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

papers upon it, and the man who ,.cCpied
the seat behind 1t had fewer lines of care
In his face. Postmaster Genera Wana-
maker took life very seriously. When ae
talked his blue eyes became grave and rer-
ceptible crows feet appeared at their
corners.
his hair was roughed up with much run
ming Of the fingers through it, and he bore
all the aspects of hard work The new
postmaster General works perhaps lust as
hard, but he seems to do his work more
easily. He gets to the office at sac in the
morning, and he works away here until ga
at night putting in twice as many hours as
any OF his clerks. Still he does not lool,
over tired He is well dressed, healthy
looking giant, with a big head fastened TO
broad fat shoulders by strong neck. He
stands over six feet in his stockings, and
venture that he weighs 800 pounds. He is a
clean looking man, and he seems to be rs
healthy in mind as he is in body. He is
noted for his reticence concerning himself
and his department, and he is one of the
few public men who do not like to see their
names in the newspapers. He will talk
freely enough, provided he knows he will
not be quoted, and he is not an aristocrat-
L sat sometime and watched him, as he re-
ceived his callers. A number of them Wee
business men, and among others were some
who had questions to answer or propose
concerning contracts. l was surprised TO
see nOW QUICKLY ne seemed TO RraSD each
situation as ii came up, and how positively
and quickly he passed upon them / find
that he is making many radical changes in
the organization of the Post Office Depart
ment. He is cutting down expenses to the
lowest notch wherever they do not impair
the efficiency of the mails.
How the Hard Times Affect the Post
Offices.
The Postmaster General finds II impera-
tive 70 reduce poSfa1
hard times have considerably lessened the
postal revenues. There is no business barom-
eter more sensitive than the post office.
The mail increases or decreases in propor-
ton to the amount of business done, and it
been such a radical falling off in postal re-
ceipts. For the past thirty or forty years
there has been an average increase of
revenue over that of the year preceding
This Increase has been so regular that
when Congress has made it's appropriations
1t has allowed for it. 1t did that last year
Well the revenues went along all right up
to the LIST of June, and during the first
three months of Mr.. Bisselrs term the PEI
centage of increase was more than eight
per cent over the receipts of the correspond
ing months of last year. In July the hard
times began, and the percentage of increase
cent to three per cent. At the close of
August it was found that the receipts were
four per cent less than they We're during
the August of 1892. This was a decrease of
eleven per cent over what had been
anticipated, and the same story will p-oba-
bly, be told as to the other months of this
fall. The result is that the appropriations
will not equal the expenses and the Post
master General is having his hands full in
trying to make the ends meet.
Uncle Sans Economy.
L is interesting to note how the Post
master General is economizing. In a big
business like that of the post office it is
the little things that count, and hundred
thousand dollars has just been saved by
cutting off an order for a billion of the
big Columbian stamps. There is little diff
ference between the ordinary red two cent
stamp and the Columbian stamp in size
but the difference is big enough to make
the Columbian stamp cost just about one
hundredth of a cent more than the red
stamp. The Columbian stamps cost Just
about seventeen cents a thousand, while
the red stamps cost only seven and one
half cents thousand. The change means
Il saving of ten cents on every thousand
stamps. or of 800 on a million stamps. and
of 100000 on billion stamps. The last add