Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1894-12-06

of two prisons for the confinement of
United States prisoners. A similar
recommendation has been made from
time to time since and a few years ago
a law was passed providing for the Sc
lection of sites for three such lnstltu-
lions. No appropriation has, however,
been made to carry the act into Ell
feet, and the old and discredit-
able condition still exists. 1t
is not my purpose at this time to re-
peat the considerations which make an
im~pregnable case in favor of he owner
ship and management by the govern
ment of the penal institutions in which
Federal prisoners are confined. lsimply
desire to again urge former
dations on the subject and to particu-
larly call the attention of the Congress
to that part of the report of the
Secretary of War, in which he
states that the military prison at Fort
L~eavenworth, Kan, can be turned over
to the government as a prison for Fed
eral convict without the least difficult
ty and with an actual saving of money
from every point of view. Pending IA
more complete reform | hope that by
the adoption of the suggestion of the
Secretary of War this easy step may be
taken in the direction of the proper
care of it's convicts by the government
of the United States.
THE POSTAL ABUSE TO BE
The report of the Postmaster General
presents a comprehensive statement of
the operations of the Postofice Depart
ment for the last fiscal year. The re-
ceipts of the department during the
year amounted to S75, 0S0, 479.O4 and the
expenditures to SS4,32l,4l4.lo The
transactions of the postal service indl-
cate with barometric certainty the
actuations in the business OF the coun-
49, I-,o,nL +1ouNfNrn 90 btISInnCG
complications continued to exist
throughout the last year to an unfore-
seen extent it is not surprising that the
deficiency of revenue to meet the eX-
%penditures of the Postoffce Depart
ment, which was estimated in advance
at about IS, 600, ZOO, should be exceeded
by nearly one and a quarter million dol
lars. The ascertained revenues OF the
last year which were the basis of calcu-
lation for the current year Will be cor
~respondingly greater, though the Post
master General states that the latest IN
dications are SO favorable that he con-
fdently predicts an increase of at least
s per cent. in the revenues OF the cur
rent wear over those of last year.
The expenditures increase steadily
and necessarily with the growth and
/, needs Of the country, SO that the def
/, cheney is greater or less a year depend
ing upon the volume of the receipts.
4 4 l. llb L oLt tll1 III a. NAi'S iHAo
f deficiency is unnecessary and might be
: obviated at once if the law regulating
rates upon mail matter of the second
! class was modified. The rate received
for the transmission of this second
: class matter is one cent per pound,
while the cost of such Transmission to
the government is eight times that
! AMOUNT. In the general terms of the
law this rate covers newspapers and
: periodicals. The extensions of the
: meaning of these terms from time to
time have admitted to the privileges in
tended for legitimate newspapers and
r periodicals a surprising range OF publ
n cations and created abuses, the cost of
@ which amount in the aggregate to the
s total deficiency of the Postoffice Depart
o ment. Pretended newspapers are start
+ ed by business houses for the mere pur-
pose of advertising goods, complying
with the law in form only and discon-
r tinuing the publications as soon as the
r. period of advertising is over. Sample
n copies of pretended newspapers are is
n sued in great numbery for a like purpose
only. The result is a great loss of revenue
O to the government besides its humIllat-
n ing use as an ingenuity to aid in carrying
out the scheme of a business house to
@ advertise its goods by means OF a trick
W upon both it's rival houses and the reg
uiar newspapers. Paper covered liter
allure, consisting mainly of trashy
novels, to- the extent of many thousands
of tons, is sent through the mails at l
j cent per pound while the publishers of
standard works are required to pay
eight times that amount in sending
y these publications. Another abuse is the
a free carrying through the mails of
thousands of tons of seed and grain use
# lessly distributed through the Depart
ment of Agriculture. The Postmaster
is General predicts that if the law be SO
~,ocIo &c 70 araGicatn these abuses.
not only will the Postoffice Department
show no deficiency, but he believes that
II in the near future all legitimate news
" papers and periodical magazines might
70 be properly transmitted through the
a mails to their subscribers free OF cost.
| invite your prompt consideration of
v this subject, and fully endorse the
# views of the Postmaster General.
g The total number of postoffces in the
O. United States on the Both day of June,
1894. was 60 $50, an increase of LAOS
over the preceding year. OF these 81
42S were presidential, an increase in
that class of 6S over the preceding
wear. Six hundred and ten towns and
cities are provided with free delivery.
d Ninety-three other cities and towns
h entitled to this service under the law
have not been accorded 1t on account OF
% insufficient funds. The expense of free
delivery for the current fiscal year Will
be more than S12, 800, 600, and under ex-
listing legislation this item of expendi-
\ ture is subject to constant increase.
J. The estimated cost of retail free deliv-
d cry is so very large that it ought not to
II be considered in the present condition
/. of affairs. During the year $50 add1-
N tional domestic money order offices
J. were established. The total number of
% the offices at the close of he year was
: 49, 64. There were 14,3O4,O4l money
orders issued during the year, being an
increase over the preceding year OF
n 994, BOG. The value of these orders
p amounted to S13S, 793, 579.49 at an in
n crease of 81, 217, 1854. There were
j. also issued during the year postal notes
n amounting to S12, $40, 094.5 50. During
the year 21S international money order
n offices were added to these already es-
d tablished, making a total OF 2,625
h such offices in operation June 30, 1894.
,s The number of International money
II orders issued during the year was 9l1,-
n S23. a decrease in number of 13S, l76 and
1. their value was $13, 792, 1881, a de
II crease in amount of So, $40, 3S2.5 80. The
il number of orders paid was 36l, $50, an
increase over the preceding year of 60,
600 "a 4lo;n x,o1,,a " &k 1ES 1G2 TX