The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-02-11
NATIONAL POSTtL RFTFyUF.
A source of Large Profit to Many Nations
but Not to the United States.

According to recent Treasury bulletins the
revenue from the sale Of postage stamps, stamped
envelopes and postal cards in the United States
during the quarter ending Jan. |. 1900, was
S2i, 800, 900. indicating a revenue for the whole
fiscal year Of nearly 500, 900, 900 For the last
fiscal year ending July | the postal receipts were
sos. 900, 900 u year before that they were
$50, 100000 and the year before that they were
So, 100000 They have been increasing yearly
from sli 900 900 at the close Of the Civil War TO
$50, 900, 900 in 1880 and 500, 900, 900 in 1890
Unlike the practice in most other countries.
the postal business Of the United States is operated
not as u means Of profit making but as a public
convenience, and the custom Of the Government
is, whenever, as sometimes happens. the postal
revenues exceed the expenditures, to make a re.
duction IN the postal charges or an Increase in
the number Of deliveries or an enlargement Of
the districts served by carriers in order that the
Post Office should be, as nearly as practicable,
about self supporting, with, perhaps, a small
loss on the Government side. In other countries,
however, no such rule prevails and the postal
business is regarded as a legitimate SQUIRE If
public revenue as are taxes On certain specified
mOnopulirS which 20 To the enrichment Of the
Government Indeed, the United States are
the only important country In the world which
49, ~ jim h''A - tl's' ~ 49, w. nm ~
make u profit on rs Post Office business The
Argentine Republic, Bulgaria, Uruguay, Bosnia
and Siam run their postal business at a loss
for the reason, perhaps, that losses are unavOId
able. Great Britain, for instance, takes in from
its Post Offices gl2, 900, Nh n year. the eluiva
lent Of $40, 900, 600, and cSpends 5000 900 =
year, showing a net profit II $40, Nh 1t
should b. sad, perhaps, IN part explanation Il
this that the distances IN treat Britain compared
with those in ia" United States are very short,
that few letters or packages a re delivered ate loss;
mat tlp me- MS 81 communicated IRE more ger
crClly uniform, that the number Of newspapers
distributed by the English Post Office is mater
ally les than the umb in the United State,
and that letter postage is the most profitable
branch ~ the business In the United States
The rate ( puStggr Is the same from New York
10 liruohlSn a. II il from New York 10 San Fran
cisco, and IN many parts 81 the West and South
the delivery Of "A single letter. for which the Coy
eminent receives two cents, costs fifty
England is not, however, the only country
in which there is o large pr fl IN the postal busl
ness, France making IN a year from this source
Ol public revenue $4,000 900 and Germany So
WD,om What = NOR" curious, perhaps, Is the
fact that SPAN, IN which Thrift IL not the uni
v"rSal Government rule, makes 50 800, 900 on
It's Post Office department, the ordinary letter
rate m SPAN being five cents Hungary makes
n prom ~ - NO,O 900 on ITS postal system, British
India and Belgium 81. 500, 600 each, Austria
81 100000, Japln $ ,WO,o0o, Holland s75O,OOo,
Turkey S6oo,OOo sutherland 500. 900, Portu
gal SajO0oO, New Zealand $3.50. 600. Sweden
$3.50 oOu, Denmark SlOO,OOO and Greece S25, 900
II Is inferred 10y some persons that in view II the
length and CumplrNlty Of Il rrek names the charges
for extra postage ~ that country, must account
for the profit uf S25, COO, AZ communication b..
tween & rerkS by letter IS very rare.