The Monticellonian., 1894-11-30
THE MAIL SERVICE.
Annual Report of Postmaster-deh
 eral Bissell.
Novel and unique Suggestions and Recom- mendations with Practical Ideas Rendering Them of Moro
 than Passing Interest.

WASHINGTON, Nov 26.-It is seldom that much interest is found in the pages of the formal annual report of | a government officer, but Postmaster | General Bissell has succeeded in prov ing the exception to the rule in his ac- count of the operations of the post office department during the past twelve months. 1t contains number of novel, almost unique, suggestions and recommendations but these are as sociated with practical ideas and plans that render them of more than ordi- nary value and tend to incite deeper study into their scope and worth.
 The policy which Mr BisseH has out lined may be briefly given in his own words.
 Tn general he says, T would rec ommend that the first and most inn portant thing to be done is to revise the law as to second class matter, so as to place the post office department immediately upon se1f-sustaining | basis.
 ''2.-Avoid expensive experiments, like the postal telegraph, rural free delivery etc.
 3.-Develop the postal service on eX- isting lines of administration, viz A-EXtcnd free delivery in cities that
 now enjoy it. B-Accord it to towns already entitled to it under the law. G-Quicken railroad transportation.
 4. Revise and reclassify organization of the railway mail service, and re classify clerks in post offices.
 5. Provide for district supervision of postal affairs by appointment of ex- pert postal officials from classified service, as recommended in my last an nual report.
 Two of the novel features, to which reference has been made. concern a limitation in the broad construc- tion placed on second-class mat ter, and a suggestion as to the se- lection of the lower grade of postmas- ters. In the first instance Mr.
 Bissell puts forward plan by which legitimate publications of the second class, such as newspapers and periodicals, may be carried free through the mails, and yet leave the government with a surplus instead of the usual deficiency in the maintenance of the postal service With reference to the postmasters in smaller offices, Mr BisseH expresses his willingness to indorse any reason able plan which will take their selee- ton, with all the consequent picker ings and jealonsies, from the hands of the postmaster general. and he makes his ideas so broad on this subject is to leave no doubt that he will favor the suggested popular vote as the means out of the difficulty in cases where there is more than one candidate.
 To show just how vast is the postal service of the United States Mr Bis sell has taken another novel method
 He has secured from his subordinates and incorporated in the report. rec ord of what is actually accomplished
 in one day, and the table presented gives q better idea of postal business than fuller and more complicated de tails. This record of an average days business is as follows:
 Number of miles of post route run, l,100oo0; number of stamps manufac- | tured, $500 O00 Number of envelopes
 manufactured, l,s00, ,000: number of postal cards manufactured, ,5O0, GOO: number of pieces mailed. l5,700, GOO; number of letters mailed, 7,400, GOO; | number of pieces of mail matter dis tributed and redistributod by railway
 postal clerks, 27,500,o00; number of pieces handled in dead letter office. 24 900; daily transactions in money or | der business, S1, 100, 900; daily expenses, | S231, 100.
 The deficiency in postal revenue for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1891, was So, 243, 9S5. The total revenue derived
 was S75, 0s0, ,479, and the expenditures SS4 ,394, 414 For the current year Mr Bissell estimates that the eXpendi- lures will amount to 800, 399, ,4s5, leav- ing an estimated deficiency of &, 971,- 736, and his estimate for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1896, places the cXpcndi- lures at S91, ,059, 2S3, and the deficiency at only S4, 15l, s76.
 According to Mir. Bissells showing the deficiency for the last fiscal year would have been much larger if tse department had not curtailed the ex- penses. This was accomplished, how ever, without any detriment to the postal service, for, as Mir. Bissell says, the post office establishment cannot and should not stop to consider little economies on account of it's drtSes and obligations to the public, but must needs exert itself to the utmost to secure the best possible results in the way of celerity, accuracy and se- curity in the dispatch of the mails, and without sparing any reasonable expenditure in that b ehalf."
 And to this he adds: "The compli- cations arising from the railroad strikes of the year served only to emphasize the wisdom of this policy.n
 The cause of the falling off in the revenue is thus explained by Mir. Bis sell: .'It is the record of year of almost unprecedented business depres- sion and financial distress. and 50 in tima tely is the postal service connected with the business interests and affairs of the country, that whatever condi- tions affect them are immediately re- fiected in the volume of postal revenues The postmaster general says that the annual deficiency could be overcome by general increase in postal rates, but he thinks this should not be re- sorted to- He believes that the postal service should be self-sustaining, and he holds that the annual deficiency is caused by the undue amount of mail matter transmitted at the second-class rates of one cent pound If re-