Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-11-25

enacts that no post Office established at
any county seat shall be discontinued by
reason Of any consolidation of post Offices
made by the Postmaster General, is once
more respectfully urged upon the attention
of Congress. Instances are numerous
where free delivery could be extended ovsr
territory not heretofore favored, at great
saving to the government and an incr ease
of efficiency to the service, provided free
dom of conso idation were allowed and the
salaries of postmasters at offices CONSOLE
dated were made available for the employ
ent of slperintendents and clerks at sta
tons established in place of the consolidat-
ed offices.
Classification of Clerks.
The existing law. providing for the clas-
sification of clerks in first and second
class post offices, as embodied in section
451 OF Postal Laws ana Regulations, Is found
to be ambiguous and defective. A bill III.
r. 45S2) was introduced at the last session
of Congress to remedy these defects, and
to give proper designation and sp &C f1c
salary to each emp.oye 1t is believed that
the passage of tn bill would enc urage
many intelligent and competent clerks to
remain In the classified pest Office service
who now, disheal tered by the low salar.t s
and the difficulties of advancement, con-
tinue in office only long enough to enable
them to secure more lucrative positions in
other VCcatfoBS.
1t is also suggested that the department
should have authority to make an allow
ance for clerk hire. without regard to the
class of the Office, at any pest office where
it is satisfactorily shown that the post
master. by devoting his entire time to the
cuties. cannot satisfactorily meet the puo-
lie demands.
During the year there were 2S,753, 412
of s2O4, 593, $50 90. These figures show the
phenomenal increase Of 100000 in the
number of money orders issued during the
last fiscal year, and an increase CT more
than s16OO0a 900 in the total amount of
money carried by this service over last
year, and indicate the return of commercial
ac WITTY and bus ness pro ri y. Slnce the
formation of the money Oldcr system N
the United States in 1865 there has never
amount of business transacted in one year
over the year Immediately preceding. The
greatest annual Increase previously re-
CCrued was 100000.
The Mail Transportation Service.
Statistics given in the report of the sec
ond assistant postmaster general show
that at the close Of the last fiscal year The
total number of inland mail routes WAS
81, 79j, having length of 4S0, 46l miles and
resulting in an annual travel CT 434, 3S2, 691
miles This is an increase Of 1904 in the
number of routes. of 10 429 miles in the
length of routes and of 13,4S2212 mics in
annual travel This result was obtained
with an increase in the annual rate of OK
penditure of only 81 ,534, 100.
At the close of the last fiscal year the
mai were be ng carried over ia, III m Il 8
Of railroad, on which lie annua! travei was
PSI ,5S5,612 miles, at an annual rate of eX
penditure of $50, S6,3I5.S9.
Railway Mail Service.
On June 80. 1893, there were 126S lines of
travelling post offices (railWay, steamboat
and electric and cable cars, covering
67, 100 miles in length; the number of clerks
employed was S,O14; the annual travel by
them in crews was 1877 49,. 1877 miles; adding
to this the closed-pouoh and express-pouch
service the total number of miles travelled
was 80, J63, :}4i. There were handled dur
ing the year II 22,. Io6, 30 pieces of ordinary
mail, besides 17O11,1OS pieces of registered
matter and 591 ,492, 400 pieces of city mail.
,The improperly addressed and ilegible mat
ter amounted to 1898 iS6 pieces, of which
I,GJ',JAJ were returned to writers or cor
rectcd and forwarded to destination, the re-
mainder being sent to the dead letter office
for disposition. The Postmaster General
continues:
at is with great regret that / report that
during the year there has been larger
number of casualties than in any previous
year, the total number being 591, in which
seven railway postal clerks were killed. "a
seriously injured and JAG slightly injured.
1t is urged that some provision be made by
Congress for the relief of the families of
those clerks who are killed while duty,
and of those who are permanently disabled
or injured in the discharge of their duty.
Il wish to renew the recommendation fire.
quently made by my predecessors for legs-
lation ehecting the Reconsideration of the
railway mail service: providing punishment
for persons who attempt to enter a postal
re- T. " yIh m aJl1t rail
al clerk while in the discharge of his duty
as such, and requiring publishers of news
Lapers to make primary separation of their
papers and periodicals for mailing.
During our recent war with Spain the
mailbag repair shop connected with this
department was able to render emergency
service to the War Department in the max
ing of tents for the use of the army"
He reviews the letting of the Stamped-en-
velOpc contract and says the wisdom of this
action is shown in the reduction of 81. 400 900
in cost to the government for this work.
Proposed Ocean Penny Postage.
The proposal of ocean penny postage"
has been the subject of discussion during
the past few years and has recently excit-
ed renewed interest In connection with the
adoption of this rate between England and
her colonies. The project is attractive, and
there is much to be said for it; but the con-
ditfons under which we approach its treat
ment are very different from those which
prevail In other nations Other countries
have Shorthand transit. while our land dis
lance is often greater than the ocean dis
lance. Taking into account the area COW
cred, our rate is lower than that of other
nations. Without now discussing the OBJ
jections involved in providing sea payment
when the ocean rate shall be reduced to the
domestic rate or the question whether a
reduced domestic rate ought not to precede
reduced ocean rate, these considerations
seem to make it clear that the immediate
contemplation of SO marked change, how
ever desirable in itself, would be premature
Nail Service in Alaska.
The excitement caused by the gold dis
coveries on the Yukon river resulted in the
rapid increase of population in the towns
and villages of southern Alaska, as well as
in the settlement of a large number of
towns in the interior. The mails We're
greatly congested in the southern post Off
ces, and the interior towns We're unable to
secure any mail service whatever
To relieve this condition of affairs two
inspectors were sent to make investiga-
tons and recommendations to that end
On account of the long distance to be
traversed in reaching this territory and the
necessary delay in mail communication,
these inspectors were furnished with tho