Huntsville gazette., 1892-12-10
THE POSTAL SERVICE.

| the fFesluent--An lueat service Looked
| Forward to In the Future.
| WASHINGTON. Dec.6 -Postmaster-Gen-
eral Wanamaker summarizes the re-
suits achieved by his department as fol-
| lows:
Five million dollars added to the
gross revenue; the deficit reduced near
ly a million: money orders increased
two-thirds, or from 10,070 to 1859;
eighty-two cities supplied with free de-
| livery; 2, 100 new Offices established:
263 offices advanced to the presidential
grade; IS, 80, 900 miles Of additional serv-
ice; 1880 new mail routes esta blished,
embracing 80, 900 miles Of new service;
ocean mail service extended; and pneu-
matte tube service introduced In the
last four years 5,051 new mail routes
have been established. traversing 29690
miles, the number of post-ofices has
grown by over 5000; the number of
money order offices over 8, 600, and the
number of free delivery offices has
almost doubled. The new foreign mail
service contracted for applies to eleven
lines, comprising, when completed.
fOrty-one ships necessary to make the
service contracted for frequent enough
and quick enough to comply with the
terms agreed upon.
OF his proposition to divide the coun-
try into postal districts Mr.. Wanna
maker says its adoption can only be
question Of time. Each district would
be put in charge Of a postal supervisor
or director, and the regular inspectors
of the department should assist these
supervisors as they might be needed
Then all matters relating TO the estab-
lishment and discontinuance Of post
| offices; the ablishment Of stations.
| appoin tinents and removals: the best
utilization of. and changes in
rules; the putting on and the
taking off of service: the right inter
probation of the regulations; irregular
tiles and, in general, the whole busi-
ness conduct of the service, would be
superintended personally by the dis
trict supervisors with the assistance of
the regular inspectors of all the post
masters in the district, who would feel
as never before, that their efforts on
behalf of adequate facilities and eco
nomical and enterprising management
would find appreciation.
The district supervisors could act un-
! der rules without reference to the de-
partment at Washington and without
useless delay; they would be the coun
scllors Of the department, the genera
inedinm of communication with it, and
the first assistant postmaster general
should be constituted the comptroller
to whom the supervisors should re-
mn
would find themselves relieved
of no end of disagreeable
departmental drudgery and the depart
ment would come directly in touch
with the postal employees, and they in
turn would be better in touch with the
people served The first objection to
such a departure'is that it is said to in
crease the civil list by 100 men. This
expense would be infinitely small com
pared with the savings which would
actually result from this closer super
vision Of the service and the slight
increase in the civil list would DC
counterbalanced many times over by
the consolidation Of the forces and by
the better performance Of the work by
| fewer employees.
New buildings and pneuma tic or
an electrical service Of some kind II
strenuously advocated for New York,
Chicago and other cities. 1t is pointed
out that there can be no adequate re-
lief without the application of these
methods The postal telegraph and
postal telephone are, of course. strenu-
ously advocated, as formerly.
n,, 10 10 Question hN
says: "The present letter rate pays
actually double the cost and by this
overpay serves as protective rate TO
the department to cover the underpay
from doing an express business for
periodicals and books and carrying adj
vertisiug sheets at one cent per pound
that in point Of fact are nothing more
than business circulars that load the
mails enormously. All such mail il
not only carried at a loss Of six cents Y
pound, but it intcrferes materially
with the business Of the express and
railroad companies which are properly
carriers of heavy packages and freight.
Something to take the place Of frac-
tional currency for the remittance Of
small sums is very desirable. lie urges
the issue of a money postal card of de-
nominations of ten cents, twenty-five
cents, fifty cents and sl.00, and of the
form of the present small cards and ex-
actly similar to the ordinary postal card
on the address side, and on the reverse
side an order on the postmaster of the
city addressed for fixed sum payable
on the signature of the payee named in
the address.
The report closes with the following:
''My ideal for the American postal
service is system modelled upon dis
trict plan with fewer offices and under
thorough supervision. by this means
at least 10000 offices could be aban-
doned that produce nothing to the de-
partment. In the place Of every abol-
ished non-money order and non-regis-
try Office might be set up an auto
matte stamp-selling machine and 2
letter box to receive mail WITH
| the money saved should be instituted a
system of collection and delivery by
mounted carriers, bicycles and star
route and messenger contractors to
gradually spread the free delivery all
| over the country. The classes oil