El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-05-05
THE POSTAL CONGRESS-
Trying to Better Universal
Postal Service.
AN IMPORTANT MEET.
Sixty Countries and Provinces of the
World Have Representatives There
for the Improvement and Expedit-
ing the Mail Service Of the World.

ing Inc Mall service OF the World
old Corcoran art gallery at Sevente entf
street and Pennsylvania avenue, was
the scene today OF an assemblage o1
Representative of the nations OF the
world, and who have been delegated by
their respective countries to discuss
large mum ber of important matters re-
lating to the cheapening and quicken
ing the transportation of the mails.
The deliberations of the International
Postal congress-for SO it is designated
will extend over two months. 1t was
originally intended that the ongress
should assemble 10 the new library
building, but the aversion in congress
to the use of that structure for other
| than Ii library purposes was, aud is, so
strong that the Cercoran gallery has
been substituted. Delegates are pres
ent from every country save the Chi
nese empire, Corea and the Orange
will be repres snted through their en-
| bassies in this cry. While each ma
| tion is entitled to as many delegates as
| 1T desires, and some have sent five or
Six but one vote for each country will be
allowed. According to the usual Gus
| tom, the proceedings will be conducted
in the French language and behind
closed doors. a
The Assem- blage which convened to-
day is the fifth International Postal
Union congress. The universal postal
union WAS inaugurated at q conference
held in the hall of the national senate
at Borne, Switzerland, in 1874. The
second congress wss held at the Bour-
bon palace at Paris. in May, 1873; the
third at Lisbon in February, 1885, and
the fourth at Vienna, in May, 1891. An
international central office OF the
bureau is maintained at Berne under
the superintendence of the Swiss postal
ad administration, its expenses being
borne by the various countries in the
union. This bureau, something like
the bureau of South African republics
in this country, collects, publishes and
distributes Information of every kind
concerning the international postal
service, and gives opinions in disputes.
The annual share of the United States
toward the maintenance of the central
administration is about seven hundred
dollars. The congress is required by
its constitution to meet every five years.
The total number of countries embrac-
ed in the union is ffty-three.
Among the most distinguished of the
delegates are the following:
Mexico-Don Augustin Chavez, di-
rector-general of telegraph: Don Tgna-
Switzerland-Jean Baptiste Pioda, en-
voy extraordinary and minister pleni-
at Washington; Anton
Stager, chief of the principal section of
the Office OF directOr-geueral of posts, |
and Camille De!osseot, director OF the
Luzanne postal district. Bulgaria
Ivan Stayauovitch, director-general of |
posts and telegraph. Greater Repub-
lie of Central America (Nicaragua,
and Honduras)-Gen.N Nicanor |
BOlet- Costa Rica-Don Joa- |
at Washington. Austria-Dr. Rudolph |
Nubaer, director general of posts and |
telegraph and chief section officer of |
of commerce; Chivalier Albert |
de Stribral. under ministerial secretary
to the minister. Hayti-J. E. Leger,
envoy extraordinary at Washington.
Great Britain-Spencer Walpole, Sec
retary of the general postoffice, the |
chief executive officer of the British
ant secretary and comptroller of the
packet service, and A. B. Walkley.
Pasha. Japan-K. Ko-
matsu, K. Yukowa and R. Arai Ger
many, DIR. Won Stephan, secretary of
the imperial post Department.; Herr
Fritsch, department chief of posts, and
Neumann.
United States-General George S.
N. Y. Edward Rosewater,
James N. Tyner, postmaster-generali in
Grants administrations; Captain 81. H.
Brooks, Va, and Gen. A. D. Hazen,
Pa. 1t is probable that General Batch
ellor will be selected to preside over
the sessions of the Congress. Germany,
Sweden and Roumauia will |
also be represented by the following
delegates: Ministerial Directors, r.
Fritsch and T. Habberger, Ministerial
Union, DR.. Heinrich Ritter Won KEN
Ter, Section Chief and General Direct
Or DR.. Rud Meubsuer, Postmaster Hen
mann, Post Director-General Chirn,
Postal Director Peda, Postal Inspector
Roth, General Post Director Schlivtern
and Ministerial Vice-Secretary Adal-
bert Ritter Won Swibral.
The most important topic to be con-
sidered by the congress is that of
transit rates by Intermediary countries
for mails received from other countries.
1t is probable that there will be a gen.
eral reduction of these rates-a result
which would be disadvantageous to the
United States. Some Of the delegates |
are in favor of abolishing entirely the
allowed for the trans
portation of mails through intermedia-
ry countries but as there are conflict
ing interests the congress will scarcely
go to this extreme. None of the fore
ign delegates have formulated in ad-
vance questions for consider alton, but,
as already stated there will be enough |
business to keep the body in session
for at least six weeks. The expense
attending the congress will be in the
neigh hborhood of $25O,OOO, which will |
be appropriated by congress. The |
pending sundry civil service bill con-
tains an item of 100000 on account |
Pres dent Mckinley will entertain the !
delegates at the White House, and a !
number of excursions have been plan
n ed not on the junketing order, but for |
the purpose of studying various phases |
of the postal system in this country and |
the latest methods, devices and ap-