Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-04
A BUSY YEAR.
Mr.. Maxwell Tells of the Work Done
in His DEPARTMENT..

r. A. Maxwell. fourth assistant postmas-
ter general, today submitted his annual re-
port to the Postmaster General. The num-
Der of post offices established during the
fiscal year was 262l, decrease of 1.44 I'M
der the figures for last year; number of Of
fees discontinued, 1887; increase 10: total
number of offices, 6S 403
During the year the number of resigna-
items and term expirations was 9.15l. an in
crease over the previous year of 1908; the
number of removals footed up 1861, an in
crease of 2.456. The number of postmasters
to die was 597. The number of appointments
during the year was 16, 23S, and the number
OF names and sites of offices changed, 1863
The number of offices established in Vir-
ginia was 119. an increase of SO, and in
Maryland "A, an increase of 80. The great
est increase was in Texas, %. Georgia
got 90 new offices and North Carolina 49,
In the year preceding the heaviest increase
was in Mr.. Wanamaker's state, 15S. Ne
with Kansas a close second. q. The Indian
territory lost s. South Dakota 6, Colorado
2, and Delaware, Massachusetts,. North
Dakota and New Mexico l each. Pennsyl-
vanta has the largest number of operativ
Offices. 4.951. and New York $3.50. Virginia
has 2,956 and Maryland 1,15S.
During the year, 1,l1 arrests were made
by post office inspectors for violations of
the postal laws: Of the persons arrested. 927
were postal employees and of this number
s. were postmasters. There were lbs pos,
tai Durglar1eS- There were 5.046 complaints
received on matters pertaining to regis
tered mail. Three hundred and eighty-one
complaints were traced to the carelessness
or postal employees, and these offenders
were duly admonished. In "a cases of al
legged rffltns this was found not to be true
Some persons take this means to avoid
the payment of debts and others believe
that the post office department is response
bic for things taken into it's custody There
were $500 complaints received during the
year relating to the ordinary mail. These
were reports Of missing letters and pack
ages This is an increase over last year
OF 3.I2l but this increase is not commen-
surate with the growth of the service At
tention is called to the increase in the
number of post office burglares.
There were $50 burnings of post Offices
50 wrecks or burnings of postal cars 81
robberies of mail stages, l robbery of a mail
messenger, 29O lost pouches and 1886 pouches
cut or stolen. By reason of the reduction
of force necessary by the reduction of the
appropriation attention could only be given
to the current work of the office Mr. Max
we'll recommends that sign boards of a uni
form pattern gearing the words Omitted
States Post Office be furnished to post
masters. especially to those of the third
and fourth classes
The alleged frauds committed by Rev. c.
F. r. Howard the Baptist preacher, and
published in The Star at the time OF the
reverend mans arrest, is touched on in the
report. 1t IS recommended that a conpetent
translator be provided for the division of
foreign mails. On the whole concludes the
report the year has been a busy and active
one. and a new one has begun with the
promise of unabated industry and fidelity.