The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-12-10

Net annual cost Of rural free de. .
livery .,............. ..........,..'. .Sl5,'oz'z-
II thus appears that rural free delivery can u
extended practically over the whole country a
an annual cost Of less than sii,oooooo.
Correction of abuses in second clas
mall matter, as several times contem
plated In the Loud BILL which con
gress has repeatedly defeated. and al
again advocated by the rostnaste
general, would save the governmen
within a few thousand dollars o.
enough to meet the whole net cost o.
free delivery to the 81 100000 people
who live on the farms Of the United
| States.
STATISTICAL INFORMATION.
The report reviews the postal opera
tions in the new dependencies, giving
q complete and candid review of tht
postal frauds in Cuba, together WIN
the steps taken to correct them and
to punish the guilty: and In various
places it presents the ppended sta
tistical information.
Money sent by money order system last year
$2jj. go. .227.9 %, an Increase OF S3O'll ,6|.
| Number free delivery offices Io5, with 1o,"2:
carriers, costing sll,jl.lDo.
| OF the Id.G>S postoilccs in the United states
| 30.237 are money cy.oider Offices.
| Number inland mail routes Sj,329. having
| length Of joOps9 miles, Oh which the ann,ia
| travel amounted to 4io,26,TI3 miles, costing
| sjj liG,Oj01G.
There are .2iS lines of travelling posoffces "
! operation thruuglon, the country. having tota
length OF l7s, $50 miles and requiring the SER
| vices OF s.7Di clerks, who, in crews. Travelled Il
| distance of 2OOG7o.1sj miles. The demand upon
| the railway mail service required the Use o'
| 3GjS cars and parts oi cars 20 street railway
cars in cities. and - apartments "n steamboat
| lines. 1t is estimated that l3,I026OI,if pieces
OF ordinary mail were handled, together will,
l'S50 lS packages. cases. ana SACKS OF registered
| mattor. and the errors OF all kinds amounted IL
| but one in every 1919 pieces distributed Casu
| al,ici occurring III :hc railway mail service
| amounted q 2is. of which were killed. s:
seriously injured. and Isl slightly injured.
The sum OF S2.0li ,537.0b was expended during
the year for the transportation of foreign mails.
There were li,soi,1o, pieces OF mail matter dis
rioutcd in transit ly the clerks Of the ocean
| mail service.
There were carried in the registered mails
curing the year. for the postotilcc department
and the treasury department alone, articles ag-
.,:cgating in value over one and onc-half billion
dollars. and yet but seventeen articles, of q
value Of s2u7.;7, were lost Statistics from tine
other departments. were they at hand, would
greatly enhance this crrditable showing.
There p2,02a complaints relating to the
loss OF ordinary mail received at the department.
careful investigation. which was made in
Go,2os of these eases disclosed that in 12,0c7
there had been no actual loss.
There were Tl2J 900, ,202 pieces Of mail matt or
c' all kinds handled in our postoifcrs during
the wear. These were divided as follows: Lei
tn, I.,tI np,lf ftu, : A .fnl Nar1s
5,1,sl3,25O; newspapers ana periodicals. known
as second-class matter, 2.:t56, ,GS,3T; third and
fourth class matter S75, COS.
Sccond-rlass matter was mailed by publishers
and rcws agents 10 the extent of 3S2 .j3S,o00
pounds, and tho postage paid thereon amounted
to &3,S25,3S4."9. To form a fair estimate Of the
total amount Of this class Of matter mailed an
nlally, the weight Of that which is mailed free
in counties OF publication should he added. This
gives Il total Of 4j0.04j,sSl pounds, which rep
resents the gross weight oi second-class matter
carried in the mails last wear at the rate Of
one cent pound.
Special delivery stamps were used To the
value of sC21,sTi.;0. and 'hc expenses of this
service amounted to siI7,lsi97 After deducting
the cost OF manufacture and incidental expenses,
it is shown that the government realized II profit
of slT ,sao35 from the special delivery service.
There were $500 postoi,ices established during
tnuanccs were made to the number Of l.0lZ.
which is io7 more than during last year. Within
the same period l5,l12 postmasters were ap,
pointed. OF which T01 were OF the presidential
grade and li,i"j Of the tou!th class
In the course OF the year a total Of l,526 ar
rests were made for violations OF the postal laws.
OF this number 10 were postmasterS, 90 assist
ant postmasters As clerks in postoilices, rail-
way postal clerks, 10 letter carriers 30 mail
carriers, 10 employees in minor positions. The
remainder not connected in any way with
the service. The majority Of these were
tried in the United States courts; in 526, con-
vctonS wer" secured, and 500 eases were pend
ing at the close of the year. In the state courts
81 cases were disposed OF. convictions resulting
in Il" and 2s We're left pending.
The number Of frst-c!ass postofTices is 19t;
sccond-cllss, So; thr-class. 3.lS7 and fourth
class 72.iIj
During the last fiscal year 9si claims OF post
masters for losses resulting from burglary. fire.
or other unavoidable casualty were considered,
ami allowances made To the amount Of $50, 80
of the total amount for losses. sl2177.77 was Tor
postal funds. Sji,f62aj for postage stamps and
stamped paper ard Sll.7o for money order
funds. The sum "t Sl;,l ~ was allowed lpr
los, hy fire. Sis0Is.1> by burglary. SI.076.s2 by
robbery and Larceny, Sl,l3Ga2 while in transit
from poslot'ices 10 depository offices, and S7Sj.0
by miscellaneous causes.
LEGISLATION NEEDED.
The following recommendations for.
legislation by congress are renewed:
That an act ne passed u punish persons who
By force attempt to enter car or apartment il,
i car used for the distribution oi mail OF who
may assault a railway mail clerk while in tie
discharge NJ his duties AS such.
That statute be- enacted providing ior the
compulsory separation by publishers ut second
class mail matter
That the interstate -conlnricc law be amended
10 prohibit common carriers, TO wit, telegraph
and express companies, or any oi their employ,s,
'roin aiding and ahc,ting in tine green goods ~
lottery swindlcS, or any o,ner scheme carried on
partly by mail and partly by common carrier
md which Is in violation oi the postal laws.
That statute lie enacted authorizing postof-
Ice inspectors to take on, search warrants when
Ncr the same may he necessary in the prosccu-
ion oi their official duties.
That an appropriation he made ior the purpos, |
II constructing lookoUts in postoiliccs wherever,
n the opinion oi the postmaster general they |
nay lie needed. |
That provision bo made Tor the payment Of |
Incidental expenses incurred by local officers or |
'thcis in the arrest, detention, and keeping OF |
prisoners charged with violations Of the pos,al |
avs until such prisoners can bc transferred To
he custody oi United States MARSHAL
DEATH OF MRS. M'LEAN.
lH-A l.