The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-11-29
HOW YOUR LETTERS ARE DELIVERED.
Mr.. Wanamaker Tells of the EusI-
ness Under Ills Direction.
He Wants TO DO TeIegraphing and
Cut Prices on Stamps.
Progress of the Boycott on Lotteries
and Improper Public atIons.

WASHINGTON, November 2S--The Post
moster General, in his annual report, says
that over 100000 has been saved on the con-
tract for postal cards; 100000 on the con-
tract for stamped envelopes, ana 100000 or
more on certain lettings of contracts for car
rying the mails. while mail routes have been
extended over almost two million miles of
railway. steamboat and stage lines. The
gross revenue of the department is nearly
$5 100000 larger than ever before. Almost
5000 new post offices. more than in any one
year before. have been established upon
petitions of the communities which needed
them. Three times as many sub-statons
and stamp agencies have been established
as during the previous year. The star route
mileage has increased to over 5000, 900 miles,
and railroad mileage to over 100000 The
railway postal CLERKS have reduced the num-
ber of pieces usually sent to the dead letter
Office by 100000
Uncle Sam as Teiegrapher.
In advocating the postal telegraph. the
Postmaster General says: "The postal SER
vice, with all its long distance and uuproft.
able service. burdened with the cost of do
ing without charge the mailing business of
all the other branches of the government,
loaded down with the newspaper and book
mail 1t carries at about sixth of the actual
cost. is, nevertheless, nearly self supporting
and has proved itself able to manage sue
cessfuily telegraph business in connection
with the postal system and as part of il.
The public imperativelv demands cheaper
telegraphy. The POstoffice Department can
supply it at less cost than any corporation
unless the latter has rent, light aud fuel free,
and carriers and clerks without pay. The
objection urged against the ASSUMPTION of
any telegraph business by the government is
that the telegraph would be in the hands of
the party In power and liable to corrupt
use in times of political excitement. This is
more specious than sound. The postal ser
vice is IN the hands of the party in power
and liable to the same abuse, but stringent
laws and penalties hedge around the postal
system, and it is ever open to public observa-
tion and inquiry. The telegraph business.
In the hands of private Individuals, is not 30
hedged about, and is much more likely to be
used for corrupt purposes"
To Keep the Malls Clean.
OF the law excluding lottery business from
the mails, the report says: "The two
months it has been in operation are too
short time to produce results, but there is
satisfactory progress" The Postmaster
not given publication presented for mail
ing appears, by complaint or otherwise, TO
the postmaster to be "Obscene, lewd or las
clvious" If it does appear indecent" he is
biged, in order not to become law-break-
er, to refer the questionable point TO the
proper department official. 1t does not mat
ter when the referee considers the question,
whether the gwen publication is merely sob
scene, leS Sd or lascivious" if 1t is simply
Indecent; he must exclude it or break the
law"
Appointments and Removals.
Fourteen thousand one hundred and sew
enty-two postmasters have been removed
during the last two years, and 26,630 appoint
ed in the same time. The appointments the
past year numbered 14,468, the removals
6274. The Postmaster General says: "As
the condition of affairs now is, the Postmas-
ter General OF first assistant only happen to
stumble across cases which require action.
The department neither asks for resigna-
tiOns nor authorizes any person or persons to
ask for them, for when it is clear a change
ought to be made the President or P0stmas-
ter General has the power to make the re-
quired removal without indirection. l am
able to recall, perhaps, 10 cases in the 16
months of my incumbency where postmas-
ters whose habits became such as to dis
grace the service aud whose friends inter
fered to prevent removals, were notified, in
order that the publication of these disagree
able facts might be avoided, that they might
resign If they preferred to do So"
Mr.. Wanamake as an Architect.
The Postmaster General hopes the way
may soon be clear to connect the executive
departments and Senate and House of Rep
resentatives with the Washington city post
Office by pneumatic system which may then
be extended to substations and post offices
nfl lorr rio uaf fnr
cable, one story, inexpensive buildings for
post offices and says tina to move out of a
$500 rented room, safe and ample for postal
business into 100000 building where the
Janitor alone gets more salary than the
whole of the rent in the former place cannot
be justified on any BUSINESS principles. rhe
postal service does not need any such expen-
ditures. A one story structure is all that is
required in three cases out of four To waste
money on numerous stories, with towers aud
turrets for dignity alone, is not in accord
with the American idea of dignity aud taste.
The report pr0n0unces the New York post
office inadequate for business and advocates
better quarters.
Penny Postage and Civil Service.
One cent postage is favored. The Post
master General thinks the deficit of $23,OOO,-
600 or more caused by it might be reduced,
by the natural increase of business; by the
stimulus of a low rate of postage; by the
completion of pending legislation to collect
proper postage from sample copies So called
of newspapers and from paper c0vert d
books. 1t is estimated that by the sample
copy and the paper covered book a revenue
Of over $2,0O0,0O0 annually is lost. Fully
S8,000,000 worth of postal work is performed
annually without pay for the executive de
partments. The report touches upon the
question of the civil service as applied to the
post office department and says: THE
years experience confirms me in the judg
ment formed twelve months ago that the
civil service system as applied to the rosters
of the post office department is susceptible TO
Improvement. Examinations for the inspec-
ter force and railway mail service ought to
be made more difficult so the candidates for
the places will better stand the test of actual
work. The practice of the department
shows the inspector force will be more ef-
fcient as a whole If the eligibles who have
seen public service are elected instead of
those who simply have been examined"