The times., 1901-04-05
lNTER-CITY POSTAL RIVALRY.
Citizens of Louisville and Indinnap
oils Urged to Buy stamps.

4
Indianapolis and Louisville have been
| engaged in a merry war to sec which city
| could show the largest postal receipts for
| the twelve months ending March 81. 1901.
! There We're two good reasons for swell
! ing receipts beyond the $4,000 mark, the
! first that additional postal facilities might
! thus be assured, and second, that the
! commercial standing Of the cities might
! be benefited. business houses took up
the idea enthusiastically.
! The greater the postal receipts of a
| city the more business it is presumably
! doing, and owing to the rivalry between
| Louisville and indianapolis each city was
determined TO outdo the other. The news
papers helped along the enterprise, and
urged that everyone do all the business
they could with the postonice. OF course
the surplus stamps purchased during
March might not be used until April or
May. but the receipts would count for
the past year
Meanwhile the postmasters of Indianap-
oils and Louisville, when not busy push
ing the sales Of stamps and postal cards.
were leaning back in their easy chairs
congratuating themselves on business
picking up. The more the public bought
the higher went their salaries This year
each received 5000. but if the receipts of
their offices for the twelve months ending
April l. 1901. pass $500 600 they will receive
s.. 600 for the fiscal year beginning July l,
1901
The public in both cities became i'm
pressed with the idea that if the postmas-
ter's salary was raised the offices would
receive more money in the way Of clerk
hire and allowances; that there would he
more sub-stations. more deliveries and
more collections. However the few thou
sand dollars difference between the re-
ceipts this time and those for the CORE
spending period last year do not amount
TO enough to make any difference in the
service unless the department should see
fit TO make such increase, and as it is
fully aware of the efforts to boom the
business it is highly probable that no ad-
ditional allowances will be made
Under the operation of the law the
postmasters salary will be increased, but
that is as far as the law goes. The sala-
rleS of the assistant postmasters may be
increased TO $500, or so per cent of the
poStmaSters s salary. 1t viii be possible
also to increase the salaries Of the super
intendents Of delivery mails, registry,
etc, as the law provides that they be paid
a certain per cent of the salary of the
postmaster, ranging from 30 to 40 per cent.
1t Is more than likely, however that the
only effect of the hard work in booming
the sale OF stamps at these Offices will be
to increase the salaries of the postmas-
ters. 1t is said that the Indianapolis re-
ceipts We're over $505,000 Neither report
has reached the office of the Auditor for
the PoStoffice Department.
For the fiscal year ending June 80, 1900,
the receipts for Indianapolis were $457 ,l3l,
and those of Louisville S4799 9S1. Indanap-
oils was allowed during that time S190,430
for expenses, so the profits were s266, 740,
the expenses being II per cent of the re-
ceipts. Louisville during this time showed
the percentage being the same as that of
Indianapolis q.