The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1900-09-27

ueaVier second-class matter. "Fourth-
CLASS matter Is all mailable matter
not Included In tho preceding classes,
embracing merchandise and samples
VI al klh1s. The weight OF iirst-class
uhatser carried amounts to l2S, ST. ,Y92
po11es' poH mos ,,5 inc postage paid amounts to
letters and other pieces that nrc s,nt
at letter rates is 2,917,OOO, 900. In ad.
| d:tlOn TO this there wero 9S Oy2 00O
uead.head and official business y Iet.
Tors sent through tho mail as wcll ns
513, 634, ,000 postal cards, making tho
total number Of iirst-cass pieces Of
mail matter 1888, ,72G, 600 pieces. There
are ,SO4, ~ pieces Of first class matter
mailed daily. This would make pile
39,2l9 toet high, Or moro than miles
high, not allowing for tho compress
sion caused by tho incumbent weight.
| In secondclass matter the total nun.
| ber OF pieces mailed amounted to
2, 2,173,7l5,0OO. This is, however, only
an estimate, though an official esti-
mate; 1t is, undoubtedly, very much
| larger. The total weight Of matter
| paid ut pound rates by publishers was
352, 703 22G pounds. In addition to this,
", 241 700 pounds were transmitted
| free, and 25, 289, 1856 pieces OF transient
matter paid for by stamps were also
transmitted, making grand total OF
440, 234 PSI pounds. The total postage
paid amounted to $5,09l 1922, and, not
| withstanding the great weight OF the
material carried at pound rates, it
paid only 1921 ,O32 Of this amount The
transportation OF second class matter AZ
such an excessively low rate was, of
| course, the cause OF the postal deficit
OF $6,6l0,17G. 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. If every
Postmaster-General would make stren-
Gus efforts to rectify these abuses, it
would put this department on q paying
basis. Up to the present time, how
ever, there does not seem to be any
prospect of relief
Tho weight Of third class matter
carried Is S.227 1G0 pounds, and tho
number OF pieces mailed amounts to
IA ,G90, 900 pieces, and the postage
paid Is $40, ,O93,SS2, from which it will
be seen that the amount Of postage
paid in this class is thoroughly adc-
quate to produce a surplus.
The weight OF fourth-class matter is
2l,IIG,H7 pounds. The number OF
pieces mailed is GG, ia, 900, the postage
paid being $3,421, lS1. rhe weight Of
I, q g.,
and the cost is 81 SAC. 500.
The figures which have just becn
shown mako imposing totals. The
number OF pieces mailed in tho fiscal
year which we are considering is g.
$40 100000. II these pieces OF mail
matter were placed together they
would make band seven feet W lido
around the world. The total weight
carried is GG4, 2S6. .SGS pounds. TO trans.
port this enormous weight would re-
quiro 33,214 freight cars, forming
train ZOO miles long, hauled by 500
locomotives, aggregating 100000 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, rs in the vast train wo are
considering, wherc it is estimated that
10 tons OF matter are closely packed in
mail bags. AS a mattor OF fact, only
on very few trains is the mail carried
in this way. Sometimes trailer or
supply car Is used, which Is packed
solid with mail bags, and they arc
brought forward to tho 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
filed with y" ail, for the sake OF argu-
mont.
We n, " come to the financial side.
The postal revenue for the fiscal wear
1899 was 800 OIL 1884. The total exDen-
diturcs amounted to $l0l G32 100, leav-
| ing deficit Of 81, G,Gl0,77G. Had 49,
| 3jl ,6l3 pounds OF mail matter, which
was really third.cass. been transmitted
| at tho pound rate, and paid for as it
| should have beon, the financial state
ment would have exhibited surplus
Of $17, ,G37 $40. Or, If this matter
would pay only q nominal rate OF eight
cents q pound, there would have been
a surplus of S., 733, 1886 in the wear we
are considering. The amount of post.
age actually received for a pound Of
first.class matter was 50 cents
second. class. matter, s ccnts third
class matter, lI.7 cents foreign mat
ter, 46 cents postal cards, 1882. Tho
expense OF the transportation OF tho
mail matter ia rcckOned at eight cents
pound.
Tho number Of registered pieces
carried was 1G08G 022. There we're
29, 97G,37l Post Oilice money orders
issued, the aggregate, value being
1921 ,95S, 1863. The Dead Letter Office
received 6 ,955 ,9S3 pieces OF mail mat
ter. or this amount 367 ,469 were mis-.
directed, Gl,9l9 were without an ad-
dress. 1903, 700 were unclaimed, and
1891 had fictitious addresses. The
number Of stamps Issued was ,9l7,-
300, ,025.
The total number of Post Onlces In
tho United States Ia not far from
Is 1000, and tho number Of employees is
estimated at 100000. 1t should be re-
mcmbered in dealing with postal
figures that they are apt to be slightly
erroneous, and in noarly every case
| the weights are greater than those
| which we have givcn, though they are
sufficient to show the wonderful magni-
tude Of this mOst important branch OF
tho government service.
There is no doubt that the State