The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-23
POSTOFFICE STATISTICS
ANNUAL REPORT OF FIRST ASSIST
ANT POSTMASTER GENERAL.
Several Important RecOmme ndatiOns
Submitted by MIR. Henth-Sug-
EestiOns of General Miles.

WASHINGTON, Oct 22.-The report of
First Assistant Postmaster General Perry
S. Heath for the fiscal year ending June 80
was made public to-day In it special at
tention is called to the necessity of addi-
tional facilities for the division of salaries
and allowances, but above all other recon-
mendations 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 into post
masters acquisitions and demands and to
reach a correct idea of public business mat
tiers that cannot be obtained by correspond
ence. There should also be fixed a more Sc
we're penalty for the punishment of post
masters who peddle postage stamps with
view to increasing their own salaries, re-
sulting in a diminution of the net receipts
of the government. Authority should be
given to secure leases of postoffice stations
for period Of ten years instead of five
years.
The report continues: $50 much is gained
by our recent policy of consolidation of
postoffices and the establishment or extern
sion of the free delivery that 1 urge such
action by Congress as Will give greater lati-
tude of discretion in the use of specific APP
preparations. Two assistant superintend-
ents of free delivery system have been APP
pointed, one to be located at New York and
the other at Chicago, with proper plenary
power and primary jurisdiction
On July / there were 1888 presidential
postoffices, embracing 1863 first-class, $50 sec
ond-class and 2,S14 third-class. The net in
crease for the year in the salaries of the
pOStmaSterS at these offices is 1877 600. The
increase in presidential postmasters' sal
aries for the fiscal year was $3.50, SEQ With
the consolidation of the present independ-
ent postoffices within the limits of the new
city of New York a saving of at least $50, 723
in salaries and commissions of postmasters
will be effected. Another considerable re-
ductiOn in expenses may be made by the
merging, or the adjustment in many cases
of the several heads of divisions and other
officials receiving the higher salaries. Con-
greSS should not only repeal the law pro-
viding that no postoftice established at any
county seat shall be abolished or discon-
tinued by reason of any consolidation Of
postoInces under rthe existing laws, but
should also authorize the postmaster gen
eral to extend consolidation wherever in
his belief the service may be thereby bene-
fted
The estimates for the fiscal year ending
June 80, 1888, embraces $16,25000O for COM
penSatiOn of pOStmaSterS; for clerk hire,
81 900; rental and purchase of canceling
machines. $l25,000s rent, fuel and light, ST.,
10000; miscellaneous items and furniture,
100000, and advertising $40 COO.
A plea is made for the purchase Of the
postal stations in the larP~r cities and that
for the Redistribution G. postotfice clerks
>
service for the fiscal year ending June 80,
1892 is $13, SIC 400. Since the close of the fis-
cal year 1897 the service has been estab
llshed in more than forty offices, and be-
fore the close of the current year all the
offices entitled to the service will receive
the same.
Domestic and international money orders
issued aggregated 26.113,240 amounting to
$lSS071 ,056; aggregate number Of payments
and repaymentS 566, amounting to
$1S0141 $50. There were 1876, 1860 pieces of
original unclaimed matter received at the
dead letter office, a decrease of ZIG, 403.
The special letter and collection boxes,
operated in Baltimore in connection with
the public street-car service is held to be
will be extended to other cities The aff1x-
ing of letter boxes to 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 up to date aggregate 81, S20, 000 The
total claims will reach So 500 900.
Rural free delivery has been put to the
test OF practical experiment in twenty-nine
States and over forty-four different routes.
The cooperation of the communities served
has in every instance been effectively
given. The general satisfactory results
suggest the feasibility of making rural de-
livery a permanent feature of postal adj
ministration in the United States, not inn
mediately or in all districts at once but in
some gradual and graduated form regu-
lated by the present experiments.
Public policy requires some advancement
to be made and that the postal service
should be brought more INFO line with adj
vancing prosperity and increasing popula-
ton. Sooner or later the United States will
have to follow the lead of the more dense
livery service over all the settled portions
of its vast territory. Under wise restric-
tions it can be extended, with great advan-
tage, to class of citizens who, rightly or
wrongly, deem themselves neglected in
leigislation-the agricultural class-and
without serious detriment to the revenues.