The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1897-10-29
MIR. BRISTOW'S REPORT.
Fourth Assistant Postmaster Genera!
Gives Interesting Figures.
Condemned Review of Work Accomplished
During the Year-Postmasters APP
pointed and Omces Established
Onenses Against Postal Laws.

ing abstract of the annual report of
Fourth Assistant Postmaster General
Bristow was made pub bile yesterday:
In the establishment Of post ofices it has
been the policy of this bureau since the begin
ling OF the present administration to establish
| new post ONCE wherever it is desired. aud it
IS shown that 1t will accommodate reasonable
| number OF people. the purpose being to give
he people the most convenient mail facilities
possible believing that such a policy contrib
1tes to popular intelligence and good citizen
ship
In the amount of business transacted New
York ranks first with = L. per capita expended
in the use of the mails. and South Carolina is
he lowest. with 40 % per capita During the
year there were: Post offices established L.
O1: post offices discontinued. 939: names and
sites changed. l.O67: appointments on changes
Of name and site. $50: appointments OF fourth
lass postmasters upon resignation. 1899: ap-
pointments Of fourth-clasS poStmasters upon
removal. 5.115: appointments of fourth-class
poStmaSters upon deaths. ~: offices relegated
to fourth class. ~ During the year 1874 offices
became presidential
The report the appointment Lewiston
closes with a table showing the number of post
offices in operation in the United States from
1879. when there were IS to 1897 with 7l.02,.
During the year there have been 1895 post
masters reported to the bond division by the
auditor for delinQuencies and Abs notices
them Of the hardness of postmasterS in their
remittances. For various causes $50 acting
postmasters have been designated by bonds
men during the year
The total number Of pieces of registered mail
handled by the post office department for the
fiscal year ended June 80. 1897. is estimated at
i3 $50. COO Four thousand two hundred and
Seventy-five OF these cases were inveStig ited
and closed. IL $50 OF these cases it was dis
covered that no actual loss had occurred and
f,,ll 49, 1-. oil
was recovered. leaving only 45s cases in which
actual loss was sustained, or only one loss for
every d. $40 pieces Of registered mail handled.
During the year there were 81. 71S complaints
received affecting ordinary mail matter: 3S.114
referred to letters: RI OO4 referred to packages
an increase Of .. 1865 over the number of COM
plants received during the previous year
There were on hand at the beginning of the
fiscal year 60. III cases. Adding the number re-
ceived during the year we have 80. 965 for con-
sideration. OF which $500 were disposed of.
The total number of arrests for OfenSeS
AGAINST the postal laws made during the year
was 1872 OF this number IO5 were poStmas-
terS ~ were assistant poStmaSterS. AZ clerks
in post offices. IL railway postal clerks "a let
ter carriers. 30 mail carriers. and II others en-
ployed IN minor positions in the postal service
The total number OF post office burglars ar
rested was 348. and the remaining 924 were per-
sons in way connected with the postal Scrv-
ice.
The following are a number of the
most important recommendations
made:
That a severer penalty be provided for EN-
plOyes of the service who may be found guilty
Of embeZZling or destroying n.7Spaper mail
An amendment to the statute making the
depredationS by railway postal clerks con-
tinuous offenSe. in order to avoid the difficult
task of proving in which particular district
the offenSe was committed.
That more stringent statutes be enacted COW
ering green goods and obscene matter. and
in this connection the amending of section 3A,
postal laws and regulations Of 1893 (reviSed
statutes. section 543O). relating to green
goods and schemes to defraud making those
ofenseS continuous as is now the law concern
ing lottery cases under section 33l. postal laws
and regulations of 1898 amended. The pur
pose being to avoid distractions to and miscar
riage OF justice incident to trials in some large
cities where criminals may have friends and
sympathizers
That in order to provide greater safety and
security to letters sent in the registered mails.
both foreign and domestic, special stamped
envelope Of superior material Of the denomina-
ton Of ten cents, be adopted and that all per-
sons who desire to register letters be induced
to purchase these envelopes at the face value
of the stamp as is now the case with postal
cards
That the subject of the use of postage stamps
as currency he taken up and considered. with
the view of effectins some legislation. which.
If it would not entirely do away with them as
medium OF exchange, may at least curtail the
extent Of their use in this manner.