Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1894-12-01
THE MAIL SERVICE.
Annual Report of Postmaster.Gor.
eral Bissell.
No'ei and Unique Suggestions and Recom.
hendations with Practicni Ideas
Rendering Them Of More
than Passing Interest,


OF novel, almost unique, suggestions
ana recommendations, but these are rs.
sociated with practical ideas and plans
that render them of more than ordi.
nary value and tend to incite deener
study into their scope and worth.
The policy which Mr., Bissell has ont.
lined may be briefly given in his own
words.
I'm general" he says, 81 would rec.
ommend that the first and most i'm.
portant thing to be done is to revise
the law as to second class matter. So
as to place the post Office department
Immediately upon self-sustainino
basis.
2. Avoid expensive experiments,
like the postal telegraph, rural free
delivery, etc.
3,-Dcvelop the postal service en- ex.
listing lines of administration, viz,
A-Extend free delivery in cities that
now enjoy it, B-Accord it to towns
already entitled to it under the law.
Quicken railroad transportation.
A. Revise and reclassify organization
OF the railway mail service, and re.
classify clerks in post offices.
s. Provide for district supervision OF
postal affairs by appointment of ex.
pert postal officials from classified
service, as recommended in my last an
nual report"
Two OF the novel features, to which
reference has been made, concern a
limitation in the broad construc
tion placed on second-class mat
ter, and a suggestion as to the Sc,
lection of the lower grade of postmas.
ters. In the first instance Mr..
Bissell puts forward n plan
by which legitimate publications
of the second class, such as
newspapers and periodicals, may be
carried free through the mails, and vet
leave the government with a surplus
instead of the usual deficiency in the
maintenance of the postal service
With reference to the postmasters in
smaller offices, Mr.. Bissell expresses
his willingness to indorse any reason
able plan which will take their selec,
ton, with all the consequent bicker.
ings and jealousies, from the hands OF
the postmaster general. and he makes
his IDEAS SO broad on this subject as tc
leave no doubt that he will favor the
suggested 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
service of the United States. Mr.. Bis
sell has taken another novel method
He has secured from his subordinates
and incorporated in the report, rec
ord of what is actually accomplished
in one day, and the table presented
gives better idea of postal business
than fuller and more complicated de-
tails. This record of an average day
business is as follows:
Number of miles of post route run,
l,l00,00O; number of stamps manufac-
tured, S,3O0,O00 Number of envelopes
manufactured, 1,s00,0O0; number of
postal cards manufactured, 1,500,000
number of pieces mailed, l5,7O0,000;
number of letters mailed, 100000;
number of pieces of mail matter dis
tributed and redstributod by railway
postal clerks, 27.500,OOO; number OF
pieces handled in dead letter office,
4,O00 daily transactions in money or
der business, 81, ,lO0,O 900; daily expenses,
S93l, 100.
The deficiency in postal revenue for
the fiscal year ended June 80, 1894, was
10, ,243, 935. The total revenue derived
was S75, ,OS0, ,479, and the expenditures
Ss4, ,324,4l4. For the current year Mr..
Bissell estimates that the eXpendi-
lures will amount to 500, 399, ,4s5, leav-
ing an estimated deficiency of S5,971,-
1856, and his estimate for the fiscal year
ended June 80, 1896, places the eXpendl'
lures at SOL ,059, 2SS, and the deficiency
at only 81, ,l51,s76.
According to Mr.. Bissell's showing
the deficiency for the last fiscal year
would have been much larger if the
had not curtailed the eX-
penses. This was accomplished, how
ever, without any detriment to the
postal service, fo-, as Mr.. Bissell says,
the post office tablishment cannot
and should not stop to consider little
economies on account of its duties
and obligations to the public but
must needs exert itself to the utmost
to secure the best possible results in
the way of celerity, accuracy and Sc
curity in the dispatch of the mails,
and without sparing any reasonable
expenditure in that b ehalf"
And to this he adds: 1.-THE compli-
cations arising from the railroad strikes
of the year served only to emphasize
the wisdom of this policy
The cause of the falling off in the
revenue is thus explained by Mr.. Bis
sell: "lt is the record of year OF
almost unprecedented business depres-
sion and financial distress, and so in
timately is the postal service connected
with the business interests and affairs
of the country, that whatever condi-
tions affect them are Immediately re-
flscted in the volume ofpostal revenues.
The postmaster general says that the
annual deficiency could be overcome
by a general increase IN postal rates.
but he thinks this should not be re-
sorted to. He believes that. the postal
service should be self-sustaining, and
he holds that the annual deficiency is
caused by the undue amount OF mail
matter transmitted at the second'class
rates of one cent a pound. If re-
trenchment had not been indulged ln'
the deficiency for the last fiscal year
would have been enormous. The saw
ing was in part made in abrogating
certain of the steamship subsidy con,
tracts arranged by Postmaster-Genera
Wanamaker, thus avoiding an expendi'
ture, characterized by Mr.. Bissell as
useless" of $l4,431, 1895, and through,
other means the total amount saved
was brought up to sle,6l9,o47. Mr..
Bissell explains that the efficiency Oh
the postal service was in no way re-
Issl ~ ,oat,.irted through this re-
trenchment.
The most important topic in the re-
mort is treated under the explanatory
canton; "Abuses connected with sec
ond-class natter Mr.. Bissell states
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