The Wilmington daily Republican., 1901-11-27
FREEP0STALROUTES
Delivery System Already Self
Sustaining.
URBAN SERVICE NEARLY PERFECT.
Assistant POsinaster General John.
son Says 4.OOO,OOO Rural People
VIII Be Enjoying Free De-
livery Of Mails Dec. =.

livery Of Mails Dec. =.
WASHINGTON. Nov. q. - First
Assistant Postmaster General w. NJ.
johnson In his annual report says the
yearly increase In the postal revenues
has resulted IN the free delivery serv-
ice becoming self sustaining. OF the
gross postal revenues of the United
States for the past fiscal year ,29o,-
394 came from S66 free delivery cities.
The remaining 1900 presidential post
offices yielded $l0.O63, ,252. while the
72,479 fourth class pOstottices produced
$1s,9l3,519.
Mr.. Johnson says the fact that the
postal service In the largest cities is
practically perfect is the explanation
OF why the annual percentage OF i'll
crease in the revenues of the free de-
livery postOffices should be three times
greater than in the smaller cities and
five times as large as that Of the fourth
class Offices As rural free delivery
reaches out into the country, giving
equal facilities without regard to lOcali-
ty, he says It increases the revenues ut
a rate at least equal to that maintained
in the free delivery cities, where dur
ing the past five years 1t has averaged
8 per cent.
At the end of the present fiscal year
5000 rural routes will be in successful
operation. 5000 beA,g in effect by Dee.
2. The latter figure represents just 80
per cent of the applications for such
service filed since It's inauguration five
years ago. The inflexlble policy is an
nouncPd hereafter of avoiding mainte-
nance of unnecessary postOtficcs and
supertluous star routes contemporaries
ously with rural free delN merry routes.
On July last the force of 1901 ru-
raj carriers was serving 2,s40,644 peo-
pie at fraction over Is cents per cap
ita, and on Dec. = next 4,OOO,O00 of the
rural population will be enjoying free
delivery. Every establishment of
route, the report says, Is followed
promptly by II steady increase in the
volume of mail, both delivered and col
lected.
The city free delivery service now
embraces 1896 cities and towns, includ-
ing four in the new insllar possessions.
all these employing an army of 1G3S9
uniformed carriers. who collect and car
ry the malls two or more times each
working day to 3oo,OOO,0OO patrons The
total cost per annum to the department
for this service is 80 cents per capita.
The gross receipts of the free delivery
postoffices were $74.295,393. an in
crease of over | per cent for the year
The total estimate for the next fiscal
year for this city free delivery service
IL SIS, 400
The average daily sales Of money or
ders in the United States. fees includ-
ed. are $973,s14. The aggregate amount
of money orders issued was $294, ,61S,.
6Sl, an increase of S30,0O0,GO0 FOR the
year. In the five years just passed the
number of presidential postOtiices has
increased % per cent
Among the recommendations are a
reduction of money order fees so AS to
make the ma Ximum % cents instead of
80 cents, rcclassificatlon Of clerks at
first and second class postoffices and an
appropriation Of S20.OOO,O0O for post
masters salaries.