The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1894-11-17
THE POSTAL SERVICE.

THE POSTAL SERVICE.
Annual Report Of the First Assistant Post.
master General = Desirable REFORM
c0tting Post On1ces Calls for Legislation
by Congressional Interesting Statistics
OF the Service.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 11.-First Assist
ant Postmaster General Frank II.
Jones, of Illinois, who has supervision
| of the divisions of salaries and allow
ances, free delivery. post Office supplies,
money order system, dead letter office
and correspondence, has submitted his
annual report for the year ended June
30 last, to the postmaster general.
The report is a very interesting one
and yer the most important branches
of the postal service.
Mr.. Jones reviews his recommended
ton Of last year as to the growing evil
of %boycotting post Offices THE com
%pensation of p~ostmasters at post Offices
of the fourth-class consists mainly of
the cancellation of postage stamps
upon matter actually mailed at their
Offices"
He says that '.in many cases, owing
to political differences, selfish motives
of storekeepers, petty jealousies, or
personal feeling from other causes, the
compensation of postmasters is seri-
ously curtailed by collecting and mail
ing letters on the car o. sending them
to an adjoining post office for mailing,
thereby depriving the f~ourth-class
postmaster of his cancellations, and
consequently reducing his salary and
depriving first and second-class post
masters of their sale of stamps, thereby
reducing the receipts and Office allow
ances. This is carried to a grevious
extent in some communities, and is
such an interference with the usual
and regular disposition Of the mails as
in my Judgment calls for legislation
by congress"
Mr.. Jones recommends that congress
enact a law allowing postmasters in
their discretion, by and with the con-
sent of the postmaster general, to sus-
pend clerks, carriers and other en-
ployes of post offices, not exceeding
ten days, without pay, for violations of
rules and regulations. Under the
present law, a first offense means dis
missal from the service. He also asks
for legislation allowing clerks and
carriers in the postal service who shall
be disabled while performing their
duties. three months leave of absence
with pay.
He requests that the law in regard
TO the classification and salaries of
clerks in the larger post offices be
amended SO as to make the maximum
salaries larger for certain lines of cler-
ical service in order to command the
highest order of clerical ability.
The report shows the total allowance
for clerk hire to have been 49, 331,
and S., 719, 900 on account of salaries to
~postmasters at presidential offices, of
which there were 3,4O2. The gross re-
ceipts of those offices were S5s, 6S5, OPS
for the year.
New York has the largest number of
post offices of any state, leading with
2s6, and Pennsylvania second, with
p~ropriated on account of the post
masters salaries this year.. and Mr..
Jones estimates that SIG, 500, 600 will
be sufficient for the next fiscal year.
Speaking of the department Mr..
Jones says: From information in
possession of the department, l believe
that the postal department to-day is
handling more mail than ever before
in its history. There are now in ex-
istence ia third-class offices whose
gross receipts range from Sc, 800, to S.
600. In my opinion 1t is only fair to
presume that a large number of these
will enter the second class minimum
$4,000 with the next readjustment of
post office accounts March 81, 1895.
THE publishing of lists of unclaimed
letters in newspapers resulted in New
York city in the delivery of only 2H
per cent, which cost the department
for every letter delivered approx
mately forty cents, whereas ordinarily
the revenue from the carriage of the
would be but two cents. The re-
suits we're not of sufficient benefit to
warrant the expenditure. 1t is my be-
lief that the bulletin board system will
answer every purpose"
The report shows the number of free
delivery offices to have been 6lO and the
gross receipts S45, sol, 9lO. a decrease of
nearly 5000, 600 from the previous
year.
Mr.. Jones suggests that the expert
mental free delivery in towns and viii
lagos be discontinued at the close of
the current fiscal year. He says the
proposed system of rural free delivery
would result in an additional cost to
the government of about $50, O00, 900
for the first year and he is not in favor
of the scheme.
A BIG SENSATION