Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-12-07

instead OF a surplus there will be deficiency
of nearly IS O0o,0O0
amounted to 10 500 asa Is. and its expenditures
10 sS1,0T4, Oo4 % This post Office deficiency
would disappear or be immensely decreased #
less matter was carried free through the mails
an Item OF which Is upward OF 800 tons of seeds
and grain from the agricultural department.
The total number of post offices in the United
States on the S0th day of June 1894 was ~
4oS. an increase of 1884 over the preceding
year OF these $50 were presidential an in
crease IN that class OF a4 over the preceding
year
The Free Delivery System.
Forty-two free delivery Offices were added
during the year to those already existing, max
ing a total OF 6l0 cities and towns provided
WITT free delivery on June so 1898 Ninety
three other cities and towns are now entitled
TO this service under the law, but il has not
been accorded them on account OF in
sufficient funds TO meet the expense of
its establishment 1 am decidedly of the
opinion that the provisions OF the present
law permit as general an introduction of this
feature OF mail service as is NECESSARY or Isti-
fable, and that ii not be extended to smaller
expense of free delivery for the fiscal year end
ing June 50 1894, will be more than 81 600 600
and under legislation now existing there must
be cons tant Increase in this item Of expendi-
ture.
Money Order Business.
There were 6.40l additions to the domestic
money order offices during the last fiscal year
being the largest increase in any year since the
inauguration OF the sytem. The total mum Der
OF these offices at the close of the year was
Is. 4S4. There were Is, 500, 735 money orders is
sued from these Offices being an increase over
the preceding year OF 1,2i0, 293 and the
value Of these orders amounted 10 s127, 576-
4SS %, an increase of $500, t32.5S There were
also issued during the year postal notes
amounting to Sl2, 903, 076.73 During the year
1s5 International moEey-Order offices were
added 10 those already provided, making q to-
tai Of 2,4U7 in operation on June 80 1893
The number of International money orders is
sued during the year was l,055, 99g, an increase
UsAg of -HsNS,-
value was s16,S4l SSZ So, increase of 81, 22I :
50t3l. The number OF orders paid was 30O9l7
an increase over the precedir year OF 10, SOB,
and their value was S, 2S3, 1851 an increase Of
S940 94 .S3 From the foregOiLg statements it
appears that the total issue of money orders
ana postal notes for the year amounted to
The number of letters and packages mailed
during the year for special delivery was 1875
69S an increase over the preceding wear of
nearly p per cent. The special delivery stamps
used upon these letters and packages amour ted
to sS37, 569 3D. and the messengers fees paid for
their delivery amounted to s256, 592 H. leaving a
profit of 80, 976 So
The Railway Service.
The railway mail service not only adds to the
promptneSS of mail delivery at all offices but
1t Is the especial instrumentality which puts
the smaller and way places in the service on an
equality in that regard with the larger and
terminal offices. This branch of the postal
service has therefore received much attention
from the postmaster general, and though ii is
gratifying to know that it is in condition of
high efnclency and great usefulness, l am led
to agree with the postmaster general, that
there Is room for its further Improvement
Value of Civil Service Reform.
There are now connected with the post Office
establishment Is, 34 employees who are in the
CLASSIFIED service. The head of this great de
partment gives conclusive evidence of the
value OF civil service reform when, after an ex-
perience that renders his Judgment on the sub
iect absolutely reliable he expresses the
opinion that without the benefit of this system
1t would be Impossible to conduct the vast bust
ness 1ntruSt ted TO him.
desire to commend as especially worthy
Of prompt attention the suggestions of the
postmaster general relating to a more sensible
ana buSlneSS-1ks organization and better dis
tributiOn OF possibility in his department
The Navy.
The report of the secretary of the navy con
tains history of the operations OF his depart
ment during the past year. and exhibits most
gratifying condition of the personnel OK our
navy. He presents d satisfactory account of
he progress which has been made in the CON
sruction of vessels and makes number Of
recommendations to which attention is espe-
cially invited.
