Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-25

10 be released from their contract After
Gonsiaeranie Negotiation, the American
Bank Note Company agreed to let the
postmaster General off from the last bill
hon, he consenting to take up to the
amount of two billions of the stamps. The
contractors could have held the depart
ment, but they did not. and thus Uncle Sam
Will have just 100000 profit off of the
operation.
The New Postal Cards.
Another economy has just been inaugu-
rated in the making of the postal cards
During the past few years we have been
using three different styles of cards. There
was little white card for a cent for the
ladies', yellow barn door at the same price
for the big business man, and a middle
sized card for general use. 1t has cost con-
siderably more to make the three different
styles than one, and the Postmaster Cen
eral has decided to use but one card and
the one fixed upon is of the size used by the
cards will now be the same all the world
over We use such an immense quantity
of these cards that the saving in the new
contract amounts to $4,000 a year. The
contract is made for four years. and the
total saving will thus be s2sO,OO0. 1t is a
one-cent business, but the saving means a
fortune.
Millions in Lost Money Orders.
1t will be surprising to many people that
the postal service of the United States by
Sam has for years been carrying letters
and mail below cost, and it is estimated
that the Post Office Department will need
about 100000 every year from the appro-
priations of Congress. This is so notwith-
standing that the mails are carried over the
Pacific roads without any cash outlay on
the part of the post Office. These roads
owe the government, and the amount of
money due for carrying the mails is credit
esl 70 fhasr
department would have to pay out about
2.OW.0OO additional every year, so that ii real
ly costs S1,WO,OOO a year more than ii brings
in The most expensive part of the business is
the carrying of second-class matter, which
pays only cent a pound, and which costs on
an average about seven cents pound to de-
liver. All of these items are being closely
looked into during these hard times and
every bit of postal revenue is being scruti-
nized. The Postmaster General. in fact,
has been materially helped through the
money order fund. We have had a money
order system since 1864 and during all this
time orders have been issued and paid for,
but the money has not been called for at
the other end. Either the orders have been
lost or stolen, or the parties receiving them
have failed to collect them. These sums
have accumulated until they have now be-
tween two and three million dollars of such
money in the Treasury Department From
THIS fund there was recently credited to the
Post Office Department 81, 10000, and this is
now being applied to the deficiency of the
current year.
1 made some inquiries at the department
as to whether any improvements were
contemplated in the postal service, and i
find that ii is the Postmaster Generals idea
not TO attempt any experiments at the
present time. He is great advocate of
thorough organization and of complete de-
velopment. He believes that the postal ser
vice can be improved by investigating its
needs, strengthening its weak spots and
perfecting its present system He is
not at present seriously considering any
matters connected with the postal tel
egraph, postal telephone or the pneumatic
TUBE system for cities, evidently believing
that such experiments. necessitating the
expenditure of great sums of money, should
be left to more prosperous times.
BisselI and Civil Service.
During my call 1 had few words with
him about the service and find that he is
thoroughly in favor of civil service rules
and thinks that these should be enforced
as far as possible. He told me that these
rules had been extended to fourth-class
postmasters and that these are now al
lowed to remain in Office for four years
whether they are republicans or demo-
Gratis, unless good reasons are given for
their removal. The appointments of post
masters are now made almost entirely on
petition from the people. and the Post
master General cited case of city in
which there was a delegates convention
called by the members of the democratic
ed their postmaster. The different candi-
dates came before il and one of the de-
feated ones moved that the nomination of
the successful man should be made unan-
imous. This carried. and the name
of the successful nominee received the ap-
pointment from the department here
What He Thinks of Government
Clerkships.
While talking to the Postmaster General
the other day the subject of government,
clerks came up. and 1 asked him whether
he would advise young men to try to get
places under the government.
He replied that he would not, and said
that the short hours and the work seemed
to demoralize the employees. Said he:
1T seems to me that the hours and the
work mere are injurious to character The
clerks work from until and there is a
tendency for them to become machines
They have not the incentives to good work
that you find in other branches of business
and had L a boy 1 would not want him in
the department. Just m this connection /
nave protege in Buffalo, who wrote me the
other day wanting a place in the DEPART
ment. He is now q letter carrier in Ruffalo
and when first met him he was backing
my boots in barber shop. He attracted
my attention by his knowledge of the geog-
raphy of the United States A man who
was being shaved asked whether Detroit
was the capital of Michigan, when this how
broke an and said: No, it is not: it is
capital of Louisiana. He replied: Baton
Rouge And Connecticut said l. Hart
ford Is the capital now,' was the boys reply
1t used to have two capitals, Hartford and
New Haven, but they have changed that
and 1t has now only Hartford then asked
the boy where he went to school, and he
told me that he was going to night school
and learning as best he could. l gave him
an order on one of the book stores for what
books he wanted, and took an interest in
him from that time on Well he got fair
education, and one day he surprised me nv
coming into my office and telling me that
he had passed the civil service examination
and was working for Uncle Sam He had
received an appointment as letter carrier
and he is now making 1000 a year. He has
he is now worth a nice little property He
is a bright young man, and though I did
not tell him so, / think he is far better
off in Buffalo than in Washington de-
partment"
MIR. BisseIl Talks Of the President,
At this point the conversation turned TO
President Cleveland. and the Postmaster
General chatted Interestingly of his early
association with him. 1t is now nearly
twenty years since the two began their
practice in the law together at Buffalo. in
connection with Mr.. Lyman X. Bass, who
had been a member of Congress Mr.. Bass
left the firm in 1876. and from that time
on 1t went under the name of Cleveland