The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1896-12-07

|vided for By the act of May H 1896. un-
Ider which certain federal officials are
Icompensated by salaries instead OF fees
The new plan was put In operation on
the first day of July. 1885, and already
Ithe great economy 1t enforces. Its pre-
IveDtion OF abuses arU It's tendency to
a better enforcement of the laws. are
strikingly apparent. Detailed evidence
Iof the usefulness of this long delayed
Ibut now happily accomplished reform will
Ibe found clearly set forth In the attor-
Ipey generals report.
POSTOFFICE DEPARTMENT..
| Our postoffice depar e ent Is In good con.
dition. and the exhibit made of its oper-
ations during the fiscal year ended June
80. 1896. II 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 SOC. .626, 1864. exclusive
| of 8. .559. S9S.27 which was earned by the
Pacific railroad for transportation and
credited on their debt to the government.
There was an increase of receipts over
i the previous year of s., ,0S0.2l, or III
per cent, and an increase OF expenditures
| of 50, S36. .124.02, or 442 per cent.
| The deficit was 81, ,67s, ,956.19 less than that
| OF the preceding year. The CHIEF expen'
ditures Of the postal service are regu-
j lated by law and are not In the controi Oh
| the postmaster general. All tnat ne can
accomplish by the most watchful admin
Iistration and economy Is to force prompt
| and thorough collection and accounting
| for public moneys and such minor savings
| in small expenditures and In letting those
| contracts for postoffice supplies and star
| service which are not regulated by stat
| ute.
An effective cooperation between the
auditors Office and the postoffice depart
.Av.t h3av kiry "A nd anfOrcement
orders by the department requiring I'M
mediate notification to their sureties OF
all delinquencies on the part or postmas-
ters and compelling such postmasters 10
make more frequent deposits OF postal
funds, have resulted I'm a prompter au-
diting of ther accounts and much less
default TO the government than hereto
fore.
The years-report shows large exten-
sions OF both star route service and rail-
way mail service, with increased postal
facilities. Much higher accuracy In
handling mails has also been reached,
as appears by the decrease of errors In
the railway mail service and the reduc-
tion of mail matter returned to the dead
letter office.
much less than that of the last and pre-
The deficit for the last year. although
ceding years. emphasized the necessity
for legislation to correct the growing
abuse of second class rates. to which the
deficiency is mainly attributable.
The transmission at the rate OF cent
q pound of serial libraries, advertising
sheets, house organs" periodicals ad-
vertising some particular house or insti-
tution), sample copies and the like, ought
certainly ought to be discontinued. A
glance at the revenues received for the
work done last year will show more
plainly than any other statement the
gross abuse of the postal service, and
the growing waste OF its earnings:
The free matter carried In the mails
for the department, offices, ETC., of the
government and for congress, in pounds,
against buildings for postoffices and sta
tions, the rental of which would more
than compensate for such free postal
service. We have this exhibit: Weight
OF mail matter (other than above) trans
mitted through the mails for the year
ending June 30, 1S9e-Class l. domestic
and foreign letters etc., weight IS, ,337, ,343,
value $60. .624,464. Glass 2, newspapers and
periodicals, cent per pound weight 34S,-
9Se,648, value 81, ,996, ,403. Class 3, books,
seeds, ETC., cents pound, weight 49,
10l.l value $l0,324069. Glass 4, parcels,
etc., l6 cents a pound, weight 19,95OlS7,
value So, l95. 321. Total weight, SIP 977, 326;
total value, s7,044,257.
The remainder of our postal revenue,
amounting to something more than S. O0O-
Co., was derived from box rents, registry
fees, money order business and other SIM
liar items.
The entire expenditure of the depart.
ment. including pay for transportation
credited TO the Pacific railroads, was
$92 1S6, 1871. which may be considered as
the cost OF receiving, carrying and deliv-
ering the above mail matter. 1t thus APP
pears that though the second-class mat
ter constituted more than two-thirds of
the total that was carried, he revenue
derived from IL was less than one-thir-
tieth Of the total expense.
The average revenue from each pound
OF first-class matter was 80 cents.
From each pound of second-class mat
ter Sls mills.
cor the second-class 52,24S,297 was
county-free matterD
cents.
From each pound Of fourth-class matter
1876 cents.
The growth in weight of seeond-cass
matter has been from 299, ,000, 900 pounds In
1894 to 3l2, 100000 in 1895, and to almost
S49. 900 in 1896. and it is quite evident
this increasing drawback is far outstrip-
ping any possible growth of postal reve
nues
Our mail service should of course be
such as to meet the wants and even the
conveniences of our people, at a direct
charge upon them as light as perhaps to
exclude the idea of our postoffice de-
partment being a money-making concern
but in the face of a constantly recurring
deficiency in its revenues and in view
OF the fact that we supply the best mai!
services in the world, II seems to me Ii
Is quite time TO correct the abuses that
swell enormously our annual deficit. II
we concede the public policy of carrying
weekly newspapers free in the county OF
publication and even the policy of car
rying at less than one-tenth of their cost,
other bona fde newspapers and period
tcals, there can be no excuse for sub
jecting the service to the further immense
and increasing loss involved i'm carrying
at the nominal rate of / cent a pound
the serial Libraries, sometimes includ-
Ing trashy and even harmful literature
and other matter which, under the loose
Interpretation of loose statute, has been
gradually given second-class rates, thus
absorbing all profitable returns derived |
from first-class matter, which pays three
or four times more than in its cost, and |
producing large annual loss to be paid |
by general taxation. |
IL such second-class matter paid merely |
the cost of its handling, our deficit would |