| the appointment of a commission of compe.
tent and disinterested men, learned in the
science, who may examine inventions and
| invite others who shall be authorized to erect
short experimental lines, and who shall re-
port to the president or to congress the
result of their Investigations.