The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1897-10-29
MR.. BRISTOW'S REPORT.
Fourth Assistant Postmaster General
Gives interesting Figures.
Condensed Review Of Work accomplished
Daring the YeaF-PostmasteFs APP
pointed and Omces Established
OReHses Against Postal Laws.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 26.-The follow
ing abstract OF the annual report Of
Fourth Assistant Postmaster General
BristoW was made public yesterday:
In the establishment Of post oflces it has
been the policy OF this bureau since the begin-
ming OF the present administration to establish
new post ONCE wherever it IS desired, and it
is shown that it will accommodate a reasonable
number Of people, the purpose being to give
the people the most convenient mail facilities
possible, believing that such policy contrib
Utes to popular intelligence and good citizen
ship
In the amount Of business transacted New
York ranks first with PIP per capita expended
in the use Of the nails and South Carolina is
the lowest, with 1923 per capita During the
year thsre were: Post offices established, l.
COL; post Offices discontinued, $780, names AMI
sites changed, 1857 appointments on changes
Of name and site, 552; appointments Of fourth-
class p0stmaSters upon resignation, 1893; ap-
pOintments Of fourth-class postnasteTs upon
removal, 5,1l5; appointments Of fOuTth-class
pOstmasteTs upon deaths, ~; Offices RELOCATED
to fourth class, % During the year 1874 Offices
became presidential
The report on tins appointment Lewiston
closes with a table showing the number Of post
offices in operation in the United States from
1892 when there were %, to 1897. with 7l,022.
During the year there have been /, 800 post
masters reported to the bond division by the
auditor for delinquencies and 4,5l5 notices
have been sent sureties Of postmasters advising
them Of the tardiRess Of pOstmasters in their
FemittSnces, For various causes $40 acting
pOstmasters have been designated by bonds
men during the year.
The total number Of pieces Of registered mai
handled by the post ONCE department for the
fiscal year ended June 80 1897 is estimated al
10 600 -Four thousand two hundred and
seventy-iFe Of these cases were investigated
and closed In {, $50 Of these cases it was dis
covered that no actual loss had occurred, and
In J. 67 cases the full amount Of loss alleged
was recovered, leaving only 455 cases in which
actual loss was sustained, OF only one loss fol
every p $40 pie3es Of registered mail handled
During the year there were 60, rs complaints
| received affecting ordinary mail matter; s., "a
referred to letters; 81 Coz referred to packages
an increase Of 2, 165 over the number Of com
| plants received during the previous year
| There we're on hand at the beginning Of thC
| fiscal year ., III cases Adding the number re
| ceiyed during the year we have 1886 for con
| sideration, Of which 65,60J were disposed OF.
The total number Of arrests for oIenseS
against the postal laws made during the year
was ,632 OF this number 105 were p0stmas-
! tiers, A were assistant pOstmasters, A. clerk;
in post Offices, II railway postal clerks "a let
ter carriers, 30 mail carriers and Il others en-
plOyed IN minor positions in the postal service
/ The total number of post ONCE burglars ar
! rested was 34S, aud the remaining 924 were per
| sons in no way connected with the postal serY
ice.
The following are number of the
most important recommendation!
made:
That seVereF penalty be provided for EN-.
| Dloyes Of the service who may be found guilt!
| Of embezzling OF destroying newspaper mail
An amendment to the statute making thu
/ deprolations by railway postal clerks a con
| tinuous ofense, in O;der to avoid the dificul
task Of proving in which particular distrie
! the Ofense was committed.
| That more stringent statutes be enacted GOV
| eriHg green goods" and obscene matter, ant
| in this connection the amending Of section S34
postal laws and regulations Of 1893 (reviset
| statutes, section $780, relating to 'greeI
! goods and schemes to defraud making thOs
| Ohenses continuous, as is now the law concern
! ing lottery cases under section 33i, postal law
and regulations Of 1898 as amended. The puF
! pose being to avoid Instructions to and miscar
rage Of justice incident to trials in some laTg
cities where criminals may have friends an,
/ sympathizers.
That, In order TO provide greater safety and
security to letters sent in the registered mails
/ both foreign and domestic special stampet
! envelope Of superior material Of the denomina
ton Of ten cents, be adopted; ana that all per
sons who desire TO register letters be indueeS
to purchase these envelopes at the face vslu
of the stamp, as is now the case with pOsta
/ cards
That the subject Of the use Of postage stamp
as currency be taken up and considered, will
the view Of efscting some legislation, which
| if it would not entirely do away with them as
medium Of exchange, may at least cuTtail tn
extent Of their use in this manner