New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-12-07

,n,1r Jazz The claimants have preserved their
evidence whereas the agents OF me h,, thnv
are sent into the field 10 ruldgv ~, rreat where
can find Thi, difficulty is peculiarly great WIT
tho fact 70 be established Is the ulsoyaity vi VI.
claimant during the war II thiS srrN ,I hoci
against our revenues Is 10 nay II" nnnar,ment
or Iuetico with apprOpriatiOns suihcl'nuN HWrdi
70 secure the best legal talent IN the deiehce W
these claims and TO pursue It's vague Scd'o" i''
evidence effectively.
THE POSTAL SERVICE
Tho ronort Of the Postmaster-iencral shows
most GRATIFYING increase and most clhclcnt anu
nropressive management Of the great business OF
h., Don.,,mcnt The remarkable increase in
revenues in the number Of postoilices and IN the
miles Of mail carriage furnishes further evidence
Of the high state of prosperity when our people
are cniovng. New Offices mean new MANNERS ana
towns new routes mean the extension OF orr por'r
settlements and increased revenues mean an a'tiNe
commerce The Postmastcr-tiencral reviews the
whole period vi his administration Of the oilc', ana
hrinos some of his statistics down H. the month
of November last The postal revenues nave IN
creased during the last year nearly S1.Oou,u'o'
The deficit for the year ending June 80 iNoi, )
Ss4s,3ll loss than the deficiency OF me ptcc'iins
estimated will be reduced 20 81 ,jj2,i?", whlci,
will not only ~ cXtnguislcd during the next fiscal
year, but surpll rs of nearly one million a,'iaiS
should then lie shown. In these calculations the
payments 10 be made under the contacts for ocean
mail service have not been included There hav"
lern added $50 new mail routes during the year,
with a mileage Of :, jG3 miles and the total num-
her Of new miles Of mail trips added during thr
year is nearly seventeen millions Inc nnmDcn
of miles of mail Journeys added during ne IS'
four years is about seventy-SlN millions, inns hI-
dtion being twentyonc millions of miles more than
were in operation in the whole country i'll 1851.
The number of .pos;oiiccs has been inciea~'a
by 27gO during the year: and during the Iasi
four years and mp 10 October 90 last tile tota
increase in the number of offices has been nearly
5000 The nnmrer OF iree,dcnNery on'ce' na1
been nearly dou )lcd in the last four years. ana
the number OF mOney-Ordcr Offices more than
doubled within that time.
For the three years ending June 30, 500, the
postal revenue amounted 20 Sl91,11l.319 which
was an increase of So 263,lI0 over ia" revenue
for the three years ending Jdrc 30. isSS, the
increase during the last three years being more
than three and half times ~ great rs the IN
crease during the three years ending june 30,
1888. No such increase that shown for thcS'
three years has ever prey iously appeared IN the
revenues of the DEPARTMENT The Postmaster
General has cXtcndcd to tie Tosiofcca in the
larger cities the mcri; system Of promotion, IN
troduccd by my direction into The Departments
here, and if has resulted there. Is in the De
partmcnts, in larger volume of work and that
ORR FLAG On THE SEA.
Ever since our merchant marine dri"cn
from the SEA by the rebc. cruisers during the
War of the Rebellion. the United States has
been paying an enormous annual tribute 10 Tor
sage moneys Oar grain and meals have been
taken at our own docks and our large imports
there laid down by foreign shpmastcr' IN in
Crcasing torrent of American travel 10 Europe
has contributed vast sum annually to thr
dividends OF foreign ship-owncrs In"
balance Of trade shown bv the books Of our
custom-houscs has been very largely reduced
and in many Yeas altogether cNtineuished By
this constant drain. In tnc year ! sg2 only r."
per cent Of our imports were brought III Amer
lean vessels The" great foreign steamships
maintained by our tralhc are many OF Them I'M
der contracts with their respective Governments
by which in time OF war they will lccom" II
par Of their armed naval establishments
Proiting by our commerce" NJ peace, they VIII
become the most formidable 1cstrOycrs Of our
commerce in time OF war | have felt and have
before expressed the feeling that his condition
Of things both intolcrablc ard dissraccinI
A wholesome change OF policy and one having
in it much promise, a II seems 10 me, was pc
gun by the law Of March 3, o9l. Under this
law contracts have been made by the PoStmas-
ter-Gcneral for eleven mail routes. The "Np"nd-
fiscal year dpptoximates S9ji,l23 80. rs one
Of the results already reached, sixteen American
steamships. Of aggregate tonnage Of 3',ioO
tons, costing S.,iOU.DOO. haze boon built or
contracted 10 be- built IN American shipyards.
The estimated tonnage Of all steamships TO,
qurcd under existing contracts l. l6J,eo'. anu
when the full service required by thcs" contracts
il established there will be fOrty-Onc mail steam
crs under the American flag, with tho probability
Of further necessary additions In ihc brazilian anu
Argentine service The contracts recently let Tor
Transatlantic service will result in the construc-
ton of five ships Of 10000 tons each. cost
ing nine or ten million dollars and viii add Wlth
the CITY OF Ncw-Yorl, and City OF Paris. - which
the Treasury Department was authorized oy
legislation at the last session to give American
registry seven Of tie swif,cs; vessels upon IN"
sea 70 our naval reserve. The contracts made
with the lines sailing 10 Central and south
American ports have increased the frequency and
shol ,cncd the time of the trips. added new ports
Of call, and sustained some lines that otherwise
would almost certainly have been withdrawn.
The service Z" luenOs Ayrc- j. the first q IN"
Argentine Republic under the American Tag The
rce TO A9% nI iu IT, hoon% it tc sr"
ships City Of Ncw-(oiI and city OF Paris IN
February next
earnestly urge a continuance Of the policy
inaugura;od BY this legislation, and that III" APP
preparations required 20 meet the OBLIGATIONS of
The Government under the contracts NAV he mad"
promptly 50 that the lines thar hay" entered into
these cI.gagcmcrts may not De embarrassed. W"
have had, by reason OF connections with the
traEscontincnta railway lines constructed through
our own territory. some advantages IN tn" ocean
trade OF the Pacific that "" did not possess on
the Atlantic. The construction OF tho Canadian
Pacific Railway and the establishment uni'r
large subventons from Canada and England Of
fast steamship service from Vancouver with Japan
and China seriously threaten our shipping Interests
i'm the Pacific. This line of English steamers re-
ccive-, a. il stated by the Commissioner Of Navi-
ration. u direct subsidy Of SiGU,O6o annually. or
$50 49, per trip for thirteen voyages, in add
ton 10 some further 1d from tine Admiralty in
connection with contracts under which th" vc'-
scls may be used for naval purposes The com
pe'inc American Pacific mail line, under the act
Of March 3. 1891. receives only $3.50 per round
trip
Efforts have been making within the last year,
as | an informed. TO establish under similar con-
ditions a line between Vancouver and some
Australian port. with Wow Of Selling tnerc a
trade in which have had "A large Interest. tn"
Commissioner of Navigation state that very
large per cent Of our imports from ASIA are now
brought 10 ~ by English steamships and their
connecting railways in Canada. With a Wow Of
promoting this trade" especially in tea, Canada
las imposed a discriminating duty Of 10 per cent
upon tea and coffee brought into the Dominion
from the United States II this unequal contest
between American lines without subsidy or with
diminished subsidies. and the English Canadian
line 10 which | have referred, l. 10 continue, |
think we should az least see that the facilities for
customs entry ard transportation across our terri
NIL IL L..