Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1896-12-14
Abo1ishing the Fee system.
THE POSTAL SERVICE.
Work of That Department During
the Past Year Reviewed.


Our Postoflce department is in good
condition and the exhibit made of its oper-
ations during the fiscal year ended June
20 1896. if allowance is made for imper-
fections in the laws applicable to 1T, is
very satisfactory. The total receipts DUR
ing the year were $50, 499, 20S.40. The total
expenditures were $50, 626, 296S4, exclu-
sive Of $1,559 1882 which was earned by
the Pacific railroad for transportation and
credited on their debt to the government.
There was an increase of receipts over the
previous year of S., SIG, 030.21, or IL per
cent. and an increase Of expenditures of
So 1886 12402 or 4.42. The deficit was 81
,i79 95619 less than that of the preceding
year The chief expenditures OF the postal
service are regulated by law and are not
in the control of the postmaster-general
All that he can accomplish by the most
watchful administration and economy is
to enforce prompt and thorough collection
and accounting for public moneys and
such minor savings in small expenditures
and in letting those contracts for post
office supplies and star service, Wnlch are
not regulated by statute.
An effective cooperation between the
auditors office and the postoftice depart
ment and the making and enforcement OF
orders by the department requiring I'M
|. mediate notification to their suret1es or
any delinquencies on the part OF pos mas
tiers and compelling such postmasters to
make more frequent deposits Of postal
funds have resulted in a prompter audit
ing of their accounts and much less de-
fault to the government than heretofore.
Abuses of the Mails.
The years report shows large extern
sions both of star route service and rail-
way mail service, with increased postal
facilities Much higher accuracy in hand
Tic has al TpaPhR0
pears by the decrease of errors In the
railway mail service and the reduction Of
mail matter returned to the dead letter
Office.
The deficit for the last year. although
much less than that of the last and pre-
ceding years, emphasizes the necessity for
legislation to correct the growing abuse
| OF second-class rates, to which the def
cheney is mainly attributable. The trans
mission at the rate of 1 cent pound OF
serial libraries advertising sheets, mouse
organs periodicals advertising some par
ticular house or instituticn)) sample cop
les and the like ought certainly to be dis
continued glance at the revenues re-
ceived for the work done last year will
show more plainly than any other state
inert the gross abuse of the postal service
and the growing waste Of it's earnings.
The free matter carried in the mails TOT
the department offices, ETC., OF the govern
ed to 944SO, 1885, If this is offset against
buildings for postofices and stations, the
rental Of which would more than com
pensate fer such free postal service, we
have this exhibit:
Weight of mail matter (other than above
transmitted through the mails for the year
ending June 80, 1862
Class. Weight lbs. Revenue.
Domestic and foreign let
tiers and postal cards, 80 - ~
nt0 SI.,5t1
Newspapers evu; and periodi- $3.50. 80
Gals. cent per pound. .34S,9SS GAS 1886. 403
Books, seeds, etc., cents -
Parcels, etc, Is cents
pound ............. 19,9oO,lSf o,l25,5Zl
Totals ..... ........5t2, 977, 1876 ST., GA, 257
The remainder Of our postal revenue,
amounting to something more than 5,000,
600 was derived from box rents, registry
fees, money order business, and other
similar items.
The entire expenditures of the depart
ment, including pay for transportation
credited to the Pacific railroads was $92,-
1856. 1851, which may be considered as the
cost of receiving, carrying and delivering
the above mail matter. 1t thus appears
that though the second-clas3 matter con-
stituted more than two-thirds Of the total
that was carried, the revenue derived from
if was less than one-thirteenth of the total
expense
The average revenue from each pound
of first-class matter was SO cents; from
each pound of second-class 80 mills-(Of
the second-class 52,348,297 was county
free matter'); from each pound of third
class 13.1 cents; from each pound of fourth
class 1876 cents.
The growth of weight Of second-class
matter has been 99,e)O,00O pounds in 1894
to 312, OO0, 900 in 1895, s.ld to almost 349,
coo, 0C0 in 1896 and it is quite evident
this increasing drawback is far cut
stripping any possible growth Of postal
revenues.