Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1896-12-09
Abolishing the Fee System.
THE POSTAL SERVICE.
Work of That Department During
the Past Year Reviewed.

Our Postoffice department is in good
condition and the exhibit made OF its oper-
atoms during the fiscal year ended June
80 1896. if allowance is made for imper
fections in the laws applicable to it, is
very satisfactory. The total receipts dur
ing the year were So, 499 ,2OS.40. The total
expenditures were $50, 626, 296.S4, eXclu-
sive of 81, $50, S98.27, which was earned by
the Pacific railroad for transportation and
credited on their debt to the government.
There was an increase of receipts over the
previous year of S., sic, 030.21, or II per
cent. and an increase of expenditures OF
So 3S6, 124. 02 or 4.42. The deficit was 81
679, 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-ge 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 miner savings in small expenditures
and in letting these contracts, for post
Office supplies and star service, which are
not regulated by statute.
An effective cooperation between the
auditors office and the postoflce depart
ment and the making and enforcement oil
orders by the department requiring i'm
mediate notification to their Suretles or
any delinquencies On the part OF postmas-
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
ling mails has also been reached, as ap-
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 fer
legislation to correct the growing abuse
OF second-class rates, to which the defl-
cheney is mainly attributable. The trans
mission at the rate of l cent pound of
serial Libraries, advertising sheets, "house
organs periodicals advertising some par
ticular house or institutionls sample cop
les and the like, ought certainty to be dis
continued A glance at the revenues re-
ceiyed for the work done last year will
show more plainly than any other state
ment the gross abuse Of the postal service
and the growing waste CT it's earnings.
The free matter carried in the mails for
the department offices, ETC., of the govern
ment and for Congress, in pounds amount
ed to 944SO1 S9. If this is offset against
rental Of which would more than COM
pensate for such free postal service, we
have this exhibit
Weight of mail matter (other than above
transmitted through the mails for the year
ending June &c. 1880:
Class Weight lbs. Revenue.
Domestic and foreign let
tiers and postal cards,
etc. ...... ........ 60, 337, 343 $50, 624, AGA
Newspapers and periodi-
Gals, i cent per pound .34s, 9SS, GAS 2,996, 4O3
Books, Seeds etc, cents
per pound ............. 7s,7o1,14s 1o,s24,oe9
pound .............. 19,95O1S7 1929, 321
Totals 49,. $500. .512 977, 1926 s77,o44, PSF
The remainder of our postal revenue
amounting to something more than $5,000,
900 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. It thus appears
that though the second-clasS matter con-
etituted more than two-thirds Of the total
that was carried, the revenue derived from
it 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 S12 mills-(Of
the second-class So, ,297 was county
free matter'') from each pound of third
class 1871 cents; from each pound of fourth
class 1876 cents.
The growth of weight Of second-class
matter has been 299 coo, 900 pounds in 1894
to 312, 900, 900 in 1895, f-ld to almost 349,
600 600 in 1896 and it is quite evident
this increasing drawback is far out
stripping any possible growth Of postal
revenues.