Evening star., 1896-12-07

lhere was an increase of receipts over Tie
previous year of S..5l6oSo2l, or al Ter
cent, and an increase of expenditures of
S',S'6.l2Lu or i.I2 per cent. The deficit
was S.61?,a3G.l? lees than that of the Ire
cedlng year. The chief expenditures Of the
postal service are regulated by law and are
not In the control of the Postmaster Gen
eral. All that he can accomplish by the
most watchful administration and economy
Is TO enforce prompt and thorough coIlcc-
ton and accounting for public moneys and
such minor saving in small expenditures
and in letting those contracts for post Of
flee supplies and star service which are
not regulated by statute. An effective 90
operation between the AUDITORS office and
the Post Once Department, and the making
ard enforcement of orders by the depart
ment requiring immediate notification to
their sureties Of all delinqueno les on The
part OF postmasters, and compelling such
postm2sters to make more frequent ..e-
posits OF postal funds have resulted N q
rromp;er auditing Of their accounts and
much less default TO the government; than
heretofore.
The years report shows large eX;en-
siCns of both star route service and rail-
way mai service, with increased postal
facilities. Much higher accuracy in hand
iiliS -idils mas also been reached, ap-
pears 10y the decrease of errors ir The iail-
way mail service and the reduction Of mail
| matter returned to the dea1 letter office.
The deficit for the las, scar although
much less than that of the last and pre-
oeiinS years emphasizes the necessity for
legislation 10 correct the growing abuse OF
| second-class rates, to which the deficicn
! is mainly attributable. The transmission
a | / a al Of
| libraries, advertising sheets, house o:-
| gans" GoriodIcals advertising some par
| ticular house" or institution sample
! copies and the like, ought certainly TO Ice
discontinued. glance al the revenues
received for the work done last year viii
show more plainly than any other state
| nent. the gross abuse OF the postal ser.'ice
and the growing waste of its earnings
The free matter carried in the mails for
the departments. offices. &c, of the gov
ernment and for Congress in poun Is
amounted TO ~, iS01s9
If this is offset against buildings for ost
offices and stations the rental of whi. n
would more than compensate for such free
, postal service. We have this exhibit:
Weight of mai! matter tother than abo,e)
transmitted through the mails for the year
ending June 30, 1896
Class. VT Obs Rcyonue
l-Domcstic and foreign
letters and postal cards,
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. &c. G5337. .343 SEQ GA 464
2-Newspapcrs and periodi-
Gals: cent per lb.... 34sssS,64s 1886, .03
3-Books. seeds, &c,
cents pcr b........... 1S10l,lIs l0a2. aig
4-larres, &c, Is cents
per lb................. l995o.1s7 3.iaa3ol
Totals. 5l2s77. .s26 s77.oi4.as7
The remainder OF our postal revenue,
| amounting to something more than s5.oo1.-
600 was derived from box rents registry
fees, money order business and other SINH
lar items.
These entire expenditures of the depart
ment. including pay for transportation
credited to the Pacific railroads. was sg2.-
1S6 1851, which may be considered as the
cost of receiving, carrying and delivering
tre above mail matter. Ii thus appears
that. though the second-class matter con-
stituted more than two-thirds OF the total
that was carried, the revenue derived from
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