The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1895-12-05
POSTOFFlCIES.

Office Department for the year end
ing June 80, 1895, were s78, III, ,090,
and the expenditures were $S8, ,790,-
liz. 1t is gratifying, says, the report,
that large portion o. the deficiency
occurred in the first quarter of the
years and that revenues are increas-
ing with returning prosperity. Mr..
Wilson estimates the revenues for
the year ending June 30, 1897, at
$50, ,793, 120 and the expenditures at
SEA, 4,s17, 200, the difference to be
made up by congressional appropria-
ton. Speak ng of the deficiency,
MIR. Wilson says:
"The regular annual deficiency in
the rev, nues Of the postal service,
emphasized as it appears to be by
She psuai amount of the deficiencies
.for the lsst twosea1s Ray call forth
ccmnS fxou9 tkt<c wks believe
that the Post Once Department
should be self susta ming. But it
should be remembered that the free
business done by this de "a tnent for
other branches and departments of
the Government ii paid for at regu-
lar or cost rates, would more than
wipe out its deac eneies."
The Postmaster General refers to
the growth of the free delivery SER
vice, and says:
81 believe that it is good policy
for Congress and for this department
to foster the extension of this SER
vice by judicious appropriations and
udicious administration. The Wig
orous and effective efforts of my
immediate predecessor seem to have
produced at least an honest admins
trat'on of the eight hour, aw and made
letter carriers trip and official time
reports actual and truthful records
of service. To bring about this sub
stantial reform, just alike to the
department and to the carriers, as
well as to lay the foundation for
other necessary mprovements in
this service, special investigation
of the arrier system was begun under
his adm stration, involving thor
ough examination into the needs and
details of the system"
He concurs in the recommendation
of the First Assistant Postmaster
General for promoting the efficiency
of the work. Mr.. Wilson reiterates
the necessity of legislation to punish
train wrecking and obstruction OF
mails, urged by his predecessor, and
recommends legislat on au holizing
the use Of private postal cards.
Concerning the abuses of the second
class mail matter, Mr.. Wilson says:
"I can add little to the reason given
by Postmaster General Bissell and
Wanamaker for amendments to the
law as to second class matter, i'm
peratively needed to save the postal
service from the enormous abuses
and consequent enormous loss Of rev.
enue, which no regulation Of the
Department, nor watchfulness on the
part of its OF cials can guard against.
I respectfully and earnestly recon-
mend to Congress careful scrutiny
into this abuse and 8. ch remedial
legislation as shall be deemed nec-
essary and effective for its correc-
tion."
Upon another feature of the sec
ond class matter the Postmaster
General says:
"The volume Of second -class mat
ter passing through the mails increases
rapidly, and has reached such pro-
portion as to seriously retard the
distribution of mails in the la ger
post offices and railway post offices.
''The department, through its
local repres entatives, has repeatedly
urged publishers to separate their
publications by states and routes,
where the quantity for any one state
or territory is sufficient to justify it,
before sending them to the mailing
offices, and has endeavored to show
them that their own interest would
be subserved thereby"
Postmaster General Wilson says
that the civil service rules should be
extended wherever practical. He
says:
"The magnitude and multiplicity
of it's bus. ness operations, the per-
fection of service which the people
are learning to demand and to expect
OF it, and the palpable truth that such
business operations can be carried
on and such perfect service rendered
only by men trained and experts-all
these and many other reasons call
for such stability of tenure as alone
can command or beget the requisite
train ng, skill and enthusiasm. The
continuity of the department should
be preserved in changes Of admins.
traitor, rot only along the line of it's
subordina>J and separate service, but
in that larger grasp Of it's history, it's
daily work and its healthtul progress,
which is found alone with those who
direct and control its chief bureaus.
l concur, therefore, in the judgement
OF one of my recent predecessors,
that at least three of the assistant
postmasters should hold their offices
by civil service or merit tenure, and