Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1894-11-29
POSTAL POINTS.
Interesting Eaets Cleaned from the Rc,ort
OF the POstmzster-Generzl.

/
] OF the POstm2ster-General.
| WAsHIN6TOS. Nov. 26.-Postmaster-
General w. S. Bissell has submitted to
the president his annual report for the
year ended june 30. He briefly out
lines the policy OF the department as
follows:
In general would recommend that she first
and most ini2ortans thing to be done is TO re-
wise the Law "a to second class matter so as 20
place the POST ONCE department. upon SELF
sustaining basis
Second-AgOid expensive experiments like
the postal telegraph. rural free delivery, etc
Third-DeyesOp the postal service on exist
delivery in cities that enjoy it, accord il ts
towns already eztitled to i5 under the law,
quicken railroad sransportion.
Fourth-Revise and reelssSify organizations
Of the railway mil service and reelaSsify
clerks in post offices.
Fhth-Provide for district supervision OF all
postal affairs by appointment OF expert ofdcials
from classified service as recommended in nv
last annual report.
Mr.. Bissen first discusses, the effect
OF the continued depression upon the
postal revenues and says
When adverse business. conditions prevail an
ordinary business establishment may over
come them in part by economies of manage
meat and retrenchment in expenditures. Not.
SO, however, with the post ONCE esta blishment
OF the government It cansOt and should not
stop to consider little economies Its duties
and obligations 10 the public become at once
Intensified and enlarged The revenue for the
year $75,OSO,479: expenditures, sS4, 81. Ala,
leaving q deficit OF 80 ,243 935. The estimates
Tor the current year ending June 80, 1895, ARE:
Revenue $8i,f27, 74S; expenditures, $50 39y 5Ss;
deficiency, IS 81 ,z3T. Estimates submitted to
secretary OF the treaSurury for the next fiscal
year are: Revenue, $50 907, 407: expenditures,
S91 05e 23: deficiency, s. Isl S76. This annual de-
hciencyv could be overcome by the increase of
postal rates, but he does not believe this advis-
able Economy has been practiced, but neyerthe-
less great care has been taken that it should
not affect the efficiency of the service. The
economies have consisted mainly in re-letting
contracts for mail and transportation. and in
the cost and amount OF supplies; also in the
abrogation of seven OF the eleven steamship
subsidy contracts which will mean total saw
ing in the ten years OF the contracts Ifeo s14.-
43l ,S25-
Mr. Bissell recommends the expert
mental free delivery projects should be
discon tinued.
One of the most important and inter
esting features of Mr.. Bissell's report
is its discussion of class natter In.
his last report he referred to the great
disproportion of growth of second
class mail matter. He has made a
thorough investigation during the year
upon which he says:
The effect of all this, upon my mind is,a
the business now rests are defective: that they
embody the only great abuse at present exist
ing in the postal service: and that as the BUSH
ness isgrowing all the time,som remedy should
be applied. He gives figures for the past 6yearS
showing that in 1883 the weight of Second-cIass
matter carried was 143, 00O,0)0 pounds, and in
1898 it PSF. 900, O09. During the year 1894
there was carried 45I 900 coo pounds of all mail
matter, of which 299 100 pounds was second
class matter the total cost being $50, 207 572,
average of cents per pound. Returns from
postmaSters show that the amount upon which
postage, at the rate OF l cent per pound was
paid was S5I 10000 pounds the remaining Co.
100000 pounds being carried free in the coun-
ty of duplication. The cost of carrying the.
Second-claSS matter was Sc, 800 900, while at
the rate OF cent pound the collections were
S2,54T,0O0, and 100000 special local rates in
carrier cities, leaving q net loss to the govern
ment OF S16,973,O00
The postmaster-general does not
favor the postal telegraph, system
advocated by his predecessor. The
conditions in this country, he says, are
such as would enormously increase the
large deficit. He takes as example the
system in Great Britain, which is a
comparatively small territory, and
shows that the postal telegraph entails
a total annual loss of about s., O0O, GOO.
Mr.. Bissell gives the following daily
average business of the department,
which shows the vastnesS of the postal
service:
Number of miles of post route run 49, I, 10000
Number of stamps manufactured 6, $4,000
Number of envelopes manufactured. 1905, 600
Number of postal cards manufac-
tured. 100000
Number of pieces mailed Is. 600
Number of letters mailed. .......--... 7,400 900
Number of pieces of mail matter dis
tributed and redStributed by rail-
way postal clerks 27y5OOOOO
Number of pieces handled in dead let
ter once .......................... 1900
Daily transactions in money order
business. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 100000
Daily expenses. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 23I 100
Mr.. BiSSe1 refers to the bill now
pending in congress to relieve the
acknowledgement of the responsible
ity of the post Office appointments.
Commenting upon this bill, the post
master-general says:
Whether such plan is or is not the best that
can be devised, it is at least the formulation of
a plan which is entitled to the most earnest,
careful and immediate consideration and may
become a foundation upon which to build
What is earnestly desired and what daily ap-
pears more of necessity, is legislation of some
kind which will insure an improvement upon
present methods.
PATRONS OF HUSBANDRY.
The National Grange Declares Tha Taxa
ton Should Be Equal.
SPRINGFIELD Ill. Nov. 26--Before
adjourning the National Grange passed
the following resolutions: