Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1891-12-17
THE POSTAL SERVICE.
ANNUAL REPORT OF TIL z
POsTMAsTER GENERAL.

One Cont Postage Coming-Three Gent
Telephone and Ten Cent Telegraph Mes
sages-Pay OF Fourth-class Onicers.
Improvements which should BE Made.
In his annual report Postmaster Gen
oral Wanamaker says that, In spite OF
the fact that over $1,000, 900 worth OF
lottery revenue has been lost during the
past year, the postal deficit OF 90. ooc, 900
is surely disappearing, provided the same
rate OF revenue and expenses obtains on
July ], 1893. -.
1t appears that all of the lottery mail
has practically been driven from the
malls, and the fidelity OF the department.
In trying 90 enforce this almost unani-
nous wish OF Congress Is evident from
the court records of prosecutions, in
volying 202 cases in six months
The Postmaster General renews his
recommendation for the division OF the
country into postal districts, and ad-
duces many reasons why the reform
would be beneficial. He shows that the
county seat visitatons have resulted in
the submission OF 2.1O0 reports out OF a
possible ., 500, and that the condition OF
AS, 600 Offices is covered. The following
are the leading items obtained by an ac-
tual compilation or over $4,000 of these
reports:
Postoffces conveniently located .33 $50
Postoffices inconveniently Gated. COZ
Change OF location suggested. .......... 162
Postofices wellkept, clean, and orderly. 80 ,Il6
Postoffices not well-kept. etc.............. S,1b
Books. accounts, and reports properly and
promptly written up.....................Bl .Bl ,lOI
Books. ETC., not properly and promptly %,
Postofice lounging place. e................. $50
Postofice not lounging place .S5, col
Offices having one or more mails arriving
and departing every day that is, sup
piled with daily mail servicel 20 900
Notice Of the lottery law was found posted 80 677
Lottery law was not posted. .............. 4,962
service. y. w ~ 80, ,2O7
PATRONS Of the postoffice not satisfied with
the service. 1,Oo0
Postmaster was found TO understand the
postal laws and regulations. .......... .s2. .573
Postmaster did not understand the postal
laws and regulation n.................... :. 4,sil
fce. - % O7O
the Office. II, ,42O
Postmaster was found TO be engaged in
Objectionable employment In connection
with the postoffice. e....................... 16o
Postmaster has made obvious improve
ments In the service OF his ofice. ....... 9,9O1
Postmaster has not thus far made i'm
provements IN the service OF his office. 23,S9I
Offices which could be discontinued and
supplied from some other office. ......... 4O9
Number of Offices rated S, or perfect. ..... l754
Number Of offices rated A. or excellent. 6,40o
Number Of offices rated or good. IA I9I
Number of Offices rated 2, or fair ....... S,506
Number Of offices rated l. or poor. 1919
The Postmaster General recommends
the adaptation OF the telephone, as well
as the telegraph, to the postal system.
He says: "One cent letter postage, g.
cent telephone messages. and 10-cent
telegraph messages are al near posi-
bilities under an enlightened and COM
pact ostaI. system, using the newest
telegraphic Inventions The advantage
of tying the rural postofficc by tele-
phone wire re luiring no operator to
the raj road station must be OBJ
vious. 1t is not chimerical to ex-
pect a Scent telephone rate; the
possibilities of cheapening the man
agement OF these new facilities are
worry great. All account keeping
could be abolished by use of stamps or
'nickel-in the-slot' attachments. Collec-
tion- boxes everywhere in the cities and
many places In the country towns would
receive telephone and telegraph mes
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 messenger-boy system.
For telegraphing only an operator is
needed when business justities 1t, other
wise telegraph message would be for
warded by phone to the nearest tele.
graph station.
IL have heretofore stated that 1-cent
postage Will be successfully demanded in
tino.-~I bolfovo thuo Ufmo r. not far on.
1t certainly ought not TO be asked for so
long as any deficit appears in the rev.
enues Of the postal service, and here
wish to reiterate the further statement
that, in my Judgment 1t ought not to be
asked for then until many improvements
and extensions Of the service are pro-
vided for. 1t would not be just and fair
to a service upon which every effort has
been spent for two years to make it self
sustaining. and which now promises to
become so in the next fiscal year, 10
heap upon it, the instant the balance
sheet becomes clear, burden of mil
lions, from which IL could not recover
for many years, and with the existence
Of which il would have to struggle year
by year, and then often unsuccessful ly,
TO obtain the appropriations absolutely
required for its maintenance.
~Clerks in postoffiees ought to be fair
ly paid they ought not to be over
worked; they ought 10 have rooms in
better buildings; tter-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 postofiices ought TO
be better equipped: fourth-class post
master who receives 500 year cannot
afford to pay 5000 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 proprioty 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 postal rev.
enues stares an appropriation commit
tee In the face"
~At the c.ose of the last fiscal year
there were "a, 800 postoffices At a., 263
of these the receipts which accrued were
absorbed. or more than absorbed, by the
postmasters' pay. In other words the
compensation to Iostmasters includes all
the receipts from more than two-thirds
OF all the postofiices 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 moro than fnciuda tho 20