Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-22

account, though, in figuring the cost of
carrying a letter-not alone expenses which
do not directly apply to letter carrying,
but sources of income which are not as
sociatcd with the regular mail business.
For example the Post Office Department
last year received S165, 23J,O0O Gn round
numbers) for money orders and postal
notes; and paid out during the same period
only sl5S,OO0,OO0. The remaining 900
will be accounted for in part in due time;
but the Post Office Department received
from the treasury last year 81 ,2J0, 900 from
the subtreasury in New York, on account
of unpaid money orders, which had been
lost or destroyed in some way, and which
will never be presented for redemption.
Self-Susfnining in Some States.
If the exact cost of transporting each
letter could be figured, some people would
have very little to pay for postage and
others would have to pay a great deal
more than they pay now. In eleven of the
states last year the revenues of the Post
Office Department We're in excess of the
expenditures while in the other forty states
and territories the service cost more than
TIE amount of the receipts. In New York
state, for example, it cost about 81, 100000
to carry the mail and the receipts from all
the post offices in the state were $13,0OO000.
One-cent postage could be established in
New York and made self-sustaining, but
New York has to contribute to the support
of the postal system of the other states
of the Union. In Nebraska the cost of
carrying letters was more than double
the amount received for the service. The
receipts from that state were 81, 13l 800, and
the expenditures $2,a2O.OOO. So the people
of New York are taxed by the Post Office
Department to give fast mail facilities to
the people of Nebraska.
The states and territory which run the
post offices at profit are Connecticut, New
York, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire. New Jersey, Oklahoma,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.
The aggregate of the profits derived from
the business in these states Is about seven
and quarter millions of dollars. The
direct losses in the other forty states and
territories aggregate about fifteen and one
half millions Ohio furnishes the largest
deficit. The receipts from that state dur
ing the year were S4,361 900 and the ex-
penditures more than 100000.
Nebraska has little balance of million
and a quarter against her. Virginia is
sS0oO0C short. Missouri. with an eXpendi-
ture of about four millions, is STS0,OO0 be-
hind her expenses.
On the other hand. New York state is
three and a half millions ahead; Massa-
chusetts had receipts million and half
greater than her expenditures. Illinois
made profit of more than a million dol
lars: Pennsylvania was half million to
the good and the other states named above
ranged from 100000 down. AL with bal
ances on the credit side of the ledger.
Unpaid Money Orders.
According to this statement it ought to
cost the people of New York state about
sO146 to send a letter; for that is what it
costs in that state to handle one. With
the natural and necessary increase in bust
ness resulting from reduction, one-cent
postage would be self-supporting in New
York. AS for New York city, with gross
receipts of S7,OOOOOO it has expenses ag
gregating only S2,7J0,O00; which makes the
actual cost of handling letter in that
city $O36i3.
This calculation, Of course, takes into &C
count only local expenses There are GER
tain general expenses which are not charg-
ed against local offices which should en-
ter into an exact calculation of the cost of
handling mail. The cost of postage stamps,
for W hch Counting envelopes, wrappers,
cards, etc. million and a half Is spent
every year, is not counted. But, on the
other hand, neither is the million and
quarter which goes int" the general re-
ceipts Of the Post Office Department from
the unpaid money order account.
The government of the United States has
many irregular sources of income. There
Is the profit derived from the ronds and
bank notes destroyed. There are the clai ms
fer services and supplies which diatory
Congress fails to make appropriations for.
Finally, there are the money orders which
are issued every year which do not come
back for redemption The Post Office De-
partment takes all reasonable precautions
to find the owners of this money; 1t is
amazing that so much of it should never
reach the hands of its owners. At the end
of each month the postmaster at each
money order office examines the list of un-
paid moAey orders, and notifies the people
for whom the money is intended that it is
waiting to be delivered. At the end of
another month, the order being unpaid, he
notifies them again. At the end of third
month. the order being still unpaid, he
rotihes the postmas ter at the office where
the order bought. and he sends
notice to the buyer of an order that the
money has not been claimed. These regu-
latons seem thorough enough for all bust
ness purposes.
Looking for the Owners.
They are an Improvement on the old sys-
tenn. Under the original regulations for
the issue of money orders, the postmaster
at the Office of payment had no right to in
form his most intimate friend that
money order was waiting for him I'M
claimed. Under the old regulations the
greater part of the fund just turned into
the Post Office Department by the sub
treasury at New York accumulated This
money was turned over under a law passed
in iSS.} providing for the preparation of
list Of unpaid money orders, with a view
to hunting up the owners of the money.
1t is not often that Uncle Sam goes out of
his way to pay debt; and he mas been so
slow about carrying cut his good Intentions
regarding this one as to warrant a suspi
con of his earnestneSs in the cause. But
the amounts to be recovered by individuals
would be so small and the amount to be
taken from the government so large that ii
seems hardly worth while to attempt to re-
pay it.
Every few days an ancient money order
comes to the superintendent of the money
order division for renewal Under the new
law when q postal order remains unpaid
for a year, il must be sent to the Post Of
flee Department for renewal and a warrant
on the trea sury must he issued in its place.
If it is lost or destroyed. and a claim is
presented within year, the Postmaster
General may issue a duplicate on certificate
of the postmaster of the issuing and pay
ing Office that il has not been paid
After a year a warrant may be issued to
the claimant. These new regulate make
the likelihood of loss much less than under
TIE old regulations of the department. But