The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1892-12-17
There Are Nearly Eighty Thou
sand In the Entire United
States.
Three States Where the Number
Of Offices Exceed Three
Thousand.
The screen Goods" Circular
Fiend To Be Summarily
Dealt With.

SlSCanJ postmaster General RathbOne
shows that the number of establish
ment of new postotfice during the past
year was 4,105, greater number than
any previous year, Nth the exception
of 1890, when it wa 437. The whole
number of postofffces in the United
States is 67,119. OF the number re-
ferred to above one-fourth were made
in the six states of Arkansas, Texas,
Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and
North Carolina, the number in these
states aggregating LIS, where it was
22O. Texas was next with 211, and
Pennsylvania followed with POI estab-
lishments. At the close of the fiscal
year there were thirteen states in
each of which there were more than
1000 pOstotfices in operation. OF
these five are Northern and eight
southern states. The northern states
are New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio,
Illinois and Indiana, with an aggre-
gate of l6,2 ,2SS offices. The eight south
ern states are Alabama, Georgia, Ken
lucky, Missouri, North Carolina
tennessee, Texas and Virginia, with
an aggregate of 1905. The creates t
number in any one state was 4,S42
in Pennsylvania, $500 in New York
and 3, ,229 in Ohio. These are the only
states where the number of offices was
mare than 5000
Maj. RathbOne suggests that the
revised statutes be so amended as to
make the mailing of green goods"
circulars and literature a continuous
otfense from the time of mailing to
the place of destination. so that a
prosecution will lie at either point,
the same in effect as is embodied in
the recent anti-lOttery act; and he
recommends that the matter be re-
ferred to the assistant attorney gen.
eral for the postoffice department
with the recommendation that he
draft law embodying the points
outlined above and such other reme-
dies as are deemed eXpedient. The
anti-lOttery act went into effect Sept.
10, 1890. In the two years which have
elapsed since that time the lottery
companies have been practically
swept from the country. With a sim
liar enactment against the green
goods" swindlers, it is to be hoped
that the war which will be waged
against them will be as effective as
that against the lottery companies.
MAIL TRANSPORTATION.
The annual report of j. LOwrie Bell
the second assistant postmaster gen.
eral, shows the annual rate of eXpen-
diture for mail transportation on
June 80, 1892. as follows: Total inland
mail service, s4l.335, ,372: foreign
mail service, SSO6.l45. As compared
with last year, increases are shown as
follows:
Star service 1.2l5 routes. 5,S77 miles
in length of routes and of 1896, ,06l in
the annual expenditure. Mail mes
Senger service, an increase of 204 in
the number of routes and S6S,47 in
the annual rate of expenditure; rail-
road service increase of l54 routes.
5,05S miles in length of routes and of
| 81. .75T .46l in the rate of expenditure:
railway pOStOtfice clerks, an increase
of 3S5 and of SAIL $40 in the annual
rate of expenditure. For necessary
and special facilities on trunk lines
the annual rate of expenditures last
! year was $l9G. +. a decrease of S9S, ,S07
from that of the previous year. The
rate of cost per mile for star service
last year is shown to have been 5.33
cents. For this branch of the service
there is now an uneXpended balance
IN the treasury of S3S1,173
AS to star service contracts. Mr..
Bell says that, while recognizing the
evils of the methods now in force, it
is his opinion that the best way to
acquire good service is to rigidly en-
force existing regulations, which per-
mits the letting Of contracts to pro-
fessionals, who sublet them to the
actual carriers. The amount esti-
mated as necessary for the mail
messenger service during the year
| beginning July |. 1892, is 81, ,275, 900.
which is 6.25 per cent more than the
present appropriation for that SER
vice. Mr.. Bell is gratified with the
| cooperation between railway mail
service and the mail carriers: opposes
further appropriation for sO-called
especial facilities" and reneWs his
past recommendation regarding pro-
vision for those dependent on clerks
who meet death at their posts of
duty.
INSPECTORS DEPARTMENT..
The annual report Of Chief Post
office Inspector Wheeler shows that
the total number Of arrests made for
all kinds of offences during the year
was 1884. OF this number only 231
were postal employees. OF the cases
tried 373 resulted in conviction. while
only 81 resulted in acquittal. The
number of burglaricS of pOstOffices