The Indianapolis journal., 1889-11-26
PosruFFICE REPORTS.
Registered Mail Lost and Recommendations,
Orders Issued-Defects in the Laws.

Registered Mail Lost and Recovered-Money
Orders Issued-Defects in the Laws.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 25.-Chief Postoffice
Inspector f. G. Rathbone, in his annual re-
port to the Postmaster general. states that
6.560 complaints were made of losses in the
domestic registered mail. OF this number
8.99s cases have been investigated, leaving
2,562 cases in the hands of inspectors. OF
cases relating to loss, Irregularities, etc., In
mail matter passing between the United
States and foreign countries there were re-
ported during the year. 1851. Six thou
sand six hundred and nifty -four of these re-
lated to registered matter, and 3,917 to un-
registered matter. Of the number of cases
regarding registered matter investigated
and closed during the year there were 5,S47
In which no loss occurred, and only 207 in
which the losses could not be located or a
recovery effected. Fourteen thousand five
hundred and eleven dollars and seventy
five cents was recovered on account of
losses from mail depredations and restored
to the owners.
Charles +. Macdonald, the Superintend-
emit of the Money order Office of the Post
Office Department, In his annual report to
the Postmaster general, shows the number
of domestic money orders issued during the
year to have been 10, 130. 40. which Is an in
crease as compared with the previous year
of l70, ,933. The amount of domestic orders
issued was S115, ,OS1, ,S45, a decrease of 3, ,567,
domestic money orders amounted to $685.
6O7. The number of postal notes issued
during the year was 6,SO2. go, as against
Of postal notes issued was Sia.os2. 100, which
is decrease for the year of $50. 269. The
fees received from the public for postal
notes aggregated $204,5T. The number of
International money @ s orders t issued was S2a,-
crease for the year of "a, 791 In number. and
$3.50. .646 In amount. The number of inter-
national money orders paid was 2e1, ,679,
representing 81, 400, 72S. The fees received
for international money orders amounted to
$151, So. The gross revenues of the office are:
domestic money order business S533 964;
postal note business, S127 800; international,
Sl25,951; total gross revenues, S1s5, ,S04.
There remains net loss of only s., 1913 on
the whole amount of the money order
transactions, so that the mOney-Order sys-
tenn was very nearly self-sustaining during
the past fiscal year. The superintendent
states in his report that the facilities af-
forded by the money order system are not
as well known as they should be in the
smaller towns, and recommends that the
system should be advertised In such local.
tiles by means of circulars distributed
through the agency of the pOstmasters,
whose services for this purpose could be
readily enlisted. because the anticipated
increase of business occasiOned by the dis
tribution of the advertisements would in
crease their commissions for the clerical
work of issuing aud paying the orders.
Judge James n. 1yner, the Assistant At
torney-general for the PostOffice Depart
ment, IN his annual report to the Post
master General, recommends several
changes In the postal laws, notably one
to require assistant postmasters at presi-
Dental offices to give bond to the
%lasw 81
sibility; also. for an amendment to give the
Postmaster-generalf full authority to desg-
nate acting postmastersforO offices suddenly
made vacant by death. by the abscOndrng
of the postmaster, and in other cases of like
emergency, if the sureties on the postmast-
er's bond fail or decline to name person to
serve instead of the postmaster, or disagree
(as Is Dften the casel, on the selection. He
further recommends radical change in the
law concerning obscene newspapers and
publications, SO as to bring all filthy and
Indecent publications found in the mails
whether ublished or pretended to be pub
lished in the interest of science or nOt),
within the scope of the law. This. in his
opinion, has become necessary by the rul
ings of the courts on such publications. un-
der which anything not intended to excite
so cannot be excluded. The license grant
ed by these rulings, 1t Is said, Is abused by
characterless persons who issue pamphlets
of q gross char9cter, some of them advertis-
some diseases, and send them indiscrimi-
nately and in immense numbers to young
people of both sexes, and often to all the
inmates of boarding schools for young Ia
dies.
The annual report OF Capt. NJ. N. Brooks,
assistant superintendent of the foreign
mails service. Postoffice Department, shows
that, during the last fiscal year. there were
dispatched by sea 6S3 13l pounds of letters
and postal cards. and 342S. .721 pounds of
other mail matter. This is an increase over
the previous years record of 30,51S pounds
of letters and postal cards. and 400. 729
pounds of other matter. The estimated
i number of articles contained in the mails
exchanged with foreign countries, includ-
ing mails forwarded overland to Canada
and Mexico. and the amount of postage pre-
paid thereon, are: Number of articles sent,
93.Ol5.5 500; received, Sl,sS2.2l0; amount of
postage prepaid, q. .19O.995. The aggregate
cost of the service was S6S7, ,542- The report
shows that the steamer City of Paris" of
the Inman line upon one OF her trips de-
hvered the mails in London in the shortest
time, viz: 173 hours and forty eight minutes.
apparent time. from New York. But the
steamers of the Cunard line made the best
average time during the entire year. The
parcels post service has been extended
during the year to Mexico, the Hawaiian
kingdom. the Leeward islands, the republic
of Colombia, and Salvador. Attention is
called to the lnsufiiciency of the mail
service between the United States and Bra
ZIl by means of the steamer sailing from
this country for Rio de JaneirO direct.