Evening star., 1897-05-01

would rise and business would be good the
whole country over
amae,r. a9w about asnar.,1 reciprocity with South
.'The reciprocity treaties were good ones.
I hope the policy will be re-enacted."
The Post Office Department..
'How do you like your work in the Post
Office Department. General. and do you see
any room for improvement there"'
Il am just beginning to get my hands on
the work of the department" replied the
Postmaster General. 1T Is a big estab-
lishment, and / find that a great amount
of time has to be taken up in receiving
callers. Why, l talk personally with from
two to three hundred men every day, and,
in addition to this, have our whole mail
system to master. AS to improvements. q
business man can always see things which
might be bettered 1t seems to me that
Uncle Sam does much of his business in
an extravagant way, though the size Of
the machine makes this to some extent
necessity"
"Will the Post Office Department ever
pay it's own expenses, general? 1t now runs
several millions behind every year"
Yes, l know it runs behind" was the
reply, land l doubt whether it will ever
pay what it costs. AS the receipts increase
the people demand lower rates of postage
and better mail facilities, which viii keep
the average where 1t is now. We are. how
ever, putting in some Improvements which
are the pneumatic tubes, which we are in
Producing into the larger cities. We will
have one from 42d street in New York to
the post office building, with branches
reaching to all parts of the city. AS 1t Is
now, it takes about an hour and half to
get letters from 42d street to the general
pest office. By the pneumatic tubes we
will put them there in seven minutes. An
enormous increase of mail will be the re-
suit, and also an increase of income.
Have you anything that you are es-
pecially anxious to add to the postal ser
vice, General Gary?'
YES" replied the Postmaster General
Il would like to see postal savings banks
established all over the country, and
hope to be able to get legislation through
Congress to that effect. Such banks might
be founded in connection with 2 per cent
bond issued by tine government, and might
result in these bonds being held by the peo-
pie in every part of the country. They
would give foundation for the establish
ing of national banks everywhere and they
would bind our people together. Every
man that held a bond would be a patriot
There would be no more borrowing money
from England, and there would be millions
who would save who are not saving now.
1 don't believe in the fear many peopIs
have Of a national debt, and 1 think, in
many respects, Ben Butler was right when
he said that public debt was national
blessing"
But would not the banks object to postal
savings banks?"
Il think not replied General Gary. II
am connected with the Baltimore Savings
Bank. one of the largest of the kind in the
country. We do not allow more than sos a
week to be deposited by one person. We.
like many other savings banks, have more
deposits than we know what to do with
and we have had sometimes to ask people
to take back their money. The money
which the post office savings banks would
get would. for the most part, come from
people who do not deposit now, and 1 do
not tnink there would be a great objection
on the part of the banks"
FRANK G. CARPENTER.