The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-28

taxed at ordinary rates. would have yielded
a revenue of $500, 600, a sum larger than
the entire deficiency of the year In re-
spouse to his suggestion Congress repealed
the franking privilege. II had been of
gradual growth. 1t was cut of entirely by
an act of Congress. forced by public SEN
,iment 1t has taken root again, and each
year it grows greater.
The Washington city postOfioe is ever
a busy place; but at this season. during
session of Congress, and a shor, crowded
one at that, it is especially busy. Always
more than half the force of the Office is at
work on Thanked" or Government mall
now over so per cent of the work is on
this free matter. The mail is brought in IN
wagon loads from the different Govern
mental departments simply assorted as
10 the points of the compass Letters, pa
pers, pamphlets, books, packages of seeds,
etc, of all sizes come in sack after sack.
The letters are Immediately stamped with
the date and postoffice. and the place where
the stamp ought to be is Cancelled. The
operator stacks up punches of letters like
cards against rollers that slide them
rapidly one by one through a groove; as
they pass through they are stamped and
then stacked up on the other side. They
are then passed to an assorter. who
makes them up according to the routes
of the mail cars. The men on the cars
work them into the shelves of the towns
along the route.
Quick MniI Handlers.
Books and packages are too bulky to
shelye. The man who asserts them
stands in semi-circle of bags, and the
articles he is working on are heaped on
a table behind him. He grabs as many as
he can hold in his left arm and slings
them into the mouths of the sacks with
his right hand with astounding rapidity.
The clerks of all departments become ex-
perts at reading-or, rather, decipherins
quickly. but these men have to be
marksmen as we'll.
They know at just what point each sack
is ana seem to look only at he addresses,
Singing the packages often twelve feet.
They seldom make errors. To correct enc
would take the time necessary TO file 4
dozen more packages, and mistakes and
loss of time count points against the
clerks. who are promoted in accordance
with their yearly averages. Aboard the
trains the packages are sub-assorted, but
as space does not permit, the size of the
arena is reduced. The incoming mails
are grabbed on arrival by force OF dis
tributers who il, half an hour have them
ready TO turn over to the waiting repre-
sentatiyes of the several departments.
There are 100000 postoffices In the
world More than one-third of these
postoffices are in the United States. Ger
many has not quite half as many as the
United States, and Great Britain less than
two-thirds as many as Germany 1t re-
quires the services of GOO officers and
employees TO run the postal service of the
world. equal TO more than ] per cent OF
the population of this country. The
United States employs 10000 of these
people. There are $50, coo letter boxes for
the receipt of mail in the whole world.
Germany has nearly one-ffth of these;
the United States onlyone- eighth. There
is an average Of less than one letter box
to each postofiice in this country. There
is letter box to about every thousand
inhabitants of this country and post
Office to every 923 people
Postal Service Cost 100000.
The letters mailed by the people of the
United States or received by them are
carried, all told, 239. Al miles by rail-
read and 1873. 2S6, 200 miles by other routes;
and the miles of railroad used in the
transportation of this matter amount to
about 10000, and the mileage of other
mail was 800, coo.
Americans are letter-writirg people
There are seventy five articles of mail
matter of every kind received and sent
to each inhabitant OF the United States
every year. Only one country in the world
makes better showing-Sew South
Wales.
1t costs the people of the United States
$4,000, O0G year to maintain postal serv-
ice which is more complete in almost ev-
cry respect than that of any other country
in the world Its mail is handled through
more postoffices. travels over longer
routes, covers greater mileage. and final
ly is carried at a cheaper rate OF postage
than any other mail in the world The
expenditure for the service is greater
than that of any other country. So is the
income. The income of most of the coun-
tries in the Universal Postal Union is
greater than the expenditure Great Brit
ain makes 1850. 900 year; France. So
000,G00: Germany, 1900 900; Hungary, So
coo from the postal service The peo-
pie Of the United States get a superior
car .Taa fof- t,aFy