The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1889-12-13
FACTS ABOUT THE MAIL.
Postmaster General Wana-
makers Annual Report.
Recommendation Worthy of COnsId
cration-AIditiOn IL Hop Needle
As TO Postal Dist ricts-A Limit
ed Post and Telegraph

Service.
The report OF Postmas; err General Wana
maker is Is an exhaustive paper, coverns
l02 printed pag's. The following is a sum
| mary of tho work Of the last fisc ii year.
At the close OF tho year end ii June 80
1883. there were in operation Ass Presiden,
tial postoilices aud 5i.SSS fourth class post.
! Cficss. During the last iiscl year the nun.
Der OF Presidential postollices increased by
1875. nnl tho number of fourth, class post.
thiaesbY ,427. The number Of poStoM ,es :.
tabiished was 3,17o and the number discon.
tnued l,l47.
There was an unexpended balance OF a.
ooo lu out ot an appropriation OF 81 ,OuO, 900.
Tue postage collected upon local matter tx
ce.dcd by S279, ,6i7. II or IL IL. IL per centum
the total cost of the Tree delivery service
The annual rats OF exucn iiture for inland
mail transportation ut The Gloss OF tho lust
fiscal year was S3i ,l2I lUI4, and the service
included ID UfT star routes OF nu uysr.pn,c
lenllh oi 233, ,33l.Sl miles, costing $5,:31,-
3H.CI; G.1ti mail messenger routes wus
total len,th was 5,03.21 niles, tn, cos.
thereof beng $40 lSS S5; tn .re wer. l3S
steamboat routes, the length OF winch WE
lo59i 81 miles, and the expenditure SiI6
Is; :, l3 railroni routes c : ing SlgII
W %, co uprising an aggregate I'm t of
o; l3O, 3Sl j3 miles, while Tor j5b post nj -
car routes, the iongth of whicn was 10
o1o 81 miles. tho cost was 81 l9S.jl7 D. The
annual rat. OF payment on account OF ) 4IS
railway postal clerks amounted to So 2(jS CO.
The sum of l96 63J So WAS paid Tor uiall
equipments, ami certain necessary aud spec
ial facilities on trunk lines invoivel an ex-
Penditure OF $295 G55 3S
In all Glasses OF the mail service in opera.
,ion 9n the sth OF pRs ts an OF
753, or Is per cent. thnt the total lcngth
OF tue routes was 4lG. $50 IA miles, an IN
crease OF IL. lS2 ID miles, or 3 Ul per cent;
that the annual rate OF expenditure was $3i,-
U2I, ,l07.9l 7-l6, an increase of s2,5G7. 26O. IS
III IL, or III per cent. TGe total number
or mil s Travelled per annum was 3lO,9Jl,-
Si 81, nu increase OF % 6JO, ,32S 81, s. 23
per cent. Tue rate o: cost per mile Travelled
was 1924 cents, the same being Il decrease of
.Ul cent, or 90 per cent. AS to the rat, of
cost per mile OF length, which was SSl 1j,
there was airfncreass of 80 S9or 81. per . = =
The average 3atnbrT OI JIlps per woek was
LlS, which was all increase OF 30, or D. II
per cent.
During the year the total number of pieces
of postage stamps and stamped paper was
ISIS, ,5Oo,33i, OF Tho aggregate value of SOL
vi. ToLl7, an i!!::easo IN number over tho
b,ca, year Ell l,I juno -, 1855 o! H.,
93J, l5l, and in amount Of S2 2S5. 4j2 81, the
iormer being SO per cent and tho intt.r
4. 6l per cent
The total number of pieces of mail OF ali
kinds reg iste. ed during tho year was IA OGl =
i here was corresponding increas. OF So,
a hs nE nssnnh1ted fan1t fopss FtF Tor
The same proportion in outstanding us in
closed cases OF investi cation, are placed ut
431 making an estimated total Of l50 or
III every l2237 registered pieces handled.
Tue vo.ume OF mail matter registered for
which postage was paid has Increased III IL
years over BIB per cent.
Tho total Weight OF mails dispatched by
sea to foreign countries was Ill ,S52 pounGs
OF which GS3, ,l3l consi ted OF l-L,ers aud
postal cards aud 3 42S. .72l pounds of oihcr
articles. Over 80 pr cont. OF the lo:mer
and as pr cent Of the latter were destined
Tor transatlantic countries AMI of tho trans.
aIlIntlc mails AZ per cent OF the letters aud
% per cent OF the oth"r articles were Tor
Great Britain.
Vessels OF United States registry received
81 80 per pound Tor letters aud postal cards
and cents per pouni for other articles,
while vessels of foreign regis.rJ are paid
but about A cents Ior letters and postal
cards and auout - ceutS tor other articl s.
The gross amount of coupons ttiun paid
for transatlantic s.rvic, was 1919 6P.5S ali
of which Wa paid to vessels OF iorrISn reg
istry, except the insignificant sum OF 81. 10
TO the American line for carrying 81 grams
Ill ounces OF letters. For trans pacific ssr-
vice there was pal TO vess is OF Uuitcu
States registry $50, ,S2l f3, and to vesse. IS OF
foreign registry 81, 7il 3S, walle for miSce!-
laneous services Vessels o! Un Ted Sta;ei
foreign registry $40, 80 55 Tue to,aI cost
of the transatlantic service was Si7S 5l2 is,
of the trans.pachc service, S5J. .j63 III, ana
of the miscellaneous service, 'nciudin2 Can
ada, Mexico, Central and South America,
and the West In lies, SG7, ,2O5 ST.
! The Superintendent OF Jnc dcld letter
office max the gratifying exhibit that thcr,
was deer ase of lO,.s3 pieces Of mail matt /
as compared with tho number rec ,Ived dur
ing the preceding fiscal year. IN, to;a
| number of pieces treated III tniS branch vi
| the department was u, 40 .2gB. O. til" lota
! nun..er 5,43i, 23j letters were opened, an.
| l7J.o7D were d .livered unopened, while ?oi !,
| $50 ordinary letters were destroyed; BIZ. I;D
| foreign letters ana parsels were returned or
| delivered to the addresses. o. the letters
| opened in the dead letter Office O96, ,1D were
| deliver ed, and of these l,S3S, 16S contained
nothing of valup, the remainder having IN
closures of money, drafts, miscellaneous
papers, photographs, &c. Ssventy-nve
| thousand one hundre | and seventy-hv let
ters and parcels failed OF delivery and have
been fiied subject to reclamation. aud 3,o21,
5O4 were destroyed.
| M