The times., 1898-11-29
POSTAL SERVICE REVIEW
First Assistant Postmaster
General Heath's Report.
THE WORK In THE COLONIES
A. Now Established In Porto Rico
Mail to the TroOps-Frec Delivery
Service - Rural Delivery The
Eight-Hour Lnw Questionable ney
orders-1he Dead Letter Ohicc.

The annual report of Perry S. Heath.
First Assistant Postmaster General, was
made 10 Postmaster General Smith yes
terday. II is one of the most important
and interesting reports ever made from
this branch of the Postoffice Department
owing to the full account given by Mr..
Heath of the establishment of the postal
service in the new American possessions.
Another new matter of general interest
taken up by him is the establishment and
operation during the last fiscal year Of
the rural free delivery service.
Tho departments under the control of
the First Assistant Postmaster General
are the salary and allowance division,
which includes everything relating to eX-
penditure for the postal service; the new
military postal service in the Philippines.
in Cuba and in Porto Rico. and in the
military camps in this country; the free
delivery system-under which the rural
free delivery has been established during
the year-and the money order system.
In the pages devoted to the establish
nlent of the postal system in Cuba, Porto
Rico and the Philippines. and in the va
rious camps in this country. Mr.. Heath
tells the full story of the work from the
delivery of the first letter at Chickamauga
almost to date, although the report NOM
inally ends with June 30. The system as
at present installed in the new American
possessions is described minutely.
in describing the work of establishing
The Staf finpS ont side of Mr. Heath
says:
Perfection of the Service.
With the development and perfection
of the postal service at the various mill
tary postal stations throughout the coun-
try arrangements for the invasion of the
Spanish territory were being perfected
under the direction of the Secretaries of
Navy and War, and it became necessary
for the Postoffice Department to prepare
for the extension of our military postal
service TO foreign soil. II was decided
that the establishment of postal service
in the evacuated territory should be ere
ated along the same lines as that at the
military camps, each station being under
the direction of a specified postmaster,
and the clerks placed in positions entail
postrasters The first establishment was
at Sibonex. Cuba, some two weeks prior
to the assault upon San Juan Hill and
the capitulation of Santiago de Cuba. This
postal station was designated as Military
Station No. ]. Cuba, and made branch
of the New York postoffice. This service
was placed under the general direction
of Postal Agent Brewer, and upon his
death Mr.. Louis Kempner. an old and ex-
perienced money order and registry clerk
of the New York posi sioffice was placed in
charge.
AT Cayite in the Philippine IslanGs,
Immediately following the triumphant
success of Admiral Dewey, Military Sta
ton, No. /, Philippine Islands, branch
OF the San Francisco postoffice. was es-
tablished. Postal Agent Vaille was plae-
ed I'm charge. Then followed in quick
succession the establishment of Military
Station, No. ], at Ponce, Porto Rico un-
der the jurisdiction of the postmaster at
Washington D. c., and Postal Agent
Robinson was placed in charge.
Daily communication was had be-
tween the Postoffice, Navy and War De-
partments respecting the movement oi
troops and the ernbarking of expeditions
so as to provide for postal establishment,
and with every expedition were postal
representatives with complete postal
supplies. and authority to meet every
emergency. The operations of these for
eign military postal stations are fully
explained in the detailed reports from
the several postal agents in charge, here
with submitted.
Service I'm Porto Rico.
I'VE now have entire control of the
postal service of the island of Porto Rico,
with the central office at Ponce, where we
have also established a postal supply de-
not; control of the postal service in the
southern portion of Cuba. with Santiago
de Cuba as a basis of operation, and OF
the postal service upon the island of Lu-
zon. in the Philippines, with the central
office AT Manila and branch Office at Ca
vite The military postal service in Gu
ba is to be extended northward and final
" to include Havana as the central Of
fee, Immediately following the evacua
tion by the Spanish troops.
For the information of Congress j ap
pend list of postal stations established
in our foreign possessions up to this time
stations in Porto Rico-San Juan. No
4; Ponce, No. !; Mayaguez. No. 3; Guya'
mo- No. 2; Humacao; Aibonlto; Cayey
Coama, No. 8: Yauco. No. 4: Juana DiaZ
No. s: Arecibo: Fajardo; Aguadilla; Ca
guas: Utuado No. G; lsla de Vieques-
stations in Philippine lsiands-Manila
No !; Cavite, No. 2.
Stations in Cuba-Santiago No. i: Bal
uuiri No. .: Guantanamo. No. 3: Baracoa
No. 4: San Luis, No. 5: Manzanillo, No.
tiibara, No. I; Holsuin, No. S; Sagua d
Tanamo, No. g.
Mail to the Troops.
In another place Mr.. Heath says OF III
difficulty in the delivery of mails to tn
new offices:
'At the outbreak of the war all oceal
maiI-carrying contracts were of cours
annulled, and this department was com
PEELED to rely entirely upon such trans
portation as the War Department wa
able to furnish, Considerable confusion
and some delay necessarily occurred TEN
porarily at a few points, but this depart
Ask your doctor how
many preparations of cod