The morning news., 1894-11-26
BISSELL'S ANNUAL REPORT.
The Postmaster Generals Paper an In
tereSting One.

It Contains Number of Novel Sugges-
tions Associated With Practical Ideas.
He Favors Revision Of the Law as to
Seeond-C Glass Matter so as to Place
the Postofics on Self-sustaining
Basis-An Interesting Statement of
the Business Done by the Department
in a Day.
Washington, Nov. 25.-It is seldom that
much of interest is found in the pages of
the formal annual report of a government
officer, but Postmaster General Bisseu has
succeeded in proving the exception to the
rule in his account of the operations of the
postofiice department in the past twelve
months, which he has just submitted to
the President 1t contains a number of
novel, almost unique, suggestions and re-
Communications, but these are associated
with practical ideas and plans that render
them of more than ordinary value and tend
to incite deeper study into their scope and
worth.
The postal service naturally comes in
closer contact with people generally, than
any other branch of governmental admin
istration and this fact alone is sufficient
to bring general attention TO what Mr..
| Bisseu has to say. Combined, however,
with the novelty OF his suggestions, the
thought of prosyness, which is always as
sociated with the annual report, is over
shadowed, and much Of Importance con-
cerning the branch of the government
which acts as the national messenger,
may be learned without loss of interest
The policy which Mr.. BisseIl has outlined
may be briefly given in his own words:
I'm general" he says, Il would recon-
mend that the first and most important
/ thing to be done is to revise the law as to
| second-class mail matter so as to place
| the postoffice department Immediately
1 upon a self-sustaining basis;
! "(2) Avoid expensive experiments, like
the postal telegraph, rural free delivery
! etc.
"CO Develop the postal service on exist
1 ing lines of administration, viz:
"(A) Extend the free delivery in the cities
! that now enjoy 1t.
"(B) Accord it TO towns already entitled
to it under the law.
"(C) Quicken railroad transportation.
90 Revise and re-classify the organiza-
tion Of the railway mail service and re,
| classify the clerks in the postonices; and,
! 20 Provide for district supervision of
all postal affairs by the appointment of
| expert postal officials from the classified
service as recommended in my last annual
/ report"
Two of the novel features to which ref
erence has been made, concern a lmita-
ton in the broad construction placed on
second class matter and a suggestion as
to the selection of the lower grade of post
masters. In the first instance, Mr. Bissell
Mo ,F1f,
publications of the second class. such as
newspapers and periodicals, may be car
ried 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 the smaller offices, Mr.
Bissell expresses his willingness to en-
dorse any reasonable plan which will take
4 their selection, with all the consequent
chickering's and jcalousies from the hands
of the Postmaster General and he makes
his ideas SO broad on this subject as to
leave no doubt that he viii favor the sug-
gested 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 ser.
vice of the United States Mr. Bfssell has
taken another novel method He has
secured from his subordinates and incor.
porated in the report a record of what
Is actually accomplished i'm one day, anG
the table presented gives a better idea OF
postal business than fuller and more com.
pIcated details
This record of an average days bust
ness is as follows;
Number of miles of post-route run
100000.
Number Of stamps manufactured, g.
300. 600
Number of envelopes manufactured, J.,
100000.
Number of postal cards manufactured
/ 800 900.
Number of pieces mailed Is 700 600
Number of letters mailed, 100000.
Number of pieces of mail matter dis
tributed and redistricted by railway pos
tai clerks, 27,500,0 600.
Number of pieces handled in the dea,
letter Office. q 0O0
Daily transactions in money order busi
ness, ST. 100000.
Daily expenses 1921, 100
The deficiency in postal revenues fo
the fiscal year, ended June 60 1894, wal
49, 243,935
The total revenue derived was S75 O8O.
479, and the expenditures SS4 4324414 ro
the current fiscal year Mr.. BisseU esti
mates that the expenditures will amour
to $780, 4s5, leaving an estimated def
cheney of $5,97l 1876, and his estimate 70
the fiscal year ending June 90 1896 DIace
the expenditures AT S9l 059, 2S3, and the de
fciency at only $i1jl,5G
. According to Mr.. BisselPs showing th,
deficiency for the last fiscal year woult
have been much larger If the departmen
had not curtailed the expenses This wa,
accomplished however without any Diet
, riment to the postal service, for as Mr.
Bissell says, the. postofice establishment
cannot ana should not stop to conslde
, little economies on account of It's du
, ties and obligations TO the public bu
must needs exert itself to the utmost t,
secure the best possible results IN the wa,
OF celerity accuracy ana security i'm th
dispatch Of the mails and without spar
ing any reasonable expenditure In that be-
half"
And to this ne adds "The complication
I arising from the railroad strikes for th
d year served only 10 emphasize the wis
dom Of this policy
The most important topic In the repor
ls treated under the explanatory caption
Abuses connected with the second elias
I matter"
Mr.. Bissell states. without reserve. tha
] advertisers, book publishers and other
have taken advantage Of the broad con
Htruction 0f what constitutes matter d
the second class, by sending out their ad