The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-25
POSTMASTER GENERALS REPORT.
Effect on Department Operations Of
the Financial Depression.

Washington, Nov. 24.--Postmaster Cen
eral Wilson, in his annual report of the
operations of the postonce department,
remarks that the financial and industrial
depression. which has seriously affected
the revenues of the postal service for the
last two years. and disappointed the esti-
mates of his predecessors, extended far
enough into the fiscal year 1895 to make
an unusually wide gap between revenues
and expenditures. 1t is gratifying, how
ever, to report that a large part of this
deficiency occurred in the first quarter
of the year, and that since then the rev
enues of the department have reflected
the general returning prosperity of the
country. He ascribes the gross abuse of
second class rates of postage as the chief
cause OF the yearly deficit In postal rev
enues. He repeats and indorses the re-
commendation of his predecessors, Bis
sell ana Wanamakers for an amendment
OF the law in regard to the transportation
OF second class matter, and says:
1T is the estimate of the department
that tWo-thirds in weight of an the mat
Yer carried IN the mails, is, under exist
ing laws and classifcations, carried as
second-class matter at the rate of cent
pound where IL is not actually carried
postage free. The aggregate weight of
second-class matter In the year 1894 was
ZgS,NO,OUO pounds. During the last year
IL increased TO over Sl2,00,UW pounds, q
StoW tl OF over 13,V3sDUJ pounds. IleUUCt-
ing the weight of that which is known as
county free" being the matter which
Is circulated among subscribers free Of
postage in the respective counties of pub
leatlon, estimated TO be A6 S2ltS5 pounds,
there remained 265,3i4. .2S2 pounds which
returned, at the rate of ] cent per pound,
revenue Of $2653, 1882. The average
cost to the department Of the transporting
and handling of this matter is estimated
at cents per hundred.
Speaking of the extension of civil service
lsaes fstHH
despensable basis of good service has been
laid by placing the carrier force under the
civil service system, and no effort should
be spared by the department to insure a
high morale in this force and to familiar
ize the idea among individual carriers that
as they enter the service by the merit syS-
no tenure but that of the faithful and ef-
hcient discharge of duty, which demands
self-respect and honorable living II is in
evitable that a few individuals here and
there should interpret this stability of EN-
ployment as past privilege, encouraging
slovenly service and insubordination to
superior officers, rather than a reform
basis on considerations OF a better pub
lie service. and such instances have
occurred and will doubtless continue to
occur, even after the full meaning of
accepted. But Is Is gratifying to report
that as a whole, and by such overwhelm-
ing predominance as to make the excep-
tions more prominent, the army of letter
carriers is alert, faithful, efficient, and
honorable"
The Postmaster General desires civil
service methods to be carried still further
and higher in the postoffice department.
He says: l concur IN the judgment Of one
of my recent predecessors that at least
three of the assistant Postmaster generals
should hold their Office by a cfvi SER
vice or merit-tenure and and not by a
| political tenure. ! refrain from Offering
| a like opinion as to The fouth assistant
| postmaster general, because fourth-class
| postmasters. whose appointment is pri-
marily allotted to him, are yet outside
! of that tenure.