The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-03-31
GROWTH OF THE posrA SERVICE.

Many will be surprised by the large
amounts of postage stamps which the pur-
chases of the past week show that business
houses are using. A few years ago the
business firm that purchased one hundred
dollars worth of stamps was rare. Now
there seem TO be scores in this city that
purchase four times as many, and a large
dollars worth of stamps in a year. Indeed.
in many branches of business postage must
be regarded as one of the considerable
items of expense. Many may not nave
noticed it, but those who have noted the
growth of the receipts of the postoffice
find an explanation Of this growth except
in what may be called a revolution in the
methods of doing business.
The receipts of the Postofice Department
for the fiscal year ended June 80, 1888, were
S52, 695, 10; Tor the fiscal year 1895, $40, 9S3, lbs;
for the fiscal year 1900. s102, 354.576. Thus in
twelve vars the revenues of the postal serv-
ice has been nearly doubled. But for the
u~naccountable neglect of Congress TO put
an end to the abuses of the law fixing the
Department would have a surplus of mil
lions in the treasury instead of showing a
deficiency of four or five million dollars
a year. Managed with that regard for bus
mess principles which characterizes the
nagem of railroads or express COM
anfoc . +ho D@-4oRsoo xr;fh
adequate rates for second-class matter and
parcels carried a long distance, the profits
would reach millions a year.
The profits of the Postoffice Department
are derived from letter postage, and the
figures show that the increase in the num-
Der Of letters from year to year is marvel
Gus. The frequency of mails and the i'm
proved facilities have not only caused the
postal service to supersede other means of
communication, but the c~heapness has in
creased the use of the mails. The reduction
of the letter rate from three to two cents
did not affect the revenues materially at
the time. as patrons wrote enough more
letters to make up the difference in the
price of stamps. The main cause of the in
crease of the revenues of the postoffice
from letters is the advent of the type
writing machine and the stenographer.
During the ten years that have marked
the rapid increase of postal receipts the
stenographer and the machine have been
added to the working force of every con-
siderable business house and professional
office. They are now among the indis-
pensables. The result is that in all bust
ness and official circles five letters are
written now where one was written fifteen
years ago. Nor is this incentive to letter
retailers and manufacturers in villages
have ceased to struggle with their cor
respondence, and now have clerks who are
typewriters. In other words, a new pro-
fession and industry have sprung up which
are devoted very largely to the expanding
of the revenues Of the postofice.
There is reason to believe that the mails
will be used much more in future than now.
The rural delivery which brings city and
farming communities together by daily
communication and makes the public stem
ographer as much a professional in every
hamlet as is the physician, and as much a
necessity as the druggist. will stimulate
letter-writing. At the same time a pack
age post based upon sensible business ideas,
fixing the charge according 10 the distance,
and the stopping of the abuses of the sec
ond-rate law will soon make the Postal De-
partment a source of revenue rather han
a loss to the government. In fact, the
Postottice Department could be made the
third source of net receipts in amount with
out increasing a rate, if managed upon
business principles.