The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-12-04

lIetI failure 10 solve q pTODieu WHICH
has practically been before the present
Congress ever since its organization.
confinement of United States PRISON.
4 ers.
| Eight years ago. in my annual mes
! sage, 1 urged upon the Congress as
strongly as 1 could the location and
construction of two prisons for the con-
(, fnement of United States prisoners. A
similar Recommendation has been made
from time to time since and a few
| years ago law was passed providing
for the selection of sites for these in
| situations. No appropriation has, how
ever. been made to carry the act into
effect; and the old and discreditable
condition still exists. 1t is my purpose
/ at this time to repeat the considera-
tons which make an inIpregnable case
in favor of the ownership and manage
ment by the government of the penal
institutions in which federal prisoners
are confined. l simply desire to again
I urge former recommendations on the
subject. and to particularly call the at
tention of the Congress to that part of
the report of the secretary of war In
which he states that the military prison
at Fort Leavehworth, Kas., can be
turned over to the government as a
\ prison for federal convicts without the
least difficulty and with an actual saw
! ing of money from every point of view.
/ Pending a more complete reform, I
/ hope that by the adoption of the sug-
| gestion of the secretary of war this
easy step may be taken in the direction
of the proper care of its .convicts by
the government of the United States.
Report of the Postmaxter-GeneraI
The report of the postmaster-gener
presents a comprehensive statement of
. ft,c 81 4Aa tnH dorla rt-
ment for the last fiscal year. The re-
ceipts of the department during the
year amounted to SIS, $50, 479.04. and the
expenditures to sS4. 1924, 414.15. The trans
actions of the postal service indicate,
4 with barometric certainty, the fiuctua-
| ton in the business of the country. AS
| much, therefore, as business complica-
| tons continued to exist throughout the
/ last year to an unforeseen extent, it is
not surprising that there was a de-
/ ficiency of revenue to meet the eXpen-
| ditureS of the postoffice department,
| which was estimated in advance at
about SS,000,000. The ascertained reve-
| nues of the last year, which were the
| basis of calculation for the current
year, being less than estimated, the de-
| ficiency for the current year will be
| correspondence greater, though the
postmaster-general states that the lat
confidently predicts an increase of at
least per cent in the revenues of the
current year over those of the last
year. The expenditures increase stead
lily and necessarily with the growth and
! needs of the country, so that the de-
| f1ciency is greater or less in any year,
depending upon the volume of receipts.
Second Glass Matter Rates.
The postmaster-genera states that
| this deficiency is unnecessary and
might be obviated at once il 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 1 cent per
pound, while the cost of such trans
mission to the government is eight
times that amount. In the general
| terms of the law, this rate covers news
papers and periodicals. The extensions
of the meaning of the terms from time
to time have admitted to the privileges
intended for legitimate newspapers and
| periodicals a surprising range of pub
LEGATIONS and created abuses the cost
of which amounts. in the aggregate, to
the total deficiency of the postofice
department. Pretended newspapers
are started by business houses for the
mere purpose of advertising goods,
complying with the law in form only
and disseminating the publications as
soon as the. period of advertising is
over. Sample copies of pretended news
papers are issued in great numbers for
a like purpose only. The result is a
great loss of revenue to the govern
ment, besides its humiliating use as an
agency to aid In carrying out the
scheme Of business house to adver-
tise its goods by means of a trick upon
both its rival houses and the regular
and legitimate newspapers. Paper
covered literature, consisting mainly of
trashy novels, to the extent of many
| thousands of tons, is sent through the
mails at l cent per pound, while the
publishers of standard works are re-
| quired to pay eight times that amount
in sending their publications. Another
abuse consists in the free carriage
through the mails of hundreds of tons
of seed and grain uselessly distributed
through the department of agriculture.
The postmaster-gener predicts that if
the law be SO amended as to eradicate
these abuses, not only will the post
office department show no deficiency,
but he believes that In the near future
all legitimate newspapers and periodi-
cal magazines will be properly trans
mitted through the mails to their sub
scribers free of cost. I invite your
prompt consideration of this subject
master-general.
Number of Postof1ices.
The total number Of postofflces In the
United States on the 30th day of June,
1894. was 69,S05, an increase of 1,403
over the preceding gear. OF these, 3,423
I were presidential, an increase in that
class of 6S over the preceding year. Six
hundred and ten cities and towns are
provided with free delivery: ninety
three other cities and towns entitled to
this service under the law have not
been accorded 1t on account of insult
ficient funds The expense of free de-
livery for the current fiscal year will be
more than s12,300000, and under ex-
listing legislation this item of expendi-
ture is subject to constant increase.
The estimated cost of rural free deliv-
cry generally is so very large that it
ought not to be considered In the pres
ent condition of affairs.
Domestic Money Order Offices.
During the year $50 additional do
mestic money order offices were estab-
lished. The total number of these Of
fees at the close of the year was 1926
There were 4,40S,041 money orders is
sued during the year, being an Increase
over the preceding year of 1894. 3o6. The
value of these orders amounted to $685.
793,o79.49, an increase of Sill, 1854
There were also issued during the year,
postal notes amounting to $12,649, O04 So.
international Money Order Offices.
During the year, 21s international
money order offices were added to
those already established, making a to-
tai of 2,S25 such offices In operation
June 80, 1894. The number of interna-
tional money orders issued during the
year was 917.S23. decrease in number
of 1876; and their value was s13, 1872
455.31, decrease in amount of $685.
$500. The number of orders paid was
Sol, 1850, an Increase over the preceding
year Of 6o,26S; and their value was