The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-11-26
The SecOnd-cIass Mail Matter
Has Grown Most.
WHAT HE RECOMMENDS
Would Avoid Expensive Expert
ments Like Postal Telegraph.

In general / would recommend
that the first and most important
thing to be done IS to revise the laws
as to second class matter SO as to
place the postoffiee department inn
mediately upon a lining basis.
.SecOnd-Avoid expensive expert
menus like postal telegraph, rural
fee delivery, etc.
..Third-Develop the postal service
on existing lines of admins ira ton,
viz: Extend free delivery in cities
that now enjoy it; accord it to towns
already entitled to it under the law,
and quicken railroad trans portatiOn.
.Fourth-Revise and reclassify the
organization of the railway mail
service and reclasslfy clerks in post
eli Is.
-Fifth-Provide for district super
vision Of all postal affairs by appoint
ment Of expert postal officials from
the classified service, as recommended
in my last annual report
Mr. Bissell first discusses the effect
of the continued depression upon the
pOstal reve nues, and says:
when adverse business conditions
prevail an ordinary business estab-
Eshment may overcome them in part
bv economies Of management and re-
trenchment in expenditures Not so,
however, with the postOfhce esta b.
GshmeDt of the government. 1t can
not and should not stop to consider
little economies. Its duties and obli-
cations to the public become at once
intensified and enlarged.
1.-The revenue for the year was S75,-
OsO, 4T9; expenditures, Ss4 324 Ala, leav-
ing a deficit 80, 10. $50. The estimates
for the current year ending June so.
1895 are Revenue. $S4. 427. 749; ex-
penditures $40 399, ass; deficit S., OIL
737. The estimates submitted to the
secretary of the treasury for the next
u
expenditures, sol, o59, 2s3; deficiency,
81. ISL SIG"
This annual deficiency, the post
master general says, could be over
come by the increase of postal rates,
but he does not believe this advisable
Economy has been praeticed, but
nevertheless. great care has been
taken that it should not affect the
efficiency of the service
The economies have consisted main
ly in reletting contracts for mail
Transformation and in the cost and
amount of supplies; also in the abrO-
cation of seven of the eleven steam
ship subsidy contracts which will
mean total saving in the ten years
of the contracts life of S14 All, 325.
Mr.. BisselI recommends the expert
mental free delivery projects should
be discontinued, and thinks that fire e
delivery in rural districts is not
needed or desired by the people Both
these. projects were originated by his
predecessor.
He refers to the war made By the
department on lottery schemes pass
ing under the name of bond invest
ment companies" and says it has
been waged successfully He recon-
mends the enactment of laws covered
in bills now pending before congress
for the further suppression of lot
teries
OF the obstruction of mails by
strikes, the postmaster general says:
I'm nv last report l called attention
to the necessity for legislation such
as then was and now is recOmme ended
bv the perinJendent of the railway
mail service for the punishment Of
tram wreczing. and for legislative
determination of the definition of a
mail train. Such legislation would
be Of great advantage to the postal
service"
One OF the most important and in
teresting features of Mr. Bissell's re-
port is its discussion of class matter.
In his last report he referred to the
great dispr0pOrtion of growth of sec
ond class MATER. He has made
thorough invest cation during the
wear. upon which he says: The
effect OF all this upon my mind is
conviction that the statutes and the
presidents upon which the business
now rest are defec tive; that they m
body the only great abuse at present
existing IN the postal service; and
that, as this business is growing all
the time, some remedy should be
applied"
The postmaster general does n OF
favor the postal telegraph a system
advocated by his prede cessors- He
points out that in country where
the territory is so large the cost OF a
postal Telegram pa would far exceed
anv possible receipts or benefits
Mr. Bissell gives the following
daily average business Of the depart
ment. which shows the vastness of
the postal service:
Number OF miles Of post route run J. 100 O09
Number Of stamps manufact ured- --- $500. UtC
Number OF envelopes manufactured is O.OlJ
Number Of postal cards man ufactured 59O,yOg
Number of pieces mai ed H. 20 90
Number Of letters mailed .-----..--. 10000
Nurnter Of pieces OF mail matter dis
tribatel and redistributed by rail-k 1000,
way postal clerks 3 oOO.uvo
Nurnber 81 pieces handled in dead let ~.
Dsiiv TT transactions ii money order
Gus ness a. 1919
Daily expenses ------ ------------ = J. w
The postmaster general believes IN
civil service in the postofice depart
ment He says IF the system has
produced such good results IN the
clerical force of the department, it IS
reasonable to inquire whether so me-
thing like it could rot be applied
with advantage to the lower grades
If postmasters Mr. Bissell closes
his report with a request that a new
building be provided for the postO1-
fee department. He says interest on
the cost of an adequate building
would be less than the amount OF
rent paid
11e and ia West sth. Peerless Steam
Laundry.