Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-29
THE POSTAL SERVICE.
Some Interesting Suggestions in Mr..
Bissell's Report.
A new DEPARTMENT BUILDING.
The Organization Of the Depart
ment Not Approved.
CIVIL SERVICE.

Postmaster General Bissell in his annual
report estimates that $50, 1893, 4S5 will be re-
CURED to conduct the postal service next
year, and that the revenues will fall short
| OF this sum to the amount of $5,91l, 136.
MIR. Bissell states that the financial de-
preston greatly diminished the volume Of
postal receipts. He does not think. how
ever that the large deficiency should have
deterrent effect upon the general devel-
opment of the service nor induce an in
crease Of postal rates.
review of the litigation over the tele-
graph rates established by Mr. Bsselr s
predecessor is made, and 1t Is stated that
| the rates fixed by Mr.. Bissell have been
accepted by the telegraph companies, being
about per cent below those established by
Postmaster General Dickinson. He recon-
mends the adjustment of postal notes and
reduction of rates for domestic money
orders.
He pays particular attention to the rail-
way mail service. and the requirements of
| this year will, he estimates, call for an in
crease Of employees from 6,645 men to 1000
men. He urges such legislation as will pro-
| vide a reasonable sum to be paid to the
| widows and minor children of railway mail
clerks killed while on duty, and estimates
| that $4,000 annually will be sufficient for
this purpose. He recommends the forma-
| ton of an auxiliary corps of clerks. and
that early provision be made for a reclassi-
| fication of the employees
| Mr.. Bissell says Of the ocean mail subsidy
| that he is unable to ascertain that any pos
| tive advantages have accrued, from either
mail or commercial point of view. by
reason of the contracts thus far put in OPP
| under q,
| that therefore no new contracts have been
| entered into. The increased cost OF the con-
| veyance of ocean mails under this act Tor
| the years 1S93-'94-'95 and 1896 (the last two
years estimated) will be A.25O, 40i.52 he
| states that thef gains in the expedition OF
| the mails have not been material, ana the
advantages derived from the government
control of the ships incommensurate
with the cost of service.
The worlds fair post office was sue
cess. The gross receipts during the SIN
months of it's continuance were $G4,3SS.o-.
| or equal to the postal business Of a city OF
| so 600 inhabitants. The total number of
pieces of mail matter handled was lo,l's,-
313.
Civil Service.
| Under the head of civil service Mr. Bis
sell says:
| in the post office establishment OF the
government there are now 2s,324 employees
in the classified civil service, to wit:
Post Office Department.. 4ol
Letter carriers. ................-........ 1lo-o
Clerks in post offices. 3aeo
| Railway mail clerks. oooo
| posi- office inspectors 6I
| Total -............... 49,. SOL
| ct have long been firm believer in the
| applicat ton of the merit system In the Sc
| lection of employees for subordinate posi-
lions in the public service. Eight months
| of practical experience at the head OF the
| Post Office Department tends strongly 10
| confirm my belief in the beneficence OF the
civil service law. Indeed, so great have be-
| come the proportions of this department
and the magnitude OF It's operations tnat:
| in my Judgment, ii would be matter or
practical impossibility to conduct Its analrs
with any near approach to Its present de-
| gree of efficiency without the beneht anu
| protection Of this law.
| "At the close of your first administration
you made an executive order bringing the
| employees of the railway mail service INTO
| the classified civil service. This order was,
by it's terms, to take effect on March 10,
| 1889 Its operations were suspended until
| May /, 1889 and meanwhile more than one
| third of all the employees in that branch OF
| the service were displaced by new APP
| pointees. there being ,932 changes in all.
| This action was the heaviest blow ever
dealt the civil service law, since the effect
of it was to debar experienced clerks from
the service and TO protect in their positions
a large number of new appointees, a ma
| jority Of whom were inexperienced.
! 1T is not to be wondered at that the en-
ployes thus summarily dismissed regarded
| the law Itself as a hateful obstruction to
| fair treatment and justice This sentiment
has recently been emphasized in the case
| of many who hoped for reinstatement upon
discovering that the intervening four years
have SO far advanced their ages that now
| they are ineligible even for examination
under the age limit In this connection,
| however, 1t Is to be observed that of the
| l932 persons appointed as / have stated
about one-half were in the service on March
Z, 1893.
AT the time these wholesale removals
were made the railway mail service had at
| tanned high state of efficiency. The rec
ords of the department show that the num-
Der of pieces of mail matter correctly dis
patched were to each error as 1854 is
to 1. The first year thereafter the
service then being fully within the
classified civil service, its efficiency grad
ually increased until. for the year ended
June 80, 1893, 1t was 1,144 to l. 1t is con-
| fidently believed that the current year will
show a still greater increase. 1t would not
be easy to find a more striking Illustration
Of the value of the civil service system.
| II am in favor of the further extension
of the civil service law in the postal service
and will very soon have some specific re-
quests to present for your consideration
If there were no other or better reason for
| the rigid main tenance of this law than that
by means of it's immunity Is gained, to that
| extent, from the Importantly for appoint
ments in the public service it would still
| be worth the Wnlle 10 commune j IN FORCE
although / hold that through continuous
service in positions of this class efficiency
is greatly enhanced. In this connection l
may observe that much the greater portion
of my time since 1 assumed charge of this
department has been devoted to questions
affecting the personnel of the service
rather than to the business of the service
itself; and have had it happen that vigor-
Gus complaint has been made to me of an
error in mail delivery by a gentleman who
within a week had earnestly urged the ap-
pointment of wholly inexperienced man to
an important position in the postal service
that involved technical knowledge of pos
tai affairs.
| IF the service shall continue to grow in
the future in the past the time will soon
come when it will be impossible for the
| Postmaster General to attend both to the
appointment of postmasters and also to the
business of the Post Office Department
Any change in the present system. by ex-
tending the term of postmasters of all
classes. or by placing their selection with
the people in the several localities, would