Mexico weekly ledger., 1893-12-07
POSTAL AFFAIRS.
Deficiency Due to Free Mail.

This report of the postmaster general
contains q detailed statement of the oper-
atoms Qf the pGstoffice department during
the last fiscal year and much IL
tefestI.g touching this ina
portaat branch OF the public service. The
business of the mails Indicates With absQ~
lutte certainty the condition of The bhSi-
ness OF the country anu depression III
financial affairs Inevitably aud quickly
reduces the postal revenues. Iha6 there
is d larger discrepancy than usual between
the poStoifice receipts and expenditures Is
the expected aud unavoidable result of
the distressing StriigGnCy which mas pre-
vailed throughout the country during
much of the tiis4 covered by tbs postnl6s-
Ter generals report. AT Il date when
better times were anticipated II was esti-
mated by his predecessor that tie deEl~
cheney Oh the 5Jtb day OF June, 1853, would
be a little over 81 300, GUJ. IL amounted,
| however, to more than -, 600, jill, Al the
same time and under the Influence of like
hHticlpati0ns. estimates %ers made Tor
the current fiscal year ending June -,
1884, which exhibited IA surplus Of revenue
| over expenditures of s8I2,2i5 II, but n0}Y.
III view of the actual receipts and ~ pcndI-
lures during that part OF the current fiscal
year already expired, the recent pnsttIIas-
ter general estimates that ut its close, III
stead ol II surplus, there Will be Il deficiency
of nearly IS, uUU,0 UU.
The postotiice receipts for the last fiscal
year amounted To s15, s.tj, 1888. la, and its tx
peniilures to $751; pa, i04.3 81. This post
office deficiency would disappear, or be i'm
menseiy decreased, If less matter was car
ried free through the mails. an item Of
which Is upward of 300 tons of seeds and
grain from the agricultural department.
The total number of postotli@es III the
United States on the both day OF June,
1888, was 6S,403, an increase of 1884 over
the preceding year. f'orty-two free deliv-
cry offices were added during the year to
those already existing, making Il total OF
6l0 cities and towns provided with free de-
livery on June 30, 1888. Ninety-three
other cities and towns are now entitled 10
this service under the law, but it has not
been accorded them on account of INSULT
Cient funds to meet the expense OF its
establishment. l am decidedly OF the
opinion that the provisions of the present
law permit as general an Introduction oI
this feature of mail service as is necessary
or Unsuitable, and that it ought not to be
extended to smaller communities than ara
now designated.
The railway mai service not only adds
to the prOmptneSs of mail delivery at all
offices, bat it is the especial Instrumental
ity which puts the smaller and way places
in the service on an equality in that re
gard with the larger and terminal Offices
THIS branch of the postal service has there
fore received much attention from tnt
postmaster general, and, though it is graf
flying to know that it is in IA condition O
high efficiency and great usefulness, an
led to agree with the postmaster genera
that there is room for its further improve
ment. There are now connected with tn:
postoffice establishment 2S.324 employees
who are within uhe classified service. The
head of this great department gives con
elusive evidence of the value of civil sarV
ice reform, when, after an experience tina
renders his judgment on the subject alb
s~olutely reliable, he expresses the opinion
that without the benefit of this system i
would be impossible to conduct the vas
business intrusted to him.