The Brookhaven leader., 1890-12-04
UNCLE SANS MAILS.
Report Of the Postmsster-Generai- Growth
of Business OF the Department-Posta
Savings Banks Recommended.


WASHINGTON, Nov. 2a-The annual report
Of Postmaster-GeneTal wanamakcr for the
nscal year ended June 90, 1880, was made
public last night. In the administrative
methods Of the department Itself be says
some changes for tho better have been
made. A new series OF smaller stamps
criticised and in silly criticised at first, SO
far as the two cent stamp was concerned
are now, it Is believed, quite acceptable to
the public Over $4,000 have boon saved
on the contract for postal carls, which,
though they wore properly criticised at
first. were quickly brought mp to the re-
qulred standard by the contractor -Four
hundred thousand dollars have been saved
on the contract for stamped envelopes. Two
hundred tho usand dolla<s or more has been
saved on certain lettings Of contracts for
carrying the mails, and at the same time
the mali rou es have been extended all over
200 900 miles OF railway and steamboat and
stage lines
The anti lottery legislation has cntalled
much extra labor upon the Inspectors
force, but on the other hand the temptation
to thevlng among employees Of the depart
ment has been much dimin ished by tho
Same means. The past year has been made
| very dIsagreeable to the ''green goods"
| swindleis
Negotiations with the German authorities
| looking to the establishment OF sea post
| offices have been successful commission
| Of postmasters has examined S01 mode 8,
| designs and suggestions on house letter
| boxes to find something which, II univcr
ally adopted, would save a quarter part Il
| the time CT the carrier force of the depart
| ment
| few figures given illustrate how much
| the business of the department has grown.
| The gross revenue Is nearly S,OOO,000 larg r
| than 1t ever was before. Almost 3, 90 new
post fflces, moro than In any one year be-
| fore, have been established upon the peti-
tion of communities VIII ch have needed
| them. The star route mileage has increased
| over 5,o0o, 600 miles and the railroad mileage
| over IL 900 COO. The railway postal clerks
| have reduced the number of pieces usually
| sent to the dead letter office by 2,0o0,030
| The one idea which has dominated tho de-
| partment this year Is, Mr.. Wanamaker says,
to make mails go faster more safely and
more frequently. He submits q few Illus
tratlons of the enlarged service In the West.
In fifteen months i69 $50 miles of mail ser
| vice were added to the State of Washln ton
| alone. -Four years ago the service was not
| so largo by 1000, 900 miles. In Wyoming In
fifteen months have been added about 5000
| miles OF service, and 10 Idaho In fifteen
| months about l6O, 900 miles.
| The Postmaster General says: The swift
| est mail is not fastest enough In these days
| for all the needs of commerce an social
| correspondence. The conviction steadily
| grows upon me that the post off 20 should
do more than employ fast mails and stage
| coaches, aud that tho electric wires should
| carry letters so that he people " no pay In
| postage rates the cost of the postal syst I'M
| have a right to the use of the postal plants
| as a means of reducing the c, st of tele-
| graphic correspondence and for ths instant
| transmission of postal money orders The
| plan proposed for q postal telegraph Is
| familiar to the public. II there Is bitter
one 1t will be quickly discovered and
adopted"
| Under the head "a New Plan of Postal
| he
mend that the Post office Department be
authorized to establish postal savings banks
under regulations formulated by the Post.
master General, that the said banks DO To-
| Gated as follows: First, in States having n o
| laws regulating savings banks; second, in
any other State upon petition of a consider
able number of residents OF any ono
locality, and, third, not moro numerously
than one pos:-' flee for every ten miles
OF area That the interest to be paid to
depositors shall be fixed by the cretary of
| the Treasury at the beginning Cf each year
and be one half of per cent less than the
| average rate paid to depositors by private
banks; that ali postal savings. received
within q State shall be plac ID on deposit
with tho National banks of that state on ap-
plication. in such amounts and at such in
terest as the Secretary Of the Treasury shall
prescribe, and that all such deposits be de-
clared by special enactment preferred
claims against the banks holding them"
The next question considered was that of
lotteries and the mails The subject was
treated briefly as follows: "The new act of
Congress concerning lotteries accords with
the recommendations OF my last annual re-
port. The lottery companies can not but
see that there Is to be n o trifllng or evasions
in dealing with them. The press has aided
the department by its very general approx
al and the public at large havs seconded its
efforts to make the law effective"
Concerning the exclusion of "The Kreutzer
Sonata" from the mails the report. after re-
viewing the law on tho subject at length,
says: "a translation of questionable
book was as Q matter of fact, presented
some months since at tho post office in a
Western city for transmission In the malls.
1t was held and referred to his department.
The Assistant Attorney General, finding 1t
indecent under any definition of the worl,
issued an order excluding 1t To exclude
the book was the simple duty Of the depart
ment For myself, never discuss the pol
icy or wisdom of break Ing the law, and the
officials of the Post office Department do
| not"
| The profit from the foreign mail serv! ce
during the year was more than 1000, 900.
The compensation for transporting this
mail paid to lines of steamers to Latin
American countries, the Postm aster- General
says, Is inadequate, and he recommends the
| passage of the subsidy bill now pending in
the House.
The number of Presidential postmasters
, | removed during the last two years was 7l0.
OF these $50 were removed on inspector re-
ports any $50 for incompetency and other
causes for the good service" OF the latter
2l9 had served four years or more At fourth
class offices the removals were 100 In 1859
and 6,0lI In 1890 There were 26 $50 appointed
| in the same time. Tue appoin' m nts for the
past year numbered II. 46S and the removals
6,274 The number of pc st offices at the close
of the fiscal year June 80. ls9o-was So, 40L
The number Ct new Offices established in
1880 was I,23i
The total expenditures of the service dur
ing the year were s66 6i5 ,0ss, and the revenue
s.. .s2s, 2ss, leaving n deficit Of s.. 7S6, 800.
Compared with the preceding fiscal year
there was an increase of SAL In revenue
and an increase of "a, ,t69 636 In expenditures.
The Postmaster General favors one-cens
postage. He also thiaks civil service COM
petit,ve examin nations cd new post
office building for New York is recon-
mended.
A Narrow Majority.
HARTFORD, Conn, Nov. 29.-Ths
State Board Of Canvassers. consisting OF
the Secretary of State. the Treasurer
and Comptroller, met at the Capitol yes
J terday. The official canvass of the total
vote for Governor is as follows: Morris,
T., 81, 664; Merwin, R., 6S. 975; all others,
662 This gives Morris 81 majority
over all. He will be the next Governos
OF Connecticut
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