Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1894-11-15
POSTAL AFFAIRS.


has submitted his annual report to the
postmaster-generaL 1t is a review of
the work of the department under his
charge for the year ended June 80, 1894,
and contains his recommendations for
the improvement of the service.
Mr.. Jones, in his report. says: s'There
seems to be some misrepresentation
among members of congress as to the
scope of the ranking privilege which
has resulted in some postmasters de-
Ginning to send speeches or other mat
ter presented for mailing, and this de-
partment has been called upon to give
special instructions in such cases.
Instead of the name being written
or placed on the envelopes by the hand
stamp, it has been in some instances
improperly printed thereon, the
speeches therein contained have borne
the advertisement of the printer which
formed no part of the Congressional
Record, and therefore are subject to
postage as third class matter. In addi-
ton to this some of the packages sent
by mail under the frank of the mem
Der have been found after delivery to
contain printed matter outside of the
Congressional Record and public docu-
ments and are therefore not frankable
under the laws above quoted.
''As this department.. is required to
carry, without one cent of revenue,
hundreds of tons of ranked matter,
additional limitations should be placed
on the use of the frank, or penalty of
some kind imposed for its unlawful
use, and I respectfully suggest that the
attention of congress be called to this
matter for such action as it should
deem proper"
Mr.. Jones recommends the legisla-
ton allowing the suspension without
pay, not to exceed ten days, of an en-
ploye violating the postal rules; also
that disabled employees may be granted
leaves of absence with continued pay;
also some changes in the classification
of salaries, which were heretofore rec
commended.
The report gives the details of the
different divisions of the first assist
ants Office. 1t is shown by the salary
and allowance division that there are
149 irst-class offices, 466 second-class
and 2,5S7 third-class.
The aggregate salaries of these was
S., 719, 900, and aggregate receipts $685.
685,O24. The following estimates are
made for salaries, clerks, ETC., for the
next year: Compensation to post
masters, $16, 100000; clerks in post of
fees, $40, 100000; rent, fuel and light,
first and SecOnd-claSS, 5000, 900; miscel-
laneous, incidentals and furniture, first
and SecOnd-claSS post Offices, $50, 600;
advertising, first and second-class post
offices, $4,000; rental cancel1ing ma
chimes, 100000.
Mr.. Jones condemns as heartily as he
did last year the experimental free de-
livery and the rural free delivery tried
by his predecessor. He estimates the
free delivery service for the next year
at $12, 1927, 6S5. The estimate for sup
plies at the post office department is
S444, 500, a decrease of $31, 900 from the
present year.
The money order business shows that
$50 offices were constituted money or
der offices during the year The amount
of orders issued was $13s, 793: $40;
amount paid, $13S, 729, 800; receipts, ST.
212, 33s; expenses, 1886, TAI. The issue
of postal notes was ST., $40, O94; postal
notes paid, $f2,644. s44. The postal
notes have never been discontinued by
act of congress. The amount of inter
national money orders issued was 3d.
753, 455; foreign issued paid, Sc, sos. 493.
Of the operations of the dead letter
pieces of original dead mail matter re-
ceived during the year for treatment
was 7,101, GA, a decrease of 20, 9S3 pieces
from the preceding year, instead of an
annual increase of this class of matter,
which in 1893 amounted to 349.947.
''It is gratifying to note the amount
of work done and the increased deliv-
cry of mail matter from this Office dur
ing the past fiscal year. The number
of parcels and letters delivered was
1915, O97, a gain of 267, 240 pieces, the
highest percentage in delivery of mail
matter at the dead letter Office. and
this has been accomplished without
any increase in the clerical force.
OF the letters and parcels opened
and recorded 2S,5S1 contained
money amounting to S3S, 255; go
020 contained drafts. money orders
etc, with face value of 81, 056, 366; A.
ITO contained postal notes, value, So
sos; 4O,214 contained paid notes, re-
ceipts, legal and other papers of mis-
cellaneOus character, 81, 041 contained
photographs, Isl, 86S contained postage
stamps, "a, 452 contained articles of
merchandise, books, etc, 1000 con-
tanned manuscripts and 5,915, 645 were
without separate Enclosures and were
returned to the writer's, when practi-
cable; otherwise destroyed without rec
ord.
There we're restored to the owners
18 1OS Ieftar,S containing 600 O77. QIO