The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-10-24

Valuable suggestions Made by First
Assistant Postmaster General

WASHINGTON. Oct E.-The report Of
First Assistant Postruastsr-l5enera Perry
8 Heath for the fiscal year ending June
-. has been made public. The following
IS an abstract:
Special attention IS called 70 the neces-
sity % additional facilities in the division
OF salaries and allowance. bat above al
other recommendations Is placed one
making provision for A small corps OF
special agents-about ten-who are expert
accountants. familiar with real estate
values TO inquire In the field into post
masters acquisitions and demands and to
reach & just ascerrainment OF merit in
such purely business matters as cannot
be obtained by correspondence. There
should also be fixed a more severe pen
atty for the punishment of postmasters
who pecdle postage stamps with q view
20 increasing their own salaries. result
ing in the diminution Of the net receipts
OF the government Authority should be
given 10 secure leases of postoffice sta
tons for period OF 10 instead of I'VE
years.
So much is gained by our recent policy
OF consolidation OF post0ffices and the es-
Establishment or extension Of free delivery,
that ! urge such action by congress as
viii give greater latitude Of discretion in
the use OF specific appropriations. Two
assistant superintendent Of the free de-
livery system have been appointed. one
10 be located at New York and the other
at Chicago. with proper power and pri-
mary Jurisdiction.
On July / there were 3.7S3 presidential
Offices. embracing 169 first class $50 second
class and ISIS third class. The net in
crease for the year in the salaries OF
postmasters at these offices is S2Ss 500.
With the consolidation OF the present IN
dependent postoffices within the limits
OF the new city Of New York, q saving OF
at least S. 723 in salaries and commits
sions OF postmasters Will be effected.
Another considerable reduction in ex-
penses may be made by the merging or
the adjustment. in many cases, OF the
several heads OF divisions and other
officials receiving their salaries. Con-
gress should not only repeal the law pro-
viding that no postoffiee shall be abol-
ished or discontinued by reason of any
consolidation Of postoffices under the
existing law. but should also authorize
the postmaster general TO extend consol-
idation wherever. in his belief, the service
may be thereby benefited.
The estimates for the fiscal year ending
June 80. 1899. embrace SIS. 80. coo for COM
pensation OF postmasters; for clerk hire,
sll3o0,000: rental and purchase of can
ceiling machines, SIS. 600; rent, fuel and
lights, ST. 80, go; miscellaneous items and
furniture. 100000 and advertising s20, 900.
plea Is made for the purchase OF the
postal stations in the large cities.
The estimate for the free delivery serv-
ice for the fiscal year ending June, 1899.
is SIS, $40, 400 Since the close of the fiscal
year 1897, the service has been Established
is more than 10 offices and before the
close of the current year all offices en-
titled to the service will receive the same.
Domestic and international money or
ders issued aggregated IS 1890 amount
ing TO SlsS on CSC: aggregate number OF
payments and repayments, %, $50 565,
amounting to $50 14l, go. There were
$500, $50 pieces of original unclaimed mat
ter received at the dead letter office, a
decrease of 267, 40.
The special letter and collection boxes
operated in Baltimore in connection with
the public street railway is held to be
successful and. when appropriations per-
init VIII be extended TO other cities. The
affixing of the ordinary letter boxes 10
the ordinary street cars to facilitate mail
collection Is also to be taken up. The
total appropriations made by congress for
settling overtime claims of carriers ND TO
date aggregate s.. SO coo. Total claims al
lowed on this ratio will reach S. 500,000.
Rural free delivery has been put TO the
test of practical experiment in % states
and over a different routes The CO.
operation of the communities served has