Cruisers Kept Busy.
During the past six months the demands for
cruising vessels have been many and urgent.
There have been revolutions calling for vessels
to protect American interests in Nicaragua,
Guatemala, Costa Rica. Honduras Argentina
and Brazil, while the condition of affairs in Homo
lulu has required the constant presence of one or
more ships. With all these calls upon our
navy, it became necessary, in order to make up
sufficient fleet to patrol the Behring sea I'M
der the moduS vivendi agreed upon with Great
Britain, to detail to that service one vessel
from the fish commission and three from the
revenue marine.
has not been as rapid as was anticipated
There has been delay in the completion of
armored vessels, but for the most part they
have been such as are cons family occurring
even in. countries, having the largest experience
in naval ship building. The most serious de-
lays, however have been in, the work upon
bpsD
ure of contractors to deliver armor as agreed.
The difficulties seem now, however to have
been all overcome, and armOr' is being delivered
with satisfactory promptnesS.
Our Rsorganlzed Navy.
AS a result of the experience acquired by
ship builders and designers and material men,
it is believed that the dates when vessels will
be completed can now be estimated with rea-
sonable accuracy Great guns. rapid fire guns,
torpedoes and powder are being promptly sup
piled. The following vessels of the new navy
service:
The double-turreted coast-defense monitor
Miantonomoh, the double turreted coastde
Tense monitor Monterey, the armored cruiser
New York, the protected cruisers Baltimore,
Chicago, Philadelphia, Newark, San Francisco,
Charleston, Atlanta and Boston, the cruiser
Detroit, the gunboats Yorktown, Concord,
Bennington, Machias, Castine and Petrol, the
dispatch vessel Dolphin, the practice vessel
Bancroft and the dynamite gunboat Vesuvius.
OF these the Bancroft, Machias, Detroit and
Castine have been placed in commission during
the current calendar year.
The following vessels are in progress of con-
struction The second class battleship Maine
and Texas the cruisers Montgomery and
Marblehead and the coast-defense monitors
Terror, Puritan, Amphitrite and Monadnock
all of which will be completed within year;
the harbor defense Ram Katahdin and the pro-
tected cruisers Columbia, Minneapolis, Olympia,
Cincinnati and Raleigh, all OF which will be
completed prior to July |, 1925; the hrStclasS
batueships Iowa, Indiana Massachusetts and
Oregon which will be completed by February
!, 1896 and the armored cruiser Brooklyn
which will be completed by August |, OF that
year. 1t is also expected that the three gun
boats authorized by the last congress will Ds
completed in less than two years.
A Note of Warning.
Since 1885 congress has at each session
authorized the building of one or more vessels,
and the secretary Of the navy presents
earnest plea for the continuance Of
this plan He recommends the authori,
cation Of at least one batt4eship and
tinctly in favor of consistently pursuing the
policy we have inaugurated of building up
thorough and efficient navy [ cannot refrain
from the suggestion that the congress should
carefully take into account the number of I'M
finished vessels on our hands and the depleted
condition Of our treasury III considering the
propriety OF an appropriation at this time TO
begin new work.
The method of employing mechanical labor
at navy yards through boards of labor, and
making efficiency the sole TEST by which labor
ers are employed and continued is prOduc-
Ing the best results, and the secretary is
earnestly devoting himself to its development.
Attention is invited to the statements of his
report in regard to the workings Of the system.
The Pension Rolls
The secretary of the interior has the super
vision OF so many important subjects that his
report is of especial value and interest. On the
both day Of June, 1893, there were the pen
sion rolls s66,O12 names. an increase of 9,944
over the number on the rolls June 30, 1892. OF
these there were l67 widows and daughters of
revolutionary soldiers Sc survivors of the war
of 1872 5 425 widows of soldiers OF that war, 81
\ nd n dor vi n N NOV