The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-12-10

The postoffce receipts of city are one
OF the commonly accepted items Of In
formation for calculating its commerce
Like other statistics, its value as an index
Of prosperity and development Is best
shown when compared with the receipts
OF other towns through q term OF years.
In this manner the item IL Of service az
showing how business at any given point
Is increasing or otherwise, as compared
with such other cities, and with the help
OF similar comparisons In other lines the
question Of the relative position OF each
in tie onward march of development may
be fairly determined.
The relative growth of the postof1ce
business in the cities OF washington and
Oregon Is case In point. Portland 10
complacently remarking the fact that the
receipts OF her postoffce are the larg-
est of any Of the cities Of these states.
but the prior history Of tho comparison
she, seems to have forgotten.
IT IL q fact that the receipts of the
Portland office are slightly in excess of
those of Seattle and Tacoma combined.
but 4 i also true that only ten years
ago they were equal to those OF Seattle,
Tacoma and Spokane combined. eleven
years ago mora than those Of Seattle,
Tacoma, Spokane and Butte combined,
fourteen years age more than double
those of Seattle. Tacoma. and Spokane
combined. and fifteen years ago nearly
four times those Of Seattle and Spokane
combined. 1t Is also true that nineteen
years ago the receipts Of the state Of
Oregon were nearly three times those
OF Washington. and more than those of
washington and Montana combined. and
the receipts of Washington . year ago
exceeded those OF Oregon by 16 per cent.
If Portland keeps progressing at this
rate It will only be short time until
the Oregonian is printing tables to prove
that the receipts Of Portland exceed those
OF Seattle alone. and later that Seattle
Is not very much ahead of her. At the
same rate OF progress Portland has main
tanned for the last fifteen years, In 1914
she will be claiming $2S5.000 receipts in q
receipts to be ses So % This Is the way
Portland Is progressing, according TO the
official statements published by the post
office department at Washington.
POrtland's slow Growth.
The receipts OF the Portland Office have
Increased exactly 151.6 per cent. since the
fiscal year of 1854, while In Seattle they
show . growth of 1853 per cent; in Ia
Spokane. Of 1.2so per cent, and In Butte.
of 2SS per cent. The average yearly in-
crease OF the receipts Of Portland, taking
isss. has been Is per cen.. While s the In
crease in Seattle has been 1872 per cent.
There Il another thing that is not given
CIcQlI ~ the FCTtlauQ paper, ana tHdL -
that the Portland Office receipts include
those OF the entire city limits, including
Albtna and East Portland, which were
added to the main ONCE in 1928; but
Seattle. on the contrary. has five other
Offices In the city limits and five adjoining
the city limits, which are entirely separate
and are nos supplied with stamps. ETC.,
from the main once. Those In the city
limits are Fremont, Ross, Latona, Green
Lake and Ravenna. and those outside are
Ballard. West Seattle, South Seattle. Du-
vanish and South Park, The receipts Of
Seattle would lessen the large claims of
Portland to q great extent, II not entirely
doing away with the latter's excess.
It Is interesting to note table showing
the relative growth of the postofiice bust
neag OF the two cities. In 1854 Portland was
in excess OF Seattle by 80 per cent, and
two years later by 416 per cent: but then
the young city on the Sound took sud-
den plunge forward, and by 1890 had cut
this figure down to a. and then gradually
down, to 47N. the percentage by which
Portland led last June 30. In the same
way, only more pronounced, this state has
come up, when compared with Oregon. In
LIS Oregon was ahead to the extent of "a
per cent. but six years later Washington.
which had been making rapid strides,
passed the even mark, and since then has
been building up an excess on her ac-
count. which now shows more than Is per
cent. ahead OF her competitor on the south.
Seattle and stnte Gains.
These percentages are shown in the fol.