Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1901-02-01


Expanding Postal Eu>.0,N> Leeds t" lnormouS
items ct l,qcpdtur, Demand i"r Buld-
ine,
H.. Ar.u.aa us,'hoIo a.. ro"dlrt-
iu5 r.. f.-:..'.,r t.~.n,>- ste as 10
v.,. .l- -s,.,t,-t god f. ito. -trit,'t
nuutet and IT, lIv'.t to lie govern
u..n:." h.s "ue l.-advanta'". Hat i
t.r .miu~-.;.i.ty If lro1iding from
time t. time. As thc requirements OF
an expanding Volume OF business cali
iog them, new buildings Tor postollicc
uses, or for the extension Of those al
ready in use. The American theory
Of postofice business is that rs the
revenues q the department increase
in excess OF the expenses, the surplus
should be applied to hottcrmcntS III
the service and the recurrence OF other
surpluSo, provided against 10y II rc'luC-
ton in the postal rates. This system,
which has worked remarkably well IN
TIE past, giving a steady decrease i'll
postal charges with many improve
mcnts as regards delivery, does not
take into account the requirements
for new buildings, and these must,
therefore, be provided for by separate
appropriations, which are just now in
much demand from Congress.
At the time OF the last report there
were 1000 postofiices OF the first and
second classes in the United States,
exclusive OF minor or village postoificcs,
and OF these chief postoiliccS 252 were
in buildings owned by the government
and the remainder were in leased
premises, the gross annual rental OF
which was nearly 100000, exclusive
OF nearly as much more paid for the
rent OF postal substations.
The entire appropriation paid for
leased buildings and parts of buildings
(the usage of the government is to
provide in leases of buildings for post
Office use for heat, light, and a safe or
vault) is Sl,50O,000 year, and the
larger postotlices, which are, of course,
those which yield the most profit to
the government, the minor ones being
operated at a loss, entail no expendi-
ture for buildings, money for which is
separately appropriated from govern
ment funds by Congress. Estimates
buildings owned by the United States
government. The New York postof-
flee cost 100000, and all large
American cities, Washington now in
cluded, have postoflices OF modern de-
sign, the collective value of which is
certainly not less than 500, 600, 600,
and may be considerably in excess of
that amount in view OF the fact that
in many cases the sites for postoflice
buildings have been presented by the
States or municipalities, as the case
may be, without any cost to the gene
raj government, and if the value OF
land be taken into account and the
expense of interior equipment added,
it is probable that the postoffice build
ings represented by the government,
and included, would represent CAPT.
talization of 5000, 100000; the annual
interest charge on which would about
equal the annual deficit from postof-
flee operations, which is from $9,O0O,-
600 to $1O,COO,OOO.
1t is under these circumstances that
the demand for new postoifice build
ings or for the improvement of estab-
lishcd postofiicc buildings is usually
resisted by Congress. There is con-
siderable rivalry between cities in this
regard. The Kansas City postofficc,
when completed, is to cost $S50,OOO;
the St. Paul postotlice 100000, the
Omaha postoflice $4,000, the Savan-
nah postoflice 100000, the Charles
ton postoffice 100000, and the New
ark postoffice building like sum.
New York exceeds all other cities of
the country, not only in respect to the
volume of postofiice business, but also
in the profit arising from it,