The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1897-10-22

the Entire Postal Transportation Servic,
of the United States and Connecting For
eIgn Mails.
| WASHINGTON. Oct. 1S-The annual
report of w. S. Shallenberger. second
assistant postmaster-generalm made pub
lie last night, gives an interesting re
view of the principal developments il
the entire postal transportation ser
vice of the United States aud connect
| ing foreign mails. 1t shows an aggre.
gate of appropriations for this large
| part of the postal service for the cur
| rent year of S51, ,04l, ,23S; the probable
deficiency is $500, 900, making the esti-
mated expenditures this year SOL,
23S. This will be 81, 623. o45, or ~ per
cent more than for the fiscal year just
/ closed.
The estimate for the fiscal year 1899
is $50, 237, ,260. which is 81, 796, 02i more
than the estimated expenditure for the
current year. The annual rate of ex-
| penditure for the inland mail service
| in the year just closed was $40, S62, 074,
and for foreign mail service ST., 791, 10,
after deducting $25s. O29 for inter
mediary service to foreign countries.
The summary of all classes of service
| in operation June 80 last follows:
Number of routes, 80, 491; length of
| routes, 470, 032 miles; annual rate of ex-
| penditures, $40. 862, 074; number of miles
travelled per annum 42O, $50, 479; rate of
cost per mile travelled, 11.S4 cen is; rate
of cost per mile of length, S106.08; av-
erage number of trips per week, $780,
For star mail service the estimate for
the fiscal year ending June 80, 1899, is
So, ,495, 600. Last year there was an in
crease of 5, 5,530,749 miles of travel in
star service, SO essential to rural dis
tricts.
A current year deficiency of $50, 900
is estimated for the steamboat mail
service. The estimates for the fiscal
year 1899 include steamboat service
$40, 600, mail messenger service, $780,
900; transportation by pneumatic tubes
or other similar devices, by purchase or
otherwise, 1925, 0a0. and wagon service
$3.50, 900.
Last year there was only one pneu-
matte postal tube in operation in the
country, that in Philadelphia. Since
then four more contracts have been
executed in Philadelphia, New York,
Boston and between New York and
Brooklyn. Concerning this new postal
feature, Gen. Shallenberger reports:
1T is quite possible to carry second,
third and fourth-cla matter. as we'll
as first, when it can be made profit
able. Extension to stations several
miles distant from the main office
eventually will save clerical force as
well as expedite delivery in distant
cities from II to "a hours.
The most important source of rev,
enue to the department will be the
large increase of local correspondence
and special delivery letters. The ex-
tension of the tubular system will be
necessarily slow and probably con-
fined to populous centers.
The amount reported withheld from
the Pacific railroads on account of
transportation is S1,312, ,023; estimate
for railroad transportation for the fis-
cal year 1899 is $50, $50, 600. No -esti-
mate for special fast mail service is
submitted, as it is stated the service in
general will be better if the special
facility appropriation is discontinued.
The estimate for electric and cable car
service is $50, 900, and 130 applications
for establishment of new service of
this character are on file.
AS to foreign mails the report makes
an estimate of 81, ,901, $50 for transpor-
tation and S147, 900 for balances due
foreign countries. The aggregate cost
of this service was 81, ,049, 1919, including
81, LOG, 276 for Transatlantic and Sl79, 1872
for transpacific service.
The report takes an important posi-
ton as to newspaper mail, and plan
to make the profits on short hauls off
set the long runs
Gen. Shallen berger ssys: There
seems to be no good reason why the
great bulk of legitimate newspa pers
carried by the government, at great
loss, to remote places should be permit
ted to be taken away from the mails
by railroad and express companies
whenever there is short haul that
would make the carriage of them
profitable to the government. The
carriage of newspapers, packages, etc.,
by railroads and express compan-
les may have been justified, |
perhaps, years ago, when the railway
mail service was less efficient. But
with our present facilities, and such as
may be easily obtained, / am convinced
that the department can and should
carry the great bulk of newspaper
matter that has been for years with.
held from the mails and sent in bag.
gage cars and special express trains"
NARROW ESCAPE