The herald., 1895-11-25
POSI0FF|CE STATISTICS
The Revenues Increase With
Returning Prosperity
THE REGULAR DEFICIENCY
Resulting From Free Business for
Other Departments
Enormous Abuses rIay BE Rcmedied by the
Amendment of Laws Relating TO
Secold-cIass Matter
Aarpciated Press Special Wirs.


WASHINGTON. No. 2i.-Postmaster-
General Wilson has made lis first annual
report to thu president. The receipts of
the postoffice department for the year
ending June 80, 1895, were $40, III, $50, and
the expenditures $50, 100, l72. 1t Is graft
fying, says the report, that large por-
ton of the deficiency occurred IN the hrst
quarter of the year, and that revenues are
increasing with returning prosperity.
Mr., Wilson estimates the revenues for
the wear ending June so, 1897, at $ss, 7o3,-
100, and the expenditures at S94, Sl7 200,
the difference to be made up by congress
s,onal appropriations. Speaking OF the
deficiency, Mr.. Wilson says:
"The regular annual deficiency in the
revenues of the postal service, empha.
sized as it appears to be by the unusual
amount of the deficiencies for the past
two wears, may cali forth comment from
those who believe the postoffice depart
ment should be selt-sustaining. But it
sbo-ld be remem bered that tbs free bust
ness done ry this department for other
branches aad departments of the govern
mont, if paid at regular or cost rates,
would more than wipe out its dehcien-
cies."
The postmaster general refers TO the
growth of the free delivery system and
says:
'.I believe it IS good policy for congress
and for this department to foster the ex-
tension of this service by ludlolous APP
preparations. The vigorous, effective
efforts OF my i'm n ediste predecessor seem
to have produced at least an honest ad-
administration OF the e!sht.hour law. and
made letter carriers trip and official time
repurts actual and truthful records OF SER
vice. To bring about this substantial
reform, Just alike to the department and
the carriers, DIS well as TO lay the iounda-
ton for other necessary improvements in
this service, a special Investigation of the
carrier system was begun under mis- ad-
mlnistratiJn, involving thorough ex.
animation into the needs and details OF
the system
He conours in the recon mendations of
the first assistant postmsster-g general for
promoting the efficiency OF the Work
Nj. Wilson reiterates the necessity OF
legislation to punish train Wreokins ami
obstruction to mail, urged by his prede-
ces'oi, and recommends leelsial} n nu'
thorizing the use OF private postal curds.
Concerning the abuses OF second-class
mail N after, Mr.. Wilson says:
Il can add little to the reasons given
BY Postmaster General Bisse!l and Post
master General Wauamaker for amend
needed to save the postal service
from enormous abuses and consequent
enormous loss of revenue. which no reg
ulations of the department or whtchful-
ness OF its officials can guard against.
] resneetfdlly and earnestly recon- mend
TO congress a caIeinl scrutiny into this
abuse and such meuial leg Station as
shall be necessary and effective for its
eft orts.''
Upon anothr feature of the second class
matter the. postmaster general says:
1.-THE volume of secondolass matter
passing through the mails increases rap
idly and has reached such propDrtions
as TO seriously retard the di,trl button Of
malls i'll the Larger postotbces and rail
rosd poltoifices.
The apartment. through its local rep
resentatves has repeatedly urge1 pub
fishers TO separate their publications
by states and routes, where the qnanti-
ty for any one state or territory is sutf-
cient to Justify it, before sending them
To the mailing offices and has endeavored
to show them that their own interests
would be subserved thereby"
Postmaster General Wilson says that
the civil service should be extended
wherever practicable.
lie says: The magnitude and null
tiplicitv of Its business operations the
peri ,otion of the service which the peo-
pie are learning to demand and expect of
it and the ptlpaole truth that such bust
ness operations could be carried on and
such perfect service rendered only by men
trained ard expert; all these AMI many
otner reasons call for such stability OF
tenure as alone can command or beget
the reasonable training, skill and enthu-
siasm. The continuity Of the department
should be preserved in changes OF
administration, not only along the
lines OF its subordinates an1 sepa-
rate service, but in that larger
grasp of its history, its daily work and
its healthful progress which is found
alone with those who direct and control
its cheif bureaus. l concur in the judg-
ment of one OF my recent predecessors,
that at least three OF the ASST, tant post.
master generals SHOULD hold their Offices
By civil service or merit tenure and not
by political tenure. | refrain from offer
ing like opinion as to the fourth as
sistsnt postmaster general, because forth
class postoifiCes, whose appointment is
primarily allotted to him, are yet out
side CT that tenure.
1.-THE question of extending the civil
service methods to the selection OF
fourtholass postmasters has naturally
received my attention since 1 have been
at the head OF TINS department. But [
do not find myself able to make, as vet,
any specific recommendation on this i'm
portant subject in the line Of the legisla-
ton which mas en- proposed.
81 be order which you have recently
dppl'''tu, pTONlulH9 lUdb Wnen tne post
mas general shall consol date with afree
delivery otiice any other postpffice such
consolidation shall carry into the CLASH
fled service at the free delivery office the
postcftice departn ent roster of EMPLOYEES
OF the office cnnsol dated. including the
postmaster, may be accepted as the be-
ginning and foundation not My OF
better postal ssrv &c for the public, a bet
ter ana more businesslike accounting to
this department, but also wise extern
sion OF the civil service system to post
masters. 1t is my purpose to proceed
under the authority of this order as dis
creetly as | can, and in the long run, as
far as my experience will Justify, so as
TO secure these comwendatle results"
Railway Business
WASHINGTON, Nov. 24..-rhe report
of James White, super ntendent of the
railway mail service, shows that during
the year 497 accidents occurred to railway