The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-11-03
COST OF POSTAL SERVICE
ANNUAL REPORT COVERING THE
EXPENSE OF TRANSPORTATION
OF MAIL
RURAL MAIL BOX A SUCCESS
System VIII BE Extended in Future
Star Route OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
ments in Alaskan Mail
Delivery.

w AodINGION, Nov. 1.-The annual
report of w. S. Shallenberger, second as
sistant postmaster general, was made
public today. 1t shows that on June
80 last the annual rate of expenditure for
inland mail service was $55, JAG, ESQ., for
foreign service $2,014,538; total expendi-
lures, $751; 1905
There were q, S94 star routes, with
total mileage of 269, S5S, involy-sa Un an
nual rate of expenditure of IS, 1873, 37S;
1,943 special office routes; 1872 steamboat
routes, 2,66S railroad routes (annual eX-
pense, 1913, 424, 1879; 22S railway postoffice
car routes annual expense, 81, 1863, 000);
S,595 railway postoffice clerks (annual eX-
pense, $685. 42D; 7,190 mail messenger
routes, 220 wagon routes Tin cities); 2S7
electric and cable car routes; pneu-
matte tube routes annual expense, $222, -
1850. Necessary and special facilities on
trunk lines of railroads involved an ar
nual rate of expenditure Of $780, 1923 and
mail equipments cost 1926, 744.
TIE routes of all kinds in the domestic
mail service cover over a half million
miles in length and the miles travelled
over them per annum was 495, zoe, 773. An
average of almost nine trips a, week on
each route was maintained throughout
the country. Mr.. Shallenberger refers
to the steps taken looking to stopping
speculative bidding for mail contracts,
and announces that the new policy OF
awarding all new contracts only to per-
sons living on or contiguous to the route
involved has worked satisfactorily The
experiment Of box delivery on star routes,
whereby persons along the line could
have the mail brought from the next
postoft1ce by the star route carrier and
left in a box erected by such persons
has worked satisfactorily in South Caro-.
lima, and the next star route contracts
will provide for such service, increasing
the mail facilities in the rural districts
at moderate increase in cost.
ALASKAN MAILS.
Letter mail for the interior of Alaska
was carried last winter by a service ut
was reasonably well performed. For the
coming winter the arrangements double
the frequency of dispatches for the
points supplied by various overland
routes, supplying the offices along them
with letter mail four times a month.
Mails will be carried by reindeer this
winter from Eaton to Kotzebue, a point
north of the Arctic circle. Plans for
various overland routes are announced
and the necessity emphasized of cooper
alton with the war department in OPEN
ing an all-American military and post
route from Valdez to the upper Yukon.
The service in Porto Rico. Hawaii and
the temporary military postal service in
China are touched upon briefly The spe-
cial and general Weighing of the mail
throughout the United States whose re-
suits were announced last February,
showed that the railroads carried an ag-
gregate much greater than generally
supposed and that Sc per cent of the
total matter was sent direct to the rail-
roads. The result of the regular quad
rennial adjournment of the pay for rail-
road transportation in the second con-
tract section, comprising North Caro-
lima, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida,
Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and
kentucky, based on re-weighing under
orders issued to Sept 80 last, was an
increase of over 10 per cent. The pneu-
matte tube service investigation, it is
stated, has developed valuable informa-
ton and the report will be submitted
to congress soon after 1t convenes. Pend
ing that estimates for continuance and
extensions of existing service are with
held. The electric cars have been found
most advantageous means of providing
expeditions mail transportation. especial
~ for suburban towns, and in many
cities saves the establishment of wagon
service.
RAILWAY MAIL SERVICE
In the railway mail service relief legis-
lat1on for families of those killed in the
service is asked and the creation Of a
Iund to retire on pay clerk whose use
fuiness is cut short by permanent dis
ability incurred in the line of duty. Re
organization and reclassiffcation of the
railway mail service, legislation requiring
separation of second-class mail matter
by publishers and legislation for the pun
1shment of persons who by force attempt
to enter postal car or assault a postal
clerk on duty are recommended No es-
innate is submitted at this time for
pneumatic tube service or for special IA
cilities on trunk lines.
The total estimate for all mail trans
portation for the fiscal year ending June
80, 1902, is SCI, 1929 being 2,15S, 61O. or
364 per cent more than the current ap-
preparation.
The estimates submitted in detail are
as follows: Star service, including special
offices, $5,5S0,OO0; steamboat service. $685.
oOO; railroad transportation, 1874, ZOO 900;
railway postof1ce cars, $4S, sol, 600; railway
postoffice clerks, $40, 37S, 749; mail messen-
ger service, $1,03S, 900; electric and cable
car service, 100000; wagon service in
cities, 100000; mail equipments, 1926, 500;
miscellaneous items, $1,000; total inland
service, $5S, 726. 249; foreign mail transpor-
tation, $2,549,OOO; balances due foreign
countries, 600.