The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1897-07-23
AS LETTER WRITER'S.
Our People Rank First Among All
Nations
The Enormou. business Of the United
states Post Offices Compared
with That of other
Countries.

There are 100000 post offices in all
the countries of the world enjoying or
eanized facilities of correspondence,
ard of this number 10000 are in the
United States. In respect to the mum
ber of letters and postal cards written
and received, the revenue and disburse-
ments of the department., the extent,
promptness and accuracy of letter de
livery, as well as the number of post
offices. the United States stands at the
head of all other nations, Germany fol-
lowing second. Great Britain third,
and Austria, among European nations,
fourth. The United States sells in 4
year 1000. .0OO.OOO two-cent stamps,
which is equivalent to l LOCO, 600, 900 let
tiers sent through the mails in year.
In addition to this the United States sells
in year 60O,OOC one-cent stamps, some
of which are used for letters, though
larger number for newspaper and cir
cular postage, 12.OOO.OOO three cent
stamps. 2O,OOO. 900 four-cent stamps, and
5O.OOO.COO five-cent stamps, mostly used
for letters sent from this country for
foreign delivery. More then 1000. 900,
600 letters a year, therefore. paying full
postage, and exclusive of postal cards,
The business of the German and of
the English post Office department Is
less than half as large. The postal card
system in Germany is in much morc
general use than in England. and it Is
for this reason, perhaps, that Germany
keeps ahead of England in respect to
the amount of correspondence done.
The number of post offices in Great
made on january l, 1897. was 20.2T5. ex
elusive of what is officially called in
England "the road and pillar letter
box" There ar. l5O.OO0 employees of the
post office department in Great Britain.
of whom $500 are women and girls.
The number of post Office employees in
Germany, where telegraphic communI-
cation l. a part of the post Office system.
l. l25.OOO. The number of letters
handled by the Austrian post Office de-
Isartment in year Is 75O.OO0. 600. and of
these two-thircis are handled in tha;
portion of the empire which comes un-
der the designation of Austria and one
thiId only is handled in the portion Of
ficially known as Hungary. The Ger
TI.lEs III Austria. as We'll a. in Germany.
are great letter writer's. and i'm those
ciiltS OF lnt nltEH states IN which thsa
German population iS numerous NOR,
letters are written in a wear proportion
atsly than in cities in which the German
population Is small.
The Italian post Office handles 35n.-
o"o-OOn letters a year. the post Office
department of Spain. 12n.OO1. 600. of
Canada 100000. 900. of Holland 100. .OOO.-
600, of Belgium 125. .OOO. 900, and of Rus
sIa 2Oo.OO0.O00, a considerable propor-
tion of which Is carried on what are
called the mail coach roads" upon
which postal service the imperial gov
ernment maintains 10000 horses In
France the number of letters handled
10y the post office department is about
7OO.O00.OoO in a year and the receipts OF
the department are about Sg5 OOU. 900. OF
one-haif of thosc of the United States
i he French government. however. doe
a considerable express business. hand
ling more than 10000. 600 parcels. OF al
the rate of one to each inhabitaut of
the country in each year The expendi-
lures of the post office department in
the jnited States exceed the receipts bv
from Ss,OO0,OOO to 10000. 600 in an or
dlnary year. When times are bad there
Is less corresponding done-N. Y sun