The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1900-09-26

mailed daily. This would make q nil,
39,2 feet high, or more than mile
high, not allowing for the compress
sion caused by the incumbent weight
In second-class matter the total mum
Der OF pieces mailed amounted I,
2, 1887 GOO. This is, however, onl,
an estimate, though an official esti
mate; 1T is, undoubtedly, very much
larger. Tho total weight OF matter
paid at pound rates by publishers wa,
3o2 7cc -26 pounds. In addition to this
62. 241,700 pounds were transmitted
| free, and %, 289, ,355 pieces OF transient
matter paid for by stamps were alsc
transmitted, making grand total o
44O, 234 PSI pounds. The total postage
paid amounted to So, 5,09l 322, and, not
| withstanding the great weight OF the
| material carried at pound rates, I,
paid only S., ,527 ,032 OF this amount. The
transportation OF second class matter a,
such an excessively low rate was, OF
| course, the cause Of the postal deficit
OF $3.50, 17G. There are many abuses
| connected with second-class mail, such
as the mailing OF novels, trade organs,
etc., which conform to the letter, but
not to the spirit OF the laws. II every
Postmaster General would make siren.
Gus efforts to rectify these abuses, 1t
would put this department on a paving
basis. Up to the present time, how.
ever, there does not seem to be any
prospect of relief
The weight OF third class matter
carried Is GS.227, l69 pounds, and the
number OF pieces mailed amounts to
IA $50, 600 pieces, and the postage
paid is $40, O,O93,SS2, from which it will
be seen that the amount OF postage
paid in this class is thoroughly ade-
Quate to produce surplus.
The weight OF fourth. class matter Ia
N,776,3i7 pounds. The number OF
pieces mailed is G6, Ia, 900, the postage
paid being So 3,421, ,lS1. rhc weight OF
foreign mail carried is 7,760, 377 pounds,
and the cost is - SAC. 500.
The figures which have just been
shown make imposing totals. The
number of pieces mailed in the fiscal
year which we are considering is 6
SIC 100000. If these pieces OF mail
matter were placed together they
would make band seven feet wide
around the world. The total weight
carried is 664 ,2S6, S6S pounds. To trans
port this enormous weight would re-
quire 33, PA freight cars, forming a
train 800 miles long, hauled by 500
locomotives, aggregating 500, 900 horse
power, and the locomotives alone
would require seven miles OF track. 1t
should be remembered that mail mat.
ter carried on trains Is not packed
tightly, as in tho vast train we are
considering, where it is estimated that
lO tons OF matter are closely packed in
mail bags. AS matter of fact, only
on very few trains is the mail carried
In this way. Sometimes trailer or
supply car Is used, which is pac ked
solid with mail bags, and they are
brought forward to the sorters as be-
comes necessary. 1t is impossible to
make any reliable comparison of mail
as actually carried, and it is possible
TO assume that only freight cars are
filled with mail, for the sake OF arpu-
ment.
We now come to the financial side.
The postal revenue for the fiscal wear
1899 was 800 ,02l.3S4. The total expen-
ditures amounted to $l0l 632, 100, leav-
ing deficit Of ST Gl0,77G. Had lTG,-
35l, 6l3 pounds OF mail matter, which
was really third.class, been transmitted
at the pound rate, and paid for as it
should have been, the financial state
ment would have exhibited surplus
OF $l7, ,G37 $40. Or, il this matter
would pay only nominal rate OF eight
cents q pound, there would have been
a surplus Of So, 1873 1876 in the year we
are considering. The amount of post.
age actually received for a pound of
first class matter was 50 cents :;
second class matter, s cents; third
CLASS -nS,tcr, III cents !; toroiglf mat
ter, Az cents postal cards, 1882. The
expense OF the transportation OF the
mail matter is reckoned at eight cents
u pound.
The number Of registered pieces
carried was 16,0S6 022 There were
20. 97G,3Il Post Otlice money orders
issued, the aggregate value being
1924 95S. 1863. The Dead Letter Onice
received Il S55, ,9S3 pieces OF mail mat
ter. or this amount ;67 4G9 were mis-.
directed, 6l,9l9 were without an ad.
dress, 4,9O3, 700 were unclaimed, aod
ll3,9l7 had fictitious addresses The
number OF stamps issued was 4,9l7,-
69,O25.
The total number of Post Onices In
tho United States is not far from
70 900, and the number Of employees is
estimated at 100000. 1t should be re-
membered in dealing with postal
figures that they are apt to be slightly
erroneous, and in nearly every case
the weights are greater than those
which we have given, though they are
sufficient to show the wonderful magni.
tude OF this most important branch of
the government service.