Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-12-08


rent fiscal year already expired, the present
postmaster general estimates that at lis close
instead of q surplus there will be deficiency
The post ONCE receipts for the last fiscal year
amounted TO IS 500. 9SS 10, and its expenditures
TO ssl014.oo4 81 This post office deficiency
would disappear or be immensely decreased il
less matter was carried free through the mails,
An Item of which Is upward of 900 tons of seeds
an Mh gram IN, rom me agrlcuitusa, department.
States on the SJth day OF June, 1895 Was g. :
4O3 an increase OF LISA over the preceding
year OF these $780, were presidential, an III
year.
The Free Delivery System.
Forty-two free delivery offices were added
during the year to those already existing max
ing total of $40 cities and towns provided
with free delivery June 80, 1893 Ninety
three other cities and towns are now entitled
TO this service under the law, but 1t has not
been accorded them on account OF in
suficient funds to meet the expense Of
opinion that the provisions of the present
law permit as general an introduction of this
feature of mail service as is necessary or lusti-
fable, and that ii not be extended to smaller
communities than now designa- ed The
expense OF free delivery for the fiscal year end
ing June 81, 1894. will be more than S11, 600 OO0
and under legislation now existing there must
be constant 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
Inaugural ton of the sytem The total NUM- her
OF these Offices the close of the year was
ls,434. There were l3, 300, 735 money orders is
sued from these offices, being an increase over
value Of these orders amounted to Sl2f $50
4S3 d, an increase of s7,5os 2.5s There were
sno ssned to als9s ~ osa ne notes
1875 International money order offices were
added TO those already provided making to-
tai of : AT in operation on June 3d. 1893
UhAr of int Z
sued during the year was ,055 999, increase
over the preceding year of q, SO. and their
value was $685. ,SS7 80, an increase Of Sl,221,-
5O68l. The number of orders paid was 3OOal7,
an increase over the precediE year OF 13 5J3.
and their value was Is, sss, $40 a. an increase OF
S94,094 .s3 From the foregoil.I statements it
appears that the total issue Of money orders
and postal notes for the year amounted to
$3.50 s21.3 4a24
during the year for special delivery was 3375,-
69S an increase over the preceding wear OF
nearly 22 per cent The special delivery stamps
used upon these letters and packages amour ted
To 1897 500 81, and the messengers fees paid for
their delivery amounted to .256, n, leaving
profit of tS) We 80.
The Railway Service.
The railway mail service not only adds to the
promptneSs OF mail delivery at all Offices but
1t is the especial inStrumentaity which puts
the smaller and way places in the service on an
equality III that regard with the larger and
terminal offices his branch of the postal
service has therefore received much attention
gratifying to know that it is in condition of
high efficiency 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 2s324 employees who 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
ject absolutely reliable, he expresses the
hat VIII th,ah tNf
1t would be impossible 10 conduct the vast bust
ness inlruSted to him.
J desire to commend as especially worthy
OF prompt attention the suggestions OF the
postmaster general relating 10 IA more sensible
and bnslneSs-llkt organization and Il better dis
tribution % responsibility i'll his department
The Navy.
The report Of the secretary of the navy r,,n.
ta1us q history OF the opera tiouS OF his depart
ment durn- th@ past year ana exhibits ii xnosi
gratifying condition OF the personnel CT our
navy. He presents Il satisfactory account OF
,he progress which has been made i'll the en-
struction OF vessels and makes a number uf
recommendations 10 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 i'll Nicaragua,
Guatemala, Costa Rca 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, il became necessary. in order to make up
a sufficient feet TO patrol the Behrirg
der the modus vlvendi agreed upon with Great
Britain. to detail to that service one vessel
from the fish commission and three from the
revenue marine.
Progress IN the construction of new vessels
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
building
lays, however. have been in the work upon
armored ships The trouble has been the fail
The difficulties seem now, however, to have
been all overcome, and armor is being delivered
with satisfactory promptness.
Our Reorganized Navy.
As d result of the experience acquired by
ship builders and designers and material men,
il is believed that the dates when vessels will
be completed can now be estimated with rea-
sonable accuracy. Great gu1s. rapid fire guns
torpedoes and powder are being promptly sup
piled. The following vessels Of the new navy
have been completed and are now ready for
service:
The doubleturreted coast-defense monitor
Miantonom&l. the double turreted coast-de-
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
Castine have been placed in commission during
the current calendar year.
The following vessels are in progress of con-
struction: Tie second class battleship Maine
and Texas. the cruisers Montgomery and
Marblehead. and The coastdefense monitors
Terror Puritan Amphitrite and Monadnock,
all Of which will be completed within one year;
the harbor defense Ram katahdin and the pro-
tected cruisers Colum ba Minneapolis, Olympia,
Cincinnati and Raleigh, all of which will be
completed prior to July l, 1895; the frst-class
batteships Iowa, Indiana, Massachusetts and
Oregon. which will be completed by February
!. 1896 and the armorcd 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 be
completed in less than two years.
A Note of Warming.
Since 1856 congress has at each session
authorized the building OF one more vessels
and the secretary of the navy presents an
earnest ear! plea for the continuance tin o Of
six torpedo boats. While l am dis
tinctly in favor of consistently pursuing the
policy we have inaugurated Of building up u
thorough and efficient navy l cannot refrain
from the suggestion that the congress should
carefully take into account the number of un-
finished vessels on our hands aud the depleted
condition Of our treasury in 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 employed and continued. is produc-
ing the best results, and the secretary is
earnestly devoting himself to It's 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
3Uth day of June. 1893, there were on the pen
sion rolls 966012 names an increase OF 1924
over the number on the rolls June 80 1897 Or
these there were 167 widows and daughters OF
revolutionary soldiers, sc survivors of the war