The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-11-03
UNCLE SANS MAlh
THE COST OF IT'S TRANSPORTED
TION SHOWN by AN ANNUAL
REPORT.
IT RUNS INTO MILLIONS.
ESTIMATES TOR THE COMING YEAR
ALSO CONTAIN SOME LARGE
FIGURES.
A REORGANIZATION IS URGED.
1t CoRtemplates Supervision Over
Star Rontes and N Mere Equitable
Basis OF Salaries.

WASHINGTON. Nov. 2.-The annual
report of Second Assistant Postmaster
General Charles Neil shows the annual
rate of transportation of mails at the
end of the fiscal year to be $4S,523, 932,
of which SAT 1893, 067 was for inland mail
and the remainder for the foreign sery-
ice. For inland mail the cost is an in
crease of $1,G56, 1928 for the year. The an
nual travel in star service alone was
over 122, 900 900 miles. The report says
the experiments with the horseless
wagons to be tried this winter will, 1t
is hoped, prove successful, and they
are expected to be much less expensive
than horse wagons. Concerning pneu-
matte tube service, only one tube, at
Philadelphia, now being in active serv-
ice in the entire postal service. The re-
port says it eXpedites the mail, makes
closer connections both ways in greatly
reduced time, for practically the same
money. For establishing this service
$4,000 is asked for, and three tubes.
one each in Philadelphia, New York
and Boston are expected to be contract
ed for
The second assistant says at the
large depots, small sub-postoffices
should be established in charge Of reg
ular superintendent, with full post
office privileges, except money orders
y
have been made for establishing mail
service on electric car lines, which can
not be allowed owing to lack of funds.
The hope Of the railway mail service
is stated to be to diminish the local
work in postoffices to a minimum, in
the mailing and free delivery divisions.
In test case examinations at many
points, SO per cent Of letters handled
We're correctly distributed. During the
year 495 accidents occurred to railway
postoffices, five clerks were killed and
112 injured. The most marked advance
of the year in the transportation ser
vice was the establishment of steel
railway postal car lines, of which there
are now twenty-siX in operation, an
increase of 16 lines, and these handled
605, 451 pieces of mail daily. These ia
Cilities are made by the roads, condi-
toned on commensurate compensation
by appropriation. The report which
embraces that of General Superinten-
dent White, Of the railway mail SER
vice, urges a reorganization and re-
classification of the service, which,
among other things, contemplates
greater supervision by the railway over
star routes and mail messenger ser
vice and the adjustment of clerks sal
aries on a more equitable basis.
The net cost of the foreign mail ser
vice was 81, 530,5S4, Of which $40 1856 was
for transatlantic and $97, 029 for trans
Pacific service. Recommendation is
made for removal Of the office of super
intendent of foreign mails from WASH
1nston to New York, relieving the New
York postmaster of the details of the
foreign service.
The estimates for the fiscal year end
ing June 80, 1885, included 5,525 600 for
star service; 100000 for steamboat ser
vice; 81 900, 900 for mail messengers SER
vice; $4,000 for regulation and screen
wagon service; $50, 200, 900 for railway
transportation; $4,000 for pneumatic
tube service; 1926, 900 for electric and
cable car service; $3,60O,0OO for railway
postoffice cars; $8,812OCO for railway
postofice clerks; 1915, 800 for mail equip
ment; $1,85S,000 for foreign mail ser
vice; $40,0 900 for steamboat for use in
the transfer of foreign mail in New
York harbor.