The times., 1898-11-29

that sometimes occurred in the delivery
of mail to the troops both in this coun-
try and in Cuba and Porto Rita, the
blame TO a certain extent being laid on
the military authorities:
Very early in our experience with the
military postal camps the question of
transportation and responsibility in the
distribution of mail after 1t had been
deposited at regimental headquarters,
pouched by regiments, arose and became
a subject of discussion. Under the direc-
tion of the Secretary of War, the officers
in charge of military camps were re-
quired. as / have explained, to furnish
the postoffice authorities as far as prac-
ucable, ambulances or such conveyances
as were available for the transportation
of mails to and from the nearest railroad
| station or base of supplies. We were
soon confronted with inadequate facilities,
| the military officers having all of their
| conveyances engaged in the perfection of
| the military camps, the transportation of
| supplies, and emergency work in gem
eral. Most of the disappointments and
| delays and dissatisfaction growing out
| of the performance of the military postal
| service were due to conditions over which
| the Postoffice Department had no control.
| II was the original design, as l have
heretofore stated, that most IL not all
| of the distribution of the mails should
I
medium of enlisted men, and that nearly
| all of the service performed after mails
| arrived at the nearest railway station
should be by the military authorities.
ut was deemed best to hand over mail,
after it was pouched by companies. to
general regimental detail, whose business
| ii would be to keep trace of every indi-
vidual member of the regiment, so as to
locate him If he was furloughed or dis
charged or in hospital or detailed for the
| performance of any duty. These regi-
mental and company details mail or
| derlies would have access to the orders
issuing from the War Department, chang
ing the location of troops, furloughing,
discharging and invaliding men and max
ing assignment and they could therefore
much better. at any and all times, locate
the addresses. And so IL was at the out
set agreed (and it has since been faith
| fully adhered to- that the actual deliver
les should devolve upon the military au-
| thorities.'
The report says of the contrast between
| the military postal service during this
war and of the war of the rebellion:
81 take much -pleasure .jp this report in
pointing to the efficient military postal
| service this yfaPin con;rastato the crude
but courageously and bravely- executed
military postal Service OF lst1-ls65. 1 do
not mean in any fegree tos reflect upon
the valorous efforts made or the diligence
of the postal and military authorities dur
Ing our civil war in providing a mail SER
vice. They sunquestiohabIy did all that
was then practicable. The high state of
perfection of our regular service at this
| time, however.-~compared- to- the regular
postal service of that period is such as to
warrant the people in expecting much
more now than they could possibly have
hoped for then. and | am gratified to re-
port that with very Pew exceptions dsap-
pointments and losses in the mails have
been rare and not the rule. 1t may have
been that during our civil war much his
tory was made in connection with the mil
itary postal service. but if IT was made /
am unable to find that II has been official
ly recorded"
Free Delivery system.
The free delivery system during the fs-
cal year extended over 6ss Offices, an in
crease of $50 offices during the year The
number of carriers in the country is l3,-
500, an increase of about 700, or SO per
cent. The gross receipts of the free de-
livery office were $50 6s1, ,s04,6S, an increase
of 100000. The cost of the service was
SI3, ,3S. sos 10. an increase of half a million
dollars or A per cent. The percentage
of the cost TO the total receipts was 1852
Mr.. Heath says:
The large increase in the postal reve-
nues, due to the revival of business
throughout the country, has greatly in
creased the list of offices entitled to the
service. The report of the auditor for
the Postoffice Department 1928, shows
that no offices are entitled to the fee
delivery service. Since July /, 1895 tie
service has been established or ordered
established at 81. still leaving 20 to await
the consideration and action of the de-
partment. The department will establish
the service at these offices as rapidly US
possible, and the appropriation for the
current year-namely, s5O.0o0-w;ll, nc
doubt be entirely exhausted for that pur-
pose"
The estimate for the maintenance of the
system during the fiscal year beginning
July !. 1899, is sl4,5l2 200, an increase oi
. s7lI, $50.
The EfSht-Hour Law.
: With regard to the eight-hpur law in tbs
postal service, Mr.. Heath says:
: After ten years Of earnest effort OF
the part of this department to enforce
the law entitled An act to limit tht
hours that letter-carriers shall be EN-.
ployed per day. 1t is forced to the con
: clusion that the law in its present form
cannot be practically applied to the con
ditions and circumstances peculiar to tht
free delivery service without causing
much loss to the department and man,
hardships 10 the employees for who's
l benefit its enactment was intended. IL
: a service where the amount of work to b.
done varies so much from day to day
it is impossible to provide every da!
exactly eight hours employment consec
/, utively or at intervals On one, two, ant
: possibly three days of the week til,
amount of mail to be delivered and col
j, lected requires the employment of tn
carriers for the full eight hours, while o,
= the other days seven hours or sevel
, hours and a half are ample for the fu
!: and efficient performance of the day
g work.
Rural Free Delivery.
OF the rural free delivery service til
e report says in part:
e Service over $50 rural carrier routes
not heretofore covered, have been put Il
n operation since my first annual repor;
e These deliveries have been established i
: the States of California, Colorado, Della
: / ware, Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, lows
s Massachusetts,, Michigan, Nebraska. Ne,
n Hampshire, New York, North Dakota
+ Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Yves
Virginia Investigations are in progres
which will probably result in the exten
i, sion of the service over at least fifty ad
ditional districts with such number @
carriers assigned to each district as tn
service may seem to demand and the in
| of da1i INT