The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-11-26
The Postal Ser
vice in w ar.
THE ANNUAL REPORT
Interesting Facts 10y Post
master General Smith.

Washington NOV. 25.-The most in
teresting review of the postal service
for some years. owing to its operations
in military and naval fields, is the re-
port Of Postmaster General Charles
Emory Smith. Aside fro-sl the discus
sion Of regular branches of the &c
partment. it tells of the work accom-
plished and policies adopted in our ter
ritorial acquisitions The postmaster
general says:
The war entailed the necessity Of a
military postal service, and prompt
measures were requested for handling
the mails of an army of a quarter of
a million men. Large post offices We're
suddenly created at the camps Of con
centration, the eXigencies of constant
changes and movements were met and
the military and naval forces on active
service in the West indies and Philip
pines have been in prOmpy and constant
postal communication with home.
when our troops advanced irIO
Cuba, says the report the postal
service moved with them. Upon the
surrender Of Santiago de cuba the pos
tai agent of the United States, under
the authority of the president and in
cooperation with the military com
mander, took possession of the post Of
fee of that city which was made the
military post office.
THE postal service accompanied our
arms and our flag TO Porto Rico. Begin
ming at Ponce, it was extended as rap
idly as our troops possessed themselves
Of different places, until there are now
in the island Il military postal sta
tons, having postal connection with
many smaller places.
In the Philippines two military pos
tai stations have been established at
Manila and Cavite, which are under
the supervision of an experienced diyis-
ion superintendent detailed from san
Francisco.
statistics given in the report of the
second assistant postmaster general
show that at the close Of the last fiscal
year the total number of inland mail
routes was SO, 1875, having a length of
4S0,461 miles, and resulting in an annual
travel of 434. 332, 691 miles. This is an
increase of 1904 in the number Of
routes of 10,429 miles in the length
of routes, and Of 13,4S2.212 miles in an
nual travel This result was obtained
with an increase in the annual rate of
expenditure of only 81 534 ZOO At the
close of the last fiscal year the mails
We're being carried over 174.777 miles of
railroad, on which the annual travel
was 2Sl,5S5.612 miles. at an annual rate
OF expenditure of see, 1S6, 1883
Mail service, by means Of electric
and cable cars, was increased during
the fiscal year by SO routes, 518 miles
in length and l,050G2 miles in annual
al
plies those towns and villages remote
from lines Of railroads and steamboats,,
was increased to the extent of 1882, $40
miles Of annual travel although the
annual rate of expenditure was reduced
by s5S,311,93.
Increases were made in the steamboat
service aggregating 2614 miles in
length, 229 90S miles in annual travel.
and S2613317 in annual rate of expendi-
ture In the mail messenger service
there was a decrease of 98.477 miles in
annual travel and of $3S.89S8S per an
mum in cost. On June 80. 1898. there were
z06 wagon routes in cities costing $734 .
1881 per annunl. an increase over the
previous year of 35 routes and $50. 767. 81
In the details of the administration
the report gives great deal of inter
esting information. A portion follows:
During the year there We're 10 SOC. 22O
pieces of mail matter registered at the
postoffices in the United States The
amount of fees collected was S99S 1879
being an increase in amount of business
done of ~ per cent over the previous
year.
There were 6,2l4,4 600 pieces of mat
ter of all kinds placed in the mail dur
ing the year, of which letter mail paiC
and free. amounted to 2825, 767 600 and
newspapers and periodicals. constitut-
ing second class matter. We're mailed
to the number of 1903 916 ,000
The special delivery business trans.
acted during the year brought profit
to the government of $116,407 the value
of the stamps sold being $4S7. 346 anC
the amount paid to the 1903 messengers
employed being 1870, 383 The cost Of
manufacturing the stamps necessary
was but S55557.
The total number of postage stamps
stamped envelopes, postal cards etc
issued to postmasters during the year
was ASIA, $4,000 having a total value O
SSf.3123l0.37, an increase in value o
1850, 1876. or 1854 per cent over The
issues of the previous year
The weight of second class matte
mailed by publishers and news agents
during the year at the pound rate o
postage was 3S6,126,3 1913 pounds upoI
which So, 361 263.3 S postage was collected
The records of the department SHOW
tfdI during the last nScal year $50
postoffices were established, an increas,
of 1000 over the year 1897; 1916 office!
were discontinued, being III more thar
i'm the previous year; on June 30. 1898
there were 1916 postofiices of the presi
dental class, being an increase Of 81
over last year: the number of fourth
class pOstoffices was &c. 754. an increas,
in this class of 2494 offices; the tota
number of pOstoffices of all classes
the end of the fiscal year was 1880. al
increase of 2548 over the previous year
During the year there were %. So
postmasters appointed, Of which mum
Der 2157 were appointed TO offices of tn,
presidential class There We're 23.49
appointments of fourth class postmast
ers.
In 1880 the gross revenue Of the de
partment was $33, BIS 479, and the gros.
expenditure was $36. 542 S04: the number
of post offices was $4,000 and the tota
number of postage stamps stamped
envelopes and wrappers, and posta
cards issued was 1867, 397 047. In the
fiscal year 1898 the gross revenue was
ss9012,61S and the gross expenditure
was $98 033,523 the number of post Off