The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-04-07

Our Postoflce Gets Into the First Glass
Lfst-TheSales Of stamps andStamped
Envelopes Amounts 20 s4O,5OOaYear.
Impros ements I'm the Seryiee and the
Ruilding

| Envelopes 20 $40,
ements I'm the Servfce and the
Building
An absolute indication of the conn
/ mercial prosperity of a city is the re-
| ceipts Of its p~ostofice for the sale of
| stamps n stamped envelopes. When
such sales reach $4,000 a year, a post
| office is put into the first class. The
| postoffice fiscal year ended March list,
n as the receipts were running so
| close to $4,000. Postmaster William II.
| Chadbourn was anxious to reach he
first class mark. He was a happy man
| yesterday when he informed a Messen-
| ger representative that the receipts
not only reached the $4,000 notch. but
ran up to $40. 500.
Last a the receipts were s37. 700,
and the year before $34, $40. We can
see, therefore, that the receipts have
increased at a clip Of &about So. 900 a
year. Five years ago the receipts were
about 3 10000, and this years receipts
show that the increase in ten years has
been SO 1-3 per cent. 1t must be borne in
mind that the receipts from the sale
of stamps and stamped envelopes only
are considered, and that the SAC, 500
business done by Postmaster Chad
bourn is exclusive of the money order
business. We learn, however, that in the
money order business the transactions
done tn epast year exceed that of the
previous year by rs per cent.
Wilmington is the only first class Of
flee in North Carolina, and one of the
advantages will be hat it will entitle
the office to all the latest improvements
in the postal business. The service
VIII also be increased in efficiency. as
it will entitle the office to four d
tional clerks and probably five. It will
also be entitled to one more, if not
two, nail carriers. There are now
eight carriers. and Postmaster Chad
bourn tells us that they are unable to
deliver the mails. Some days they have
to bring back a large amount of mail,
as the regulations will not allow them
to work over eight hours. When their
eight hours Of service expire they have
to stop and return TO the office with
what mail is undelivered. So strict
! are the regulations that if a carrier
works over his time he is liable to
discharge, without he has a mighty
good excuse. When his time is up on
his route, he simply has to come in, as
he cannot continue work, even if he
desires TO do so, and not receive a cent
for it. One carrier yesterday had to
bring back owe a bushel of dalivered
mail.
Postmaster Chadbourn has already
applied to the poctoffice department for
the additional help he is entitled to,
although he cannot get it until after
July LIST, when the postal appropriation
becomes availcDle. The increase in re-
ceipts at the Wilmington postoffice also
gives the postmaster more pay.The SAL
airy for the year just ended will be So, 900
to $4,000 the previous yeai. Three
years g the salary was 50, 800. The
expense Of conducting the postoffice
in 1897 was SIG, 30S and the past fiscal
year it will be about $500 more than
that. Some idea Of the large business
at our pCstoffice may be had when it
is stated that The daily receipts at the
stamp window average about 500. The
increase in the business speaks loud
for Wilmington, and croakers should
now go in their holes and pull them in
after them.
The fact that Wilmington has ad-
postoff1ce is astonishing, when there
are so few in the United States, com
p~aratively speaking. In Maryland
there is only one, Baltimore. In vir-
ginia, Richmond, Norfolk and Lynch
burg are first class offices. Wheeling
is the only first class office in West
Virginia, n Charleston is the only in
South Carolina. Georgia has four
Atlanta, Savannah, Augusta and Ma
con.
The postal statistics of the United
States show a most wonderful growth.
In 1887 the gross receipts were s5,OOO,-
900, and in 1898 they were $50, 600, 900. In
1888 the gross receipts were $50, 900, 900,
so that it will be observed that in ten
years the increase has been $751;
600, 900. Last year the gross receipts
fell short by only SO, 900, 900 of paying
the expense of the postofice business
Of the country and it is ~easonab to
suppose hat in a very few years the
department will be sustained without
an additional appropriation.