The Monticellonian., 1894-11-16
THE POSTAL SERVICE.
Annual Report of the First Assistant Post master General =- Desirable Reforms Pointed Out-Thc Growing Evil of Boy- cotting Post offices Calls for Legislation by Congress Some Interesting Statistics of the SprNipa.

master General =- Desirable Reforms
 Pointed Outline Growing Evil of Boy
 cotting Post offices Calls for Legislation
 by Congress Some Interesting Statistics
 of the Service.
 WASHINGTON, Nov it.-First Assist ant Postmaster General Frank H. 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 q very interesting one and covers the most important branches of the postal service.
 MT. Jones revlcws his recommenda- tion of last year as to the growing evil of boYeotting post offices. "The com pensation of postmasters 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, Of personal feeling from other causes, the compensation of postmasters is seri= ously curtailed by collecting and mail= ing letters on the cars, or sending them to an adjoining post office for mailing, thereby depriving the fourth-elass 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 anccs. 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.
 SMr. 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 em- ployes of post offices, not exceeding ten days, without pay, for violations of rules and regulations. Under the present law. 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 ss,97o3 331, and S5,7l9, 900 on account of salaries to postmasters at presidential offices, of which there were 3,402. The gross re- eeipts of those offices were S5s, ,6s5, ,025 for the year.
 New York has the largest number of post offices of any state, leading with 2s6, and Pennsylvania second, with 24S. Sixteen million dollars were ap- propriated on account of the post masters salaries this year, and Mr. Jones estimates that SlG.500, O90 will be sufficient for the next fiscal year.
 Speaking of the department Mir. Jones says: Prom information ip possession of the department, believe that the postal department to-day is handling more mail than ever before in it's history. There are now in ex- istence t74 third-class offices whose gross receipts range from S6,50O, to es,- GOO. In my opinion It is only fafr to presume that a large number of these will enter the second class tminimum Ss, ,OOO) with the next readjustment of post office accounts March 3l, 1895.
 "The publishing of lists of unclaimed letters in newspapers resulted in New York city in the delivery of only 9 t per cent, which cost the department for every letter delivered approXi- mately forty cents, whereas ordinarily the revenue from the carriage of the same would be but two cents. The re- suits were not of sufficient benefit to warrant the expenditure It 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 ,2l0, a decrease of nearly 5000, 900 from the previous year.
 Mir Jones suggests that the expert mental free delivery in towns and vil- lages 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 s2o, ,0Oo COG for the first year and he is not in favor of the scheme.