Evening star., 1902-01-25
The Extensive Operations Of the
Post Office Department.
OVER $l2o,0o0,00o SPENT ANNUALLY
Postmaster General Must Work
Ten Hours Day.
PROFIT ON STAMP BOOKS

Postmaster General Charles Emory Smith
enjoyed the unusual distinction Of re-
firing from a business which In
wolves in the course of q year about $780,
100000 in actual money transactions.
Many railroad systems and few indus
trial enterprises receive and expend larger
sums, but the American Post Office De-
partment is nevertheless one Of the larg-
est business concerns in the world and the
retirement of its chief is accordingly q
business event of extraordinary impor-
tance. It Is interesting to note that when
Mr.. Smith relinquished his desk and the
entire executive direction Of the depart
ment underwent a change, every bureau,
department and detail Of the system con-
tinued without even a pause.
The figures given-$12O, 900, ,OO0-represent
the actual receipts of the Post Office De-
partment and the deficit reported last year
by Postmaster General Smith. Almost no
one appreciates that nearly every cent Of
that sum reaches the officials Of the serv-
Ice through the sale of stamps The stamp
business, speaking broadly, represents the
entire income of the whole postal system.
During the fiscal year which ended last
June the sale of postage stamps, stamped
envelopes, newspaper wrappers and similar
articles of the same classification reached
total Of $102, ,023, LOB. Only about 3d.
UUU,UUU III TeCelplS Is IuuS 10 De acCTeQ1leQ
to all the other phases of post Office bust
ness-letter postage paid in money, box
rents, money orders, second-cfaSS postage
paid in bulk and fines. To this aggregate
. the large post Offices contribute tremen-
dously. New York city's annual receipts
being over $12000,0o0.
The Crumbs of the Department..
But the other branches Of the service are
worth considering. Any one Of them would
suffice to operate large private business
concern. The box rents Of year reach a
total of s2.915, S53. Fines imposed on delin-
quent employees aggregate $50, 800. Dead
letters which are really dead contain in
the course of a year about $4,000. which
goes to the credit Of the department The
money order business has an operating ac-
count of 81 1,66S, $50. The miscellaneous
account-which to the average man means
to the postal service. Second-class postage,
notwithstanding the vast amount of matter
carried at cent pound, nets the Office
$4,294. AS annually. The last item is one of
book-"unpaid money orders more than one
year old" For an entire year the depart
ment holds the money orders for which no
claimants present themselves. The accumu-
latton is then audited and the sums paid
for the money orders are transferred to the
credit Of the department. Last year the re-
ceipts from that source were nearly $780,
600. In Postmaster General Smiths term
81 0O0.GO0
Business is best in the post offices of the
country during the three months at the be-
ginning OF the year, January, February and
March. That quarter in 1901 exceeded In
volume of business done even the preceding
three months with the enormous rush Of
holiday trade at their close. The receipts
for October, November and December, 1900.
were $29. .405, 600. Those for the first quarter
of the next year were $4,000 more April.
May and June had total of s27. .04a COO,
and the summer months with all the yaca-
ton letters written from the summer re-
sorts. decreased the postal revenues to
$24. 47S, 600. In the old days, when St VAL
entine's day was really an institution gem
orally observed, the first quarter of the
year led the others by wider margin.
Signing Away the Receipts.
About sixty items are included in the ex-
penditures of the department and they con-
sumo total of over $115. 600 600 The most
notable OF these follow. Postmasters get