New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-12-09
Mr.. WANAMAKER'S REPORT.
HE TALKS ABOUT THE NEW FEATURES IN IT.
HIS VIEWS ON POSTAL TELEGRAPHs AND TELE
PHONES FURTHER EXPLAINED-oTHER
PROJECTED IMPROVEMENTS;
:Br IsLEoaArH TO THE ThBCSE.I

PROTECTED IMPROVEMENTS.
.sr 1sLEoRArH TO THE ThBCSEI
Washington Dec s-The report OF the Postmaster
General published last Friday, has attracted woe at
tenton, and much interesting comment mas been mane
on all sides on the great variety OF suggestions TOT te
improvement of the postal service embodied In MI
wanamaker's annual statement to the President Gen
eral public interest has also been expressed In The
various projects for expanding and developing the
postal service 50 vigorously advocated by the POST
master-General Mr.. wanamaker was asked to-day what
he considered dhe most novel Of the report and
what had received the most marked public attention
"As to the new things he answered, ;" sometimes
think there are in any Postohice Department re-
port and yet perhaps there some In the last one
new thing of recent years at least is the gradual but
sure disappearance OF the deficit in the postal account
The shutting out OF the lottery mall by the last oo-
gross was courageous thing. II has caused, as we
estimate IT, loss OF 81 900 TO the postal revenue
But spite of this, the deficit Is going down ts year.
and II fhe general plan and rate OF expenditure as
foreshadowed in the report are followed the service
Will be slfsustaning on July j, 1893.
"The plan OF promotion discussed is also new
thing in the Postofce Department. IT has been, on
o moderate SCALE in successful operation for seVern
months. What have now ordered. however Is INC
extension of this system Of promotions for merit to
postofices which have fifty employees and 10 the
railway mail service 1t god thing, Of course.
u
service 1t is of quite much importance that the
deserving and not the lazy the proficient and not the
deficient should be promoted; in fact, do not Know
but 1t is important, for 1t is far easier 10 put
people 10 than 1t Is to get good work out OF Them
The subsidy policy, in certain forms is old and yet
IL may now be said to be on trial for the first time nor
general application. am personally much gratifed
at the outlook. OF course the bill did not provide
adequately but many have earnestly supported the In
tenton OF the last Congress to have American mails
carried under the American flag and 10 give American
shipping start All that ask is that the experiment
have fair trial some of the shipping people and the
Department, am sure, will give 1t this.
"The matter OF paying indemnity for lost registered
mail may seem of small importance, vet all other
countries do IT, and / don't see why shouldn't
Perhaps we can reduce the registeredletter fee also
This too seems like a small matter but great many
small postal matters really highly important
Take the matter Of the postal seam-tug in Newfork
Harbor TO hurry tho foreign mails, perhaps day, or
the matter of dead letter Office for the Pacific Coast
10 would seem as IL there could be no question about
the desirabity of making these improvements, and
yet venture to say that they will have to be fought
for hard by their friends
"Has the application OF the telephone to the postal
service been discussed before 2"
"Not that know a. though very likely 1t has.
hope 1t will be discussed in every possible phase
so that we may know just what the benefits OF the
TO the postal service would be and what the detrments
The point is that the postal service does not now use
electricity for the transmission OF intelligence, ana II
is consequently fifty years behind the times. The
proposition IS perfectly simple and plain, and there Is
every reason why the railroads, with their great
plants, should want TO work for the Postofice
Department, with its great plant, and should
make money out Of It, There is also every
reason why the telegraph and telephone compane,
should want 10 do the same thing 1t is the dovetllng
in OF two machines; they can help each other, the
one performing its work more cheaply and making
money, and the other performing its work more
and cheaply, and what IS the great thing satisfy
ing the American public, which II only half serves
In the telephone discussion Just at the CORE
spending period where the peope and the Government
let the telegraph get away from Morse
and itself into the hands Of a monopoly
The telephone ought not 10 go the same way. Have
not the railroads been benefited by the transportation
work of the Department? Would not the telegraph and
telephone companies be benefited in purely business
way / mean, by their association with the Depart
ment7 There is doubt about It, The public has a
perfect right to all the quickest cheapest and best
methods of ntercommuncaton, especially when 1T IS
perfectly clear that private night is lnfringed'
"What about pneumatc-tube service for the larger
cities p
That Is not altogether new, except in its adoption
in this country. Perhaps facts are brought
out about IT in the report. ! am Just us heartily
for tubular post ] wish all the people In
the large cities could know about the system; then
they would want II and would insist upon having It,
We are studying all the while how the free delivery
service in cities be perfected, and have put In
cancelling machines which will prevent any delays
in postOces due to the nadequacy Of postal forces But
the tubular post and the house letter box scheme are
the big things. The former would permit OF the distribu
ton of mail In almost time The second would
permit of its distribution and collection at everybody's
door. The rural freedelivery scheme mentioned
last year its development however, We have only
been able to show 1t is actually making money, and
as the thing Is discussed and understood. IL will be
seen to be the beginning Of universal free delivery.
There could be single development of the service
important, unless 1t might be the adoption Of both
the telegraph and telephone TO II, the initiation of
postal depository system.
There is a new suggestion. in the report, on the
savings depository plan. IL would be to issue at the
p0stOfces non negotiable certificates of postal deposit
in sums of $I0 500. $50 and $780, bearing interest
and for easy computation at the of half cent
day on 800 Isl - = per year, little less than
per cent per annum the dollar, from the first Of
the month following the date Of deposit and principal
and interest payable on demand at any money order
regulations Of the POstmasterGeneral; the money de
pOst in each State TO be renvested, far pos
sihle, In the state, in school municipal bonds
by the PostmasterGenera subject to the approval Of
the Secretary OF the Treasury"
"Other new things In this years report are per-
haps. the use of boxes at offices outside Of free
delivery without charge; the consolidation Of third
and fourth classes of mail matter the extension of
the m0ncy-order system, and the possible carriage
of newspapers free after July 1888 surprising, Of
course that the Department gets credit for the work
IL does. Ny position on one-cent postage and par
GELS post is about the same last year-that they
both coming, but not nOw.'