Kootenai County Republican. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1899-1903, 1900-12-14
POSTAL DEPARTMENT REPORT
The Chief Wants to Reach the Farm
D0or-T'binks II VIII Make the
Farms More valua ble-rOsts and
Postal Fra uds In Cuba.


Washington. = Postmaster General
Charles Emory Smith has submitted
his annual report To the president. The
financial operations Of the department
for the last fiscal year are shows In
the following statement OF revenues
and expenditures:
Ordinary postal revenues. $l00.SS9..
433; receipts from money order bust
ness. $l,A55.145. Total receipts from
all sources, $1O2 ,354,579.
Total expenditures for the year.
3iO7,740,267. Excess OF expenditures
over receipts, $5,385.88S
The deficit for the year 1899-1S00 Is
shown To be $lO,0O8, $50 less than last
year. The estimated postal. revenue
for the fiscal year ending June 80, 1902.
Is $l16,O33, 042, and the estimated ex.
penditure $l2l.276.349. leaving PROB
able deficiency OF $4,G34 ,307.
Rural free delivery is here plainly
has proved to he the most salient, sig.
nificant and far reaching feature Of
postal development"
Besides swelling the postal receipts
the values Of farms are enhanced,
through the necessity for good rc.ds
and the opportunity afforded the farm.
.r to keep abreast OF the times by be-
ing put In closer communication with
the outside world. The isolation and
monotony which has been the bane of
country life Is aenaihlv ,nitipated
through the effects OF free rural { ,liv.
cry In placing the farm within lily
range of the intellectual and CONNER.
ciai centers The farmer Is also given
cause To feel ne shares the govern.
mental advantages of the townsmen,
which stimulated his loyalty and pa,
| triotism.
Rural free delivery. the report says
to stay" II reaches millions Of PEG
pie scattered over a million acres OF
territory to whose doors 1t is the task
of the government TO arrange to carry
the mails through rural free delivery
Postmaster General Smith says. BY
the end Of the current fiscal year one
sixth OF them shall have been served
and 4,3OO routes In operation. The r ,,
annual cost OF a complete rural free
delivery system ia estimated at sI3,
782.224. On this point the report SAYS
1T will hardy be disputed that the
great result OF carrying the postoffict
20 every home. II II can be accom-
plished at such comparatively small
cost. Is an object we'll worth undertake
In
The report saws that .he postal ser
vice in the new island nossessions NJ
tho United States has heen very ma
terially advanced and strengthened
"Unfortunately" says the renort
speaking of Cuba .1ts administrator
was attained for a zine hv frauds an
populations Of the most shameful char
acter. But this was the crime Of tbs
agents and not anv fanlt ~ tho svs
tom. The frauds and pecu,ation. could
not have he..n comm,,,ad hv an, orr
official however dishonest Thev wor.
made possible only through tho colin
sion of ofYicers who should hova heer
check on each other and who enterel
into a conspiracy by which The safe
guards dependent upon a careful plar
Of checks were thrown down.
when the facts were brought n
light Immediate action was taken u
right the wrongs and arraign ths
wronEdoers The ofYense OF those i'm
plicated was more than inAdel,tv n
the confidence reposed In them ant
more than ordinary malfeasanee IN Of
Ace. Its turpitude was enhanced h,
trust held for a people who were M,