People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1892-12-09
legal talent in the defense Of these claims and
70 pursue its vague search for evidence
TIE POST oFFIcE

70 pursue It's vague search for evidence.
TIE POST OFFICE
The report Of the postmaster general shows
most gratifying increase and most efficient
and progressive management Of the great bust.
ness Of that department The remarkable In
crease in revenues In the number OF post Offices
and In the miles Of mail interchange furnishes
further evidence OF the high state Of prosperity
which our people are enioSing. New o1ices
mean new hamlets, towns, routes mean the
| extension OF our border settlements. and In
! creased revenues mean active commerce. The
postmastergeneral reviews the whole period
Of his administration OF the ONCE and brings
/ some Of his statistics down 10 the month OF
| November last The postal revenues have In.
| creased during the last year nearly NOOO,O0J
/ The deficit for the year ending June 30. 1892, is
| ssis,Al less than the deficiency Of the preced-
| ing year. The deficiency Of the present fiscal
year It is estimated will be reduced to 81, 75s i23,
which will not only be extlnguished during the
next fiscal year, but surplus OF nearly 81, Co.,
| 900 should there be shown
! In these calculations the payments 10 be made
under the contracts for ocean mail service
have not been included There have been added
| 1880 new mail routes during the year with q
mileage OF sS6S miles, ana the total number OF
new miles Of mail trips added during the year
/ is nearly l7,OOj0O0 The number OF miles Of
mail journeys added during the last four years
is about 76OO,0JO this addition being q ,OOO 900
Of miles more than there we're in operation in
the whole country in 1861
The number OF post offices has been increased
by 2,7eO during the year, and during the past
nd as, to Ia 81.
increase OF the number Of Offices has been near
ly 1904 The number Of free delivery olices
has been nearly doubled In the past four years
and the number Of money order Offices more
than doubled with that time. For three years
ended June 30, 1892, the postage revenue
amounted TO sl9s, IA $50, which was an increase
Of So, 263, 1859 over the revenue for three years
ended June 90 1873. the increase during the
last three years being more than three and halt
times as great as the increase during the
three years ended June 30, 1855 No such in
crease as that shown for these three years has
ever previously appeared in the revenues OF the
department The postmastergeneral has ex.
tended 10 the post Offiees In the larger cities
The merit OF promotion introduced hy my di.
rection, into the departments here, and It has
resulted there, as in the departments, in large
volume OF work. and that better done.
Ever since our merchant marine was driven
from the sea by the rebel cruisers during the
war OF the rebellion, the United States has been
paying an enormous annual tribute TO foreign
countries in the shape OF freight and passenger
moneys, our grain and meats have been taken
at our own docks and or large imports there
laid down by foreign shipmasters An increas-
iur ~
contributed vast sum annually TO the divi.
dends OF foreign ship owners. The balance Of
trade shown by the books OF our
custom houses has been largely reduced
and in many years altogether extinguished
by this constant strain. In the year 1892
only IL per cent OF our imports were brought
in American vessels The foreign steamships
maintained by our traffic are many Of them un
der contract with their respective governments
by which in time OF war they will become
part OF their armed naval establishments
Proiting by our commerce in peace, they will
become the most formidable destroyers Of our
commerce in time Of war. | felt and have be-
fore expressed the feeling that this condition OF
things was both intolerable and disgraceful A
wholesome change OF policy and having so much
promise as IL seems 10 me, was begun by the
law Of March B. 1891. Under this law contracts
have been made by the postmastergeneral fol-
eleven mail routes The expenditure involved
by these contracts for the next fiscal year ap
proximated 1854, l2l8 As one Of the good re-.
suits reached, sixteen American ships OF an az.
gregate tonnage Of 81, 400 tons, costing a. OOO
have been built or contracted to be built in
American ship yards.
The estimated tonnage Of all steamships re-
quired under existing contracts is l65 ,sO2, and
when the full service required by these con
tracts is established there will be forty.one
mail steamers under the American flag, with
the probability Of further necessary additions
in the Brazilian and Argentine service. The
contracts recently let for Transatlantic service
will result In the construction OF FIVE ships Of
1000 tons EACH costing q, 900 900 or 80 OOO 600
and will add, with the City OF New York and
the City OF Paris, TO which the treasury depart
ment was authorized by legislation at the last
session TO give American registry, seven OF the
swiftest vessels upon the sea 10 our naval re-
serve. The contracts made with the lines sail.
ing TO Central and South American ports have
increased the frequency and shortened the time
OF the trips, added new ports Of call and sus.
tanned some lines that otherwise would almost
certainly have been withdrawn The service 10
Buenos Ayres is the first TO the Argentine re-
public under the American flag The service 10
Southampton, Boulogne and Antwerp Is also
new, and is TO be begun with the steamships City
OF New York and City OF Paris in February next.
earnestly urge continuance OF the policy in
augurated by this legislation and that the ap.
propriations required TO meet the obligations
OF the government under the contracts
may be promptly made so that the lines
that have entered into these engagements
may not be embarrassed We have had by
reason OF connections with the trans-conti.
mental railway lines constructed through our
own territory some advantages that we did not
possess on the Atlantic The construction of
the Canadian Pacific railway and the estab.
lishment under large subventions from Canada
and England OF fast steamship service from
vancouver with Japan and China seriously
threaten our>shipping interests in the Pacific.
This line OF English steamers received, as
stated By the commissioner OF navigation, a
direct subsidy Of 100000 annually, or 800, 100
per trip for thirteen voyages. in addition to
some further aid from the admiralty in connec-
ton with contracts by which the vessels may
~ N.'SN ANA A"fei pOoCo luC OOulpclluk
American Pacific Mail line, under the act OF
March 3 1891, receives only S,sss per round
trip
Efforts have been making within the last
year, as | am informed to establish under
similar conditions a line between Vancouver
and some Australian port with a view OF secur.
ing there trade in which we have had large
interest The commissioner Of navigation
states that very large per cent OF our imports
from Asia are now brought 10 us by English
steamships and their connecting railways in
Canada Witha view Of promoting this trade,
especially In tea, Canada has imposed dis
eliminating duty Of 10 per cent on tea and cof-
fee brought into the dominion from the United
States. II this unequal contest between Amer
lean lines without subsidy, or with diminished
subsidies and the English Canadian line TO
which / have referred Is TO continue, / think
we should at least see that the facilities for
customs entry and transportation across our
territory are not such as 10 make the Canadian
route favored one, and that the discrimina.
ton as to duties, TO which / have referred, is