The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1897-10-29
OFFICIAL HEADSMAN."
Fourth Assistant Bristow Gives Ac.
count of His Stewardship.
Interesting Figures Regarding the Most
Important Branch of Uncle Sans Serv-
ice-New Post Ofices Established
Suggestions to Improve Service.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 26.-The follow.
ing abstract of the annual report of
Fourth Assistant Postmaster General
Bristow was made public yesterday:
In the establishment of post offices it has
been the policy of this bureau since the begin
ming Of the present administration to establish
a new post Office wherever it is desired. and il
is shown that it will accommodate reasonable
number Of people the purpose being to give
the people the most convenient mail facilities
possible, believing that such policy contrib
utes to popular intelligence and good citizen
ship
York ranks first with 81 12 per capita expended
in the use of the mails, and South Carolina is
the lowest, with S029 per capita During the
year there were: Post offices established L.
col; post offices discontinued, 939; names and
sites changed, 1867; appointments on changes
Of name and site, $50; appointments Of fourth
class postmasters upon resignation, 1899; ap-
pointments Of fourth-class postmasters upon
removal. 5.115; appointments Of fourth-class
postmasters upon deaths, 722 offices relegated
70 fourth class, % During the year 1874 ofices
became presidential
The report on the appointment Lewiston
closes with a table showing the number of post
ofiices in operation in the United States from
1870, when there were IS, to 1897, with II, OBJ.
During the year there have been 1893 post
masters reported to the bond division by the
auditor for delinquencies. and Abs notices
have been sent sureties of postmasters advising
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
10 750O 600. Four thousand two hundred and
seventy-five of these cases were investigated
and closed. In 3 $50 of these cases it was dis
covered that no actual loss had occurred, and
in 1,O67 cases the full amount of loss alleged
was recovered. leaving only ass cases in which
actual loss was sustained, or only one loss for
every q, $40 pieces of registered mail handled
During the year there were LIS complaints
received affecting ordinary mail matter; 81, IA
referred to letters; 81, 004 referred to packages
an increase of 3 165 over the number of COM
plants received during the previous year
There were on hand at the beginning of the
fiscal year %, Ia cases. Adding the number re-
ceived during the year we have 1885 for con-
sideration. of which s., 500 were disposed of.
The total number of arrests for offenses
against the postal laws made during the year
was 1852. OF this number l05 were postmas-
tiers, A were assistant poStmaSters, AZ clerks
in post offices, IL railway postal clerks, "a let
ter carriers 80 mail carriers and II others en-
ployed IN minor positions in the postal service.
The total number of post Office burglars ar
rested was 34S, and the remaining 924 were per-
sons in no way connected with the postal Serv-
ice
The following are a number of the
most important recommendations
made:
That severer penalty be provided for en-
ployeS Of the service who may be found guilty
Of embezzling or destroying newspaper mail.
An amendment to the statute making the
de1re3ationS by railway postal clerks con-
tinuous ofenSe, in order to avoid the difficult
task of proving in which particular district
the Ofense was committed.
That more stringent statutes be enacted COW
ering green goods and obscene matter, and
in this connection the amending Of section S34,
postal laws and regulations of 1898 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 S31. postal laws
and regulations of 1898 as amended. The pur-
pose being to avoid distractions to and miscar-
rage 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 10 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
10 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 be taken up and considered, with
the view of effecting some legislation, which
If it would not entirely do away with them as a
medium of exchange, may at least curtail the
extent of their use in this manner.