The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-04-26
EXCELLENT RECORD.
Washington Compares Favor
ably With Old States.
SOME posToFF'cE FIGURES


wAsnrxeToS CTR, April 2a--No branch
Of the government Is nearer to the people
than the postal system, and its operations
therefore have IN immediate interest The
officials Of the department. say that it Is .
perfect index of the development and pros
perity of any particular section Of the
country. In the East the advantages it
furnishes for commercial and social inter-
course are Of prime importance. while IN
the West il becomes . necessity. Is in
many cases il is the sole method OF COM
munication. With this slight introduction
your correspondent proposes 10 tell some
thing about the workings Of the postal ser
vice in Washington.
Although one of tho newest Of states,
and ii might be said communities, the
postal system il making rapid strides in
sustaining basis than are many of the
actual deficiency in Washington last year
was but Sis, 259.41.
The total receipts OF the postoffice depart
ment in Washington during the year
reached the sam of SITS, s4257. OF course
from the sales of postage stamps. stamped
envelopes and postal cards, for the govern
ment in this respect does small business
on . large scale, and these sales yielded
$259, 24i. 20. From box rents there were Sc
cured 81, 595. 10, and the sales OF waste
paper brought in $5.s8. 1t is curious fact,
and one showing the business tact of the
people. that there should be more money
paid for postoffice boxes in Washington
than was returned by the more populous
states Of Alabama, Maryland. Tennessee,
and q half dozen others that might be men,
toned.
The total expenditures of the year
amounted to $396, 90, the largest single
item of which was for the transportation
OF mails, which cost $25s, 694 81. There
were paid TO postnasters as compensation
for their services $g7 .394 So, and for clerks
in postoffices, rent, light, fuel and
like expenses. $685. % The letter car
riers received $12. 1855 81 and the railway
postal clerks travelling in the state 50, $50 IA.
There are 476 postoffices in Washington,
an increase OF % over the previous year.
This does not represent the actual number
of new Offices, as 80 were established, but
only the net gain, q 8 were discontinued.
As to the postmastcrs the common belief
that few die and none resign" is erron-
eous. Is the designations were in number
sixty-three, while the removals were only
twenty-six. The deaths, It is true, we're
few. as but two were so returned.
1t is the cities after all that contribute
the major portion of the postal revenues,
Is cen be seen from the following: The
number of presidential pos toffices in the
state, or those where the salary attached is
at least 81 900 year, and hence the post
master Is appointed by the president is but
thirteen. the aggregate salary list being only
$24,100, but these few places return total
postal revenue of $l43 ,057.0S, or consider
ably more than half of the receipts for the
entire state.
The total length of all mail routes in
Washington Is 4, 876.6S miles. OF this the
star service, or horse mails, as they are
called. takes in 2.a3643 miles, which is
carried on at m annual expense Of $780,
$3.50. The railroad service in operation is
1.432. 10 miles in length. the cost of which
is $50. 27350. In addition, there are 907. so
miles of steamboat mail service, costing
SIS, 74f.06.
During the year the star mails were in
creased by the placing of service on 1856 20
miles at q cost of $7.aa3s5; the steamship
mails gained 4S25 miles, the expense being
$l.o39.07, and the length of new railroad
routes was l57 miles, with an additional
outlay of $17, 1856.
Out of 40l cities having the free delivery
system. there were but IS where the local
postage exceeded the cost of the service, or,
in other words. where the letter carriers
were self-sustaining. and of these latter two
were in Washington, Seattle and Tacoma.
The figures show this result, As follows:
Seattle Receipts from local postage,
s.. SCOTT: cost of carrier service S., 4ss. IL;
net gain, $7265.
A,74s.5s; cost Of carrier service 81, $50. %,
net gain 1885.
As can be seen, and has already been
stated, the presentation here made will
compare favorably with the statistics of the
older states in this section, but with this
advantage: The indications, the depart
ment officials say, are that the next sn-
nuual statement will show great improve
ment over even this good record. Alto
gether the people of Washington should be
proud Of these evidences of commercial and
social advancement as portrayed by the
unerring figures returned by the postoffice
department
The secretary OF the interior has
asked the committee on appropriations
To make the following allowances for the
Washington land Offices in the sundry civil
appropriation bill:
Olympia-Clerk hire, 1850; ONCE rent,
$3.50: fuel, SIS; registration fees. $50 To-
tai, A.7S.
Spokane Fails-Clerk hire. 81. 90; rent,
$500; furniture, $40; fuel. $75. Total.
So,Sa5.
vancouver-Clerk hire. $500; rent, $50;
registration fees. 81, 100.
waIla walla-Cierk hire. 5000: rent.
$500; furniture, $50; fuel, $loo. Total
s., $50.
North Yakima-Rent, $si5.
SEND THEM BACK TO CHINA.