Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-11-16
PROTECTING LETTERS
Postal Bureau That Deals With
Burglars and Train Robbers.
ASST POSTMASTER MAIWELL'S REPORT
It Deals With the Romantic Side
of Department Life.
REV Yards FOR OFFENDERS

The annual report of Gen. Maxwell, the
fourth assistant postmaster general, just
| made public, is a most interesting one,
probably more SO than any previous docu-
ments of this kind relating to the business
Of the bureau. Unlike many of the reports,
| it Is something more than a mass of dry
| statistics.
| There are three divisions under this Of
| Accomplishments bonds and commissions,
| and post office inspectors and mail depre-
| dations. The report covers the period for
| the fiscal year ended June 80 1894. The
total number of post offices in operation In
| the United States on that date was ~, 500.
or these 66,377 were fourth-class offices,
| and q, 42S presidential the net increase over
| the previous year being 1,4O2. During the
| year 3, 1873 post offices We're established and
| 1,734 disc ontinued. The total number Of APP
pointments during the year was q, l66, and
| the total number of cases acted upon,27, $50.
| The greatest increase In the number of
post offices in any of the states and terri
| tories during the year was l66 in Virginia.
| During the previous fiscal year Texas
| showed the greatest increase, which was
| 90. Eleven states and territories showed
decrease in the number Of post offices. In
| thirteen states there were upward or 2,OOO
| post Offices. In the same number Of states
| there were 100 or more presidential offices
The work of the bond division showed a
q
| change of administration. During the year
applications were rec eived from few well
tablished surety and trust companies OF
| the country for permission to be recognized
| by the department as sureties upon the
bonds of postmasters. The Postmaster
General decided that such companies duly
authorized by law and Of certihed good
| financial standing would be received as CO.
sureties on bonds of the presidential class,
| but only for half the amount for which the
sureties would be required to cerufy me
| statistics Of the work OF the BOND DIVISION
are largely a duplicate Of those OF the ap-
pointment division, for its work Is supple
mentary in its nature, having to do with
| the recording and filing of bonds OF post
| masters and the necessary rec ords connect
ed with the completion of appointments
While the work of these two divisions, par
| ticularly that Of the appointment division,
naturally interests the public during the
| first half of an administration, IT VIII De
| found that the operations of the division OF
| post office inspectors and mail depredations
are in many respects fully as interesting
and suggestive, and are undoubtedly In GER
lain directions more important than those
of either of the other divisions of the bu-
| reau. This division is charged with the
government and assignment to duty or all
the inspectors employed In the postal ser
vice, with the preparation, issue and in
vesugati ton of all cases relating TO depreda-
tons upon the mails and losses therein, IN
| Guiding complaints and inquiries relating to
mail matter passing between the United
States and foreign countries and across the
territory Of the United States from one
foreign country TO another, and the cor
rospondence, foreign and domestic, ted
with the same The development of the
postal service annually entails cores
ponding increase of labor upon the division
of mail depredations and post office inspec-
tors. While the actual duties performed by
the inspectors are of the greatest import
ance, the moral effect upon the service gen.
orally of their operations cannot be too
highly estimated
Protecting the Mails.
1t is the sworn duty of the inspectors to
see that the sanctity of the seal guaran-
teed by the Constitution is not violated.
They are constantly moving among the
army Of postal employees. exerting a moral
influence both stIaining and corrective
alike to those within and without the de-
partment; for among the important duties
of the inspector is that of instructing new
postmasters and employees in the postal
laws and regulations and the usages of the
service. Such instruction prevents errors
and averts losses. Although the appro-
priation available did not admit of any APP
preciable increase in the number of inspec-
tors employed, the results show that the
force as a body has been most diligent and
faithful. During the past year this di-
vision disposed of 4,3IO cases of all kinds
The total of cases disposed of shows an in
crease over last year of / ,273. The number
of complaints pertaining to the registered
mail aggregated 1926. Only fifteen COM
plants of carclessness in the handling of
this matter by postal employees were re-
ceived The figures are based upon actual
results, and show that the employees in the
postal service handled 15,OiO,554 pieces of
domestic registered mail during the year.
with the inconsiderable loss of one piece in
every 1l,75S.
Proportion of Dishonesty.
All letters and packages transmitted in
the malls unregistered are included in the
general classific alton of ordinary mail. The
first great principle underlying the postal
system Is security. While speed is always
insisted upon, no employee or contractor
would be justified IN JeopardiZing the
safety of the mail i'm the effort to expedite
its dispatch, and this principle applies as
distinctly to ordinary mail as to that
which Is registered. The results of the in
spectors' work upon this class OF matter
remarkable. Many thousands of the
complaints received turn out to be ground
less, while those that are of a substantial
nature are given most careful investiga-
ton. In ar establishment of the proper
tions of the pc tai system 1T would be re-
markable II some dishonest persons did
not from tune to time intrude themselves
in positions of trust and Importance; and
occasionally, as may be found in the pri-
vate walks OF life, trusted employe is
without waning transformed into a thief
after many years of faithful and honor
able service to his credit. But the proper
ton of such is very small, and bears favor
aDle comparison WIN great private DuSl-
ness establishments. Gen. Maxwell in his
report emphasizes the necessity that the
public should report every depreciation
upon the mail, whether 1t relates to regis
tered or ordinary matter, and guarantees
for every comp aint received the earnest
attention of the department. During the
year 56.s77 complaints were received affect
ing the ordinary mail, 81. 1S1 of these re-
ferring to letters and %, 500 to packages
This Is a decrea sc in numbers of 9S3 as
compared with the number of complaints
of this class for thu fiscal year ended June
30. 1888.
The figures given in the report touching
upon burglaries. burnings wrecks, &C.,
are startling In their character, and show
an almost uniform increase in depreda-
tions and casualties of this nature as COM
pared with the year previous. With the
exception of the pronounced increase in
the number of post office burglaries, which
is referred to at great length in the re-
port, there is nothing alarming in these
figures, for it is only reasonable to expect
that crime and casualties will increase in
proportion to the increase of opportuni-
ties presented by the growth Of the coun-
try.
Danger in Foreign Mail.
Under the head Of miscellaneous cases
the report treats of collec lions of money