The Globe-republican., 1890-12-03
UNCLE SANS MAILS.

o. Business OF the Deportmene-POoe3l
Savings Banks Recommended.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 29-The annual report
Of Pos: master.General Wanamaker for the
fiscal year ended June 30. 1880. was made
public last night. In the administrative
methods Of the department itself he says
some changes for the better have been
made. A new series of smaller stamps
criticised and iu stly criticised at first, so
far as the two-cent stamp was concerned
are now. il is believed, quite acceptable to
the public Over $500 600 have been saved
on the contract for postal cards, which,
though they were properly criticised At
nrst. were quickly brought up to the re-
Quired standard by the contractor. Four
hundred thousand dollars have been saved
on the contract for stamped envelopes. Two
hundred thousand dollars or more las been
saved on certain lettings of contra, Is for
carrying the mails, and at the same time
the mali routes have been extended all over
20o 900 miles OF railway and steamboat and
stage lines
The anti-lottery legislation has entaiIed
much extra labor upon the Inspectors
force. but on the other hand the TEN ptation
to thieving among employees Of the depart.
same means. The past year has been made
very disagreeable to the green goods"
swindlers
Negotiations with the German authorities
looking to the establishment of sea post
offices have been successful A commission
Of postmasters has examined 900 modes,
designs and suggestions on house letter
boxes to find something which. if univer<-
ally adopted, would save quarter part OF
the time Of the carrier force OF the depart
ment
few figures given illustrate how much
the business Of the department has grown.
The gross revenue ia nearly $780, 900 larger
than il ever was before Almost s, 900 new
post offices. more than in any one year be-
fore. have been established upon the petit
ton OF communities VIII CHI have needed
them. The star route mileage has increased
over 5,0Oo. COO miles and the railroad mileage
over 1000. 600. The railway postal clerks
have reduced the number Of piece s usually
sent to the dead letter Office by 100000
The one idea which has dominated the de-
partment this year is, Mr.. Wanamaker says.
to make mails go faster. more safely and
more frequently. He submits q few Illus
trations Of the enlarged service in the West.
In fifteen months 1863 100 miles OF mail ser
vice were added to the State of Washin ton
alone -Four years ago the service was not
SO large by 10000 miles. In Wyoming in
fifteen months have been added about s., 900
miles OF service. and in Idaho i'll fifteen
months about lGO,O00 miles
The Postmaster General SAYS: THE swift
est mail is not fastest enough in these days
for ali the needs of commerce ami social
correspondence Tho conviction steadily
grows upon me that the post o ilice should
do more than employ fast mails ana stage
coaches, and that the electric wires should
carry letters so that the people " ho pay in
postage rates the cost OF the postal system
have n right to the use Of the postal plants
as means OF reducing the cost Of tele-
graphic correspondence and for tina instant
transmission OF postal money orders The
plan proposed for a postal telegraph is
familiar to the public. II there is better
one it will be quickly discovered and
adopted"
Under the head "A New Plan of Postal
Savings Banks" the report says: III recon-
mend that the Post Office Department be
authorized to establish postal savin gs banks
under regulations formulated by the Post.
master General, that the said banks be To-
Gated as fol First, in states having no
laws regulating savings banks; second. in
any other State upon petition of a consider
able number 81 residents of any one
locality. and, third, not more numerously
than one pos "flice for every ten miles
of area That the interest to be paid to
depositors shall be fixed by the Secretary OF
the Treasury at the beginning # each year
and be one half of Per cent less than the
average rate paid to depositors by private
banks; that all postal savings. received
within Siate Snail De place on deposit
With the National banks of that State on ap-
phcation. in such amounts and at such in
terest as the Secretary of the Treasury shall
prescribe. and that ali 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: "Th. new act OF
Congress concerning lotteries accords with
r0v pyp,..y Il tinn Of last
port. The lottery companies can not but
see that there is to be 40 trifii ing or evasions
in dealing with them The press has aided
the department by its very general approx
al and the public at large have seconded its
efforts to make the law effective
Concerning the exclusion of 1.-The Kreutzer
Sonata" from the mails the report, after re.
viewing the law on the subject at length,
says: "A translation Of Il question: able
book was. as matter of fact, presented
some months since at the post office in a
esiern city for tran smisSion in the mails.
1t was held and referred to his departm ent
The Assistant Attorney General, finding it
indecent under any detin ition of the word,
issued an order excluding it To exclude
the book was the simple duty of the depart.
ment For myself, I never discuss the pol
icy or wisdom of break ing the law, and the
officials Of the Post-ottice Department do
not"
Inc proft from the foreign mail service
during the year was more than 81 eco 600.
The compensation for transporting this
mail paid to lines of steamers to Latin
American countries. the Postmaster General
says. il inadequate. and nc recommends the
passage of the subsidy bill now pending in
the House.
The number of Presidential postmasters
removed during the last two years was 10
OF these $50 were removed on inspector re-
ports any 56o for incompetency and other
causes for tie good service" OF the latter
PIG had served four years or more. At fourth
class offices the removals were T. 200 in 1883
ami 6,0Il In lS9l There were 26 $50 appoin ted
in the same time. Tue appon m .nts for the
past year numbered IL ass and the removals
6.2i4 The NUM- Der OF post offices at the close
of the fiscal year-June 80. ls9o-was g. 40L
The number Of new Offices established in
1890 was 4,2SS
The total expenditures of the service dur.
ing the year were 500 6i5 ,0s3, and the revenue
s. SIS, 2s3, leaving a deficit Of s., $50, 800.
Compared with the preceding fiscal year
there was an increase of 81 $50 in revenue
and an increase of s4.ns9 $50 in expenditures.
The Postmaster General favors one cent
postage He also thinks civil service COM
pstitve examinations good new post
Office building for New York is recon-.
A Narrow Majority.
HARTFORD, Coma, Nov. 29-The
State Roar IF Caprascare copsistin1 ~