Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1893-12-07

Inc report ui the fostmaAtar general con.
tains detailed statement Of the operations of
the post ONCE department d ring the last n =.
cal ear AM much information touching this
important branch Of the public service. The
business Of the mails indie te with absolute
certaintf ih0 condition OF tn business Of the
ooun ry, and deprcssons In financial affairs In
evitably AMI quickly reduces the post rgvo.
NUS Therefore n larger discrepancy than
usual between the post offico receipts and eE.
y nditurcs II The expected and unav idable r..
suit Of tho depressing stungoncy which has
prevailed throughout ne country during much
Of the time covered by the postmaster 'gener.
ais report
Alta date when better times were anticipated
Il was Estimated by his pre- ioccssor thai the
deficiency on the lDth d. OF June 1888 would
be but little over si.5UOJ II amour ed.
however, to more than ~ i,OD A. the same
time and under the Influence Of Ike anticipA-
tlon estimates we're made for the current fiscal
year ending June ", 1874 which exhibited a
surplus Of rev nue. over expenditures Of tTs.
2b Il, but nov Ia Wow Of the actual rcco pts
and expenditures during that part II the cur
rent fiscal year already expired the present
postmaster general est ma e. that at its close
instetd ~ surplus there will bo u deficiency
Of nearly etml,uUI
The post oficc receipts for the last fiscal year
amounted to Fi,sb,p3l ~ and It's expenditures
To ssIUli 40 This st once deficiency
would disappear or be- itnmrnse deere sed II
less matter we're carried free through the mails,
an item Of which Is upward Of three hundred
tons Of seeds and grain from the agricultural
dep rtmenL The total numb r of post Noes
In the United States on the 3ith daf Of June,
isDi, was 6',iJL an increase Of !, 81 over tIo
preceding year aud q these g. o. were
presidential, an Increase In that
class OF 2H over the preceding
forty'two free delivery ofices were added
during the year to those already existing.
making a total ofOji and ten cliio4 and towns
provided with free delivery on June 81, 1893.
nlncly'three other cities ami towns are now
entitled 10 this service under the law, but IL
blsnpt beon accorded them on account Of IN.
-suficlcnt funds 10 meet the expense Of It's cs.
tabIlshment l am de Ideally Of tho opinion
that the provisions the present law permits
as general Introduction of this feature of mail
service rs is necessary aud jIstinube and that
It ought not to be extended to smaller com.
munitics than nT now designated
The expense NJ free del very for the fiscal
ear ending June -, ispI will be more than
tl, OJ.uOaud under the admins tration now
existing III r. must be IA constant increase In
the item Of expenditures. Th, r. we're 81 ad.
ditlons to the domestic money order oricos
during the last fiscal wear, being tho largest In.
crease Ia an year since the inauguration =
the system. The total number Of these oiicos
at the close Of the ear was IL, 49, There wero
I ,A97b money orders issued from these Of
nces, being m Increase over the preceding |
year Of l,siJ. agL and the value Of these orders
amounted 10 ti2T 20, iIJ an increase OF Il. |
hO'dR hs There were also issued during tho
year postal notes amounting to sl2gOt i7671
During tn wear l9i international mon or. |
der oricos were add,l to those a really pro.
yidcd making q to al Of 2iT In operation on |
June o, 1897 The numb'r OF International |
m) ey orders issued during the wear was lnii,. |
W nn incret tse oy1r tho pre- ding yoir Of ~. |
w an the value was go Il 80. an Increase |
of ,2!l, j0i9l The number Of orders paid wa,
nn,IlT inCFOAge over the uHe.en1lnr war n !
~ lOl and thcir val lle was 3, 49, S7j, an In. |
crease { 29l 0Ls3 From the forog Ing state
monts II tppshrs that the total Issue Of money
ord Rs and postal n totf fir the ear amour Cd
to 9bh,' h,'2l5Is2l
The number OF letters and packages mailed
during the year Tor special delivery was 1870.
oJA an Increase over the preceding year of
nearly ~ per cent The special delivery stamp
used unon these letters and pa klgct amounted
to s3a16g u aud the m ssUuVsr p f'-s paid for
their delivery amounted 10 2G,iO a. leavlnga
profit to th' govarnm"nt Of 90,G . The raj.
way mail soryi 90 not only adds TO the prompt
ness pf mail delivery at all ON os but IL Is the
especial iustrumoutallty which puts the sm iller
and way places Ia the service IN an equality ia
that rcgnrl with the larger and terminal Offices.
This branch of tn postal service IA - there
fore, received much attention from the post
master general, and though Il isV'atif ing TO
know tn II Is In u condition Of hlga IN ency
and great usefulness am led 10 agren With
the poslmastor.genorh TINT there is room Tor
It's further Improvement There arc nov con.
no'ted vi h the post ONCE establishment 2i.3!I
employees who are In the classified service, and
the head of this great depart ent gives con
elusive evidence Of tho value OF ciYll service
reform when, after an exp rlcnoe thit renders
his Judgment absolutel reliable. hc expresses
the opinion that without III benefit OF this
system II would be impossible TO conduct tho
vast business intrusted to him.