Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-04-12

1894, according to the report of the post
master general. which has just reached
us, was four million, eight hundred TWEEN
ty-fivc thousand, one hundred forty.eight
pounds. being an increase this last wear
over the previous one, of one hundred
twenty nine thousand, nine hundred
seventy pound, which would represent
about forty-eight million, two hundred
| fifty-onc thousand, four hundred eighty
newspapers handled during the last fiscal
year. This means according to the said
| report of the postmaster general, one and
| eighty nine one-hundredths of the entire
second-class mail matter handled that is,
nearly two per cent, or one fiftieth part If
the entire newspapers and periodicals
published in the United States
In our money order division we have
issued about six thousand money orders,
while as paying Office, have received,
compared and paid, one hundred twenty
thousand during the past year, an in
crease of fully rs per cent. This item
Will show to you the excess of orders paid
over those issued, and will also indicate
to you the amount of work done in the
department. And in the registry division
there were dispatched from this Office for
the past year, nearly forty five hundred
registered letters, and there have been re-
ceived, compared, recorded and delivered
to the patrons of the Office more than
forty thousand letters, and again you can
see by the difference of receipt and dis
patch. how much out of proportion our
mail matter is in comparison with the
population of our city, and it is the same
throughout all the other divisions, as in
the first, third, and fourth class matter
that is dispatched from this office proper
tionately in volume with the other work,
for which | have given you the statistics
The mistakes and errors made in the pro-
per handling and dispatch of so great n
volume of matter is iniinitesimal
Perhaps it may be of interest to the
public at large, to know that the service
is enabled to get such efficiency from the
fact that for every Office and every rail
way post office, upon which this Office
makes up direct packages of mail matter
slips are printed with the name of the
run, name of the dispatchinRollice upon
the same, name or stamp of the clerk
and the hour of making up and tied Sc
curely in packages, and properly pouched
and labeled. Sacks of mail matter are
slipped in the same manner, with the
name of the office of destination printed
upon the same, properly stamped before
slipped by the clerk who makes up or is
responsible for the sack of matter and
when these packages or sacks reach their
destination and are opened, any errors by
enclosing matter other than that indi-
Gated on the slip, are noted by the receiv-
ing clerk on tho slips, which are sent to
Wagbjnutnn nd returned tn tho Office pf
dispatch, which in turn charges them up
against clerks, and in this manner we
are able to ascertain what errors are
made, and by whom. For example, the
percentage Of correct distributions. on
first class matter, was 90 99-100 of 100 per
cent on second third and fourth class,
% 90-100 Of 100 per cent. This will illus
trate to you what perfect working ma
chine the postoflicc system of this country
is today, employing in its service more
than 100. 600 people. There is rarely mis-
take in our money order or registry sys-
tenn, and when such occurs can be readily
traced and perfected.
] have cndeavored to briefly state to
you those who are responsible for the
large volume of work done, it's executive
officers who have served you, and the
magnitude of work performed at the
office. 1t can be said of Augusta that it
offers postal facilities to its business men
unsurpassed by any other city in this
country.
1t is my desire, in my humble way,
during my administration of office, to
give the people the best possible service,
and every courtesy due from public
official. Applause.
Our Compositions was the toast to
which f. Il. Southland, Esq, responded, in
his happiest vein.
He began by saying that Mr.. Bangs had
informed us that since he came to town
all our improvements had been made. He
thought we all should pause moment
and thank heaven that Col Bangs struck
Augusta in 1880. Laughter.)
l think the board OF trade in the past
very strong at fcasts and funerals. But
| hope that in the future it will go into
another line of business and endeavor to
assist at the birth of some new enterprises
to be established in this city.
We are reviving after some terribly hard
times. Today the South and West are re-
joicing in the higher prices Of wheat and
silver and cotton, and l suppose they are
rejoicing also at the lower price Of gold
l am. Laughter)
In map saw the other day, showing
the fluctuations of some of our staple
commodities l found lines indicating
wheat and silver. oats, corn and cotton,
which were almost parallel. ] found an
other line, away up above those, showing
the increasing price of gold 1t seemed
to me more rational that we should take
metal for standard of value that follows
so closely these other staple commodities,
than to take metal which Is constantly
increasing in value.
do not believe that our legislation
should be such as to injuriousIy affect any
one large class of the people of this coun-
try. for / am certain that the prosperity Of
any class of the country Is essential to the
prosperity Of the whole
Mr.. Southland then went on to say that
all improvements were first mooted by