The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1891-12-16

county seat visitations have resulted In
the submission of 2.100 reports'ou OF q
possible 2, 500, and that the condition OF
As, 600 Offices is covered The following
are the leading items obtained by an ac-
tual compilation OF over $4,000 of these
reports:
Postofices conveniently located. :........ $3.50
Postoffices inoonveniently Gated ......... GU
Change OF location suggested 1 11s
Postoffices wel-kept, Clean and orderly. "a ,7lS
Postofiices not we'll kept. etc........:."..: 3.l1
Books accounts, aud reports properly and
promptly written up. .ol'lV
Books, etc., not properly and promptly 90,
written up........ H. Aluminium. o,Sol
Postofice a lounging place. 1,250
PoStofice not lounging place $500: $500
Offices having one or more mails arriving
and departing every day that Is, sup
piled with daily mail service ......... .29,99
Notice OF the lottery law was found posted. ,6U
Lottery law was not posted. ............... 1852
Datrons OF the postofiice satisfied with the .r
Patrons of the postoffice not satisfied with
the service .......................... l.oo
Postmaster was found to understand the
postal laws and regulations ............. SO. 573
Postmaster did not understand the postal
laws and regulation 4..................,. 4,si4
noe Observation-Disclosures. .P207O
the office 10, l9a
Postmaster was found to be engaged in
Objectionable employment in connection
with the postofHoe. .......... 100
Postmaster has made obvious improve
ments in the service of his Office. 2, aOl
Postmaster has not thus far made i'm
provenents in the service of his elise. .2SVW
Offices which could be discontinued and
supplied from some other office. ........ 400
Number of Offices rated S, or perfect ,75s
Number Of offices rated A, excellent..... g. 4eS
Number of Offices rated 3, or good Il 7J7
Number OF Offices rated 2, or fair . 500
Number of offices rated ], or poor 1919
The Postmaster General recommends
the ada tation of the te ephone, as we'll
as the telegraph, to the postal system
He says: "One cent letter postage, 3
cent telephone messages. and l0-cent
telegraph messages are a near posi-
bilities under an enlightened and COM
pact ostal system, using the newest
te1egraphic inventions. The advantage
of tying the rural postotiicc by a tee-.
phone wire re curing no operator to
the raj road station must be OBJ
vious. 1t is not chimerical to eX-
pect Scent telephone rate; the
possibilities Of thcapening the man
agement of these new facilities are
worry great. All account keeping
could be abolished by use of stamps OK
'nickel-in the-slot' attachments. Collec-
tion boxes everywhere In the cities and
many places In the country towns would
receive telephone and telegraph mos
sages, written on stamped cards like
postal cards. Old soldiers and others
could find employment as collectors, and
frequent collections would abolish the
present expensive messeng ar-boy system.
For telegraphing only an operator is
needed when business justties it, other
wise telegraph message would be for
warded by phone TO the nearest tele-
graph station.
haX hnr nfnf ct n nn ~ T.
postage will be SUI cessfully demanded in
time believe that time is not lar of.
1t certainly ought not TO be asked for SO
long as any deficit appears in the rev.
enues Of the postal service, and hero L
wish to reiterate the further statement
that, In my judgment, it ought not to be
asked for then until many improvements
and extensions Of the serv &c are pro-
yided for 1t would not be just and fair
to service upon which every effort has
been spent for two years to make it self
sustaining, and h'ch now promises to
become so in the next fiscal year, 10
heap upon 1t, the instant the balance
sheet becomes clear, burden OF mill
lions, from which il could not recover
for many years, and with the existence
of which it would have TO struggle year
by year, and then often unsuccessfully,
to obtain the appropriations absolutely
required for its maintenance.
"ClerlSs in postoflces ought to be fair
ly paid; they ought not TO be over
worked; they ought to have rooms in
better buildings letter carriers ought
not to be weighted down like pack
horses; railway postal clerks should be
paid for the dangers they face daily; the
great majority OF postoffices ought to
be better equipped fourth-class post
master who receives 500 year cannot
afford to pay $500 for fitting his Office
with boxes; rural free delivery, consid-
cred to be a successful experiment, and
about which there cannot be two opin-
ions as to the propriety OF its further
extension, should be widely extended.
These and other things ought to'be done,
but they can never be consummated so
long as deficiency in the 20 tai rev.
enues stares an appropriation commit
tee in the face"
AT the c.ose OF the last fiscal year
there were Ga, 800 posto Tees. At Al, 263
Of these the receipts which accrued were
absorbed, or more than absorbed by the
postmasters' pay. In other words, the
compensation to ostmasters includes all
the receipts from more than two thirds
of all the postoffices Another large
percentage OF offices should be added To
this number, where the compensation OF
the postmaster, the cost Of mail messen.
ger service, and the allowance for sepa.
rating labor more than include the re.
celpts. The number OF postoifices that
are conducted at profit is therefore
! vary small