The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-07
PROFIT IN THE MAILS.
Receipts and Expenses OF Postal De-
partments of various Countries.


From the London Mail.
The British postmaster general occupies
the enviabe position of presiding over a
department that is always in prosperous
condition. Most countries, indeed, mako a.
pretty good thing out of the postage
stamp, though, like ourselves, few of them
have ever succeeded in placing the tele-
graph department upon a paying basis
There are, of course, some post offices that
always work at a heavy loss, especially
is this so in comparatively new countries.
where a great extent of territory ana
scattered population usually combine to
make the postmaster generals annual re-
port by no means such pleasant reading
as in Great Britain. Our Australasian col
onies, for instance, drop quite considers
able sum every year over the distribution
of mails and the dispatch Of kilograms.
Western Australia loses $4,000; Queens
land, 10000; New South Wales clio 600.
and Victoria, f143,000 on the other hand
New Zealand makes 5000 and Tasmania
$4,000 But the result for the whole OF
Australasia is a loss of over $500 In the
United States nearly all the telegraph
business is In the hands of one company,
the Western Union, and its receipts exceed
expenditures ny hAglJUVVy. Inc postal DuE~
mess is however, carried on by the gov
eminent at a heavy loss, the expenditures
amounting to Els 100000 and the receipts
only slightly exceeding fi6.500,0OO. To take
two other transatlantic countries, the
Argentine Republic receives about f750O0O
more than 1t spends, while Brazil is the
other way about, and spends just three
times as much as it receives. In India
they make trihe; at the Cape they lost
10000; in Canada they also lose 10 the
extent of f16,000.
on the continent all nations make money
out Of their post offices. France spends
f67J0,000 and receives nearly IS 10000 a
profit Of 100000 which is at about the
same rate our own for the volume OF
business done. Germany's postal and tele-
graph transactions are very large; she
spends nearly fi5 100000 in connection with
both branches and receives FIG, 900 in re-
turn. Both Austria and Hungary make
a profit, but the latter and poorer state
has a comparatively small correspondence,
and the cost OF posts and telegraphs for
the whole monarchy only amounts 60
fA500O00, while the receipts are g75OO0O
more. Italy is spariug of the pen, but il
manages TO make a respectable profit
nevertheless, spending under f2,2J0,000 and
receiving something approaching g. 10000
Russia, with its population three times as
great as the United Kingdom sends all its
letters and kilograms for modest ~ 500.-
900, while IL charges $500 600 for the work.
thus making a larger percentage Of proht
than any other country except Belgium
The expenditure Of the latter country is
approximately 1000 and It's receipts fan
little short of twice that sum, or 100 per
cent. profit. This is for postal business
alone, but the telegraphs. costing almost
100000, also yield small profit. Holland
loses on telegraphs, but gains on postal
work. Both necessitate an outlay Of f700-
600 and return f79O.000. switzerland is rather
extravagant in stamps and It's post ana
telegraphs cost the country close on Is. ao0-
600, while the receipts are nearly 100000
more. Denmark makes small profit
Sweden gains fS6. 900, and even spendthrif.
Turkey is gamer rather than a loser Ia
this one branch of It's government.
Generally speaking the postal business
Of various countries Is highly successful
one, yielding profit far more often than
entailiug a loss.