The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-10-18
OUR POSTAL TRANSPORTATION
REPORT OF SECOND ASSISTANT
POSTMASTER GENERAL.
In the Star Service, So Essential to
Rural Districts, Immense Increase
In Miles of Travel.

Washington, Oct. 1.-THE annual re-
port of w S Shanenberger, second as
sistant postmaster general. made pub
lie tonight, gives an interesting review
of the principal developments in the
entire postal transportation service of
the United States and connection for
eign mails II shows an aggregate of
appropriations for this large part of the
postal service for the current year OF
$51, cal. 23s: the probable deficiency IS
$500, 600, making the estimated eXpendi-
lures this year s5I, 54I ,23S- This will be
81. G23. 045. or 81 per cent more than for
the fiscal year Just closed. The estl-
mate for the fiscal year 1899 is 555.35i.
$50, which is 81, ,921 more than the
estimated expenditure for the inland
mail service in the year just closed,
which was SAG 1862. OLA, and for foreign
mail service 81 197, no, after deducting
S259, O29 for intermediary service to for
eign countries.
The summary of all classes of service
in operation June 80 last is as follows:
Number of routes, 81 491: length of
routes, 47o,032 miles; annual rate of ex-
penditures. $40. S62. O74; number of miles
! Travelled per annun, APO, $3.50, 40; rate OF
cost per mile travelled 1884 cents. rate
of cost per mile Of length, S106-0s; aver
age number of trips per week $50
THE STAR SERVICE.
For ''star" mile service the estimate
for the fiscal year ending June 80. 1879,
is s., 495, GOO. Last year there was an
increase of $500 49 miles of travel in
star service, so essential to rural dis
tricts
A current year deficiency of $4,000 is
estimated for the steamboat mail SER
vice. The estimates for the fiscal year
1899 includes steamboat service, IS
$40, goo; mail messenger service. $780,
600; transportation bypneumat1c tubes
or other similar service by purchase or
otherwise" $225. 900. and wagon service
S7S0,0 Last year there was only one
pneumatic 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,
| General Shallenberger reports:
1T is quite possible to carry second.
! third and fourth class matters as well
as first, when il can be made profitable
Extension stations several miles dis
! tant from the main office eventually
will save clerical force as we'll as ex-
| pedite delivery in distant cities from II
| to q hours. The most important source
/ of revenue to the department VIII be
| the large increase of local correSpon-
! dents and special delivery letters The
! extension of the tubular system will
necessarily be slow and probably con-
| fined to popular centerS."
PACIFIC RAILROADS.
! The amount reported withheld from
! the Pacific railroads on account OF the
transportation is 1892, 023; estimate for
/ railroad transportation for fiscal year
! 1899 is $50, $50, 600. No estimate for spe-
cial fast mail service is submitted, as it
| is stated that the service in general will
| be better if the special facility appro-
! priation is discontinued.
! The estimate OF electric and cable
car service is 1927 600, and $50 applica-
tions for establishment of new service
! of this character are on file.
NEWSPAPER MAIL
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. General ShallaDger-
| ger says: There seems to be no good
reason why the great bulk of leGiti-
mate newspapers carried by the gov
| eminent at great loss to remote places
should be permitted to be taken away
| from the mails by railroad and express
! companies whenever there Is snort
haul that would make the carriage OF
them profitable to the government The
carriage of newspapers, packages, etc,
by railroads and express companies
for the year have been justified. per-
haps years ago, when the railway mail
service was less efficient, but with ouI
present facilities. such as may be cas-
lily abandoned. [ am convinced that the
department should carry the great bulb
Of newspaper matter that has been fol
years held from the mails and sent ir