Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-11-25
The Members Like to Get Home
for a Few Days.
Maine Members Looking After Con-
stituents With Public Documents.
Wonderful Increase in ksnnebec
County City Post Offices.

tIC WY dSOS, Uul IL - IciIidl haDlS iloN
quietly majority of Congress can steal
away without the departure being per-
ceptibie. For that reason the fact that
neither Senate nor House could get a
quorum, this week, without sending tel
egramS by the score and kilograms of
a peremntory character, seems to be the
most noticeable feature OF the eXtraor-
binary session at this particular time.
Twenty-Five years ago Congressman
did not glide away from Washington as
easily and as numerous as they do now.
Transportation facilities were not SO
coed and travelling was more arduous
and likewise more expensive. With
rapid express trains several states have
been brought nearer Washington.
New York city is only five or six hours
away where Is years ago it was 10 Or
!. hours distlnt. Reckoning the states
OF New York, New Jersey. Pennsylvania,
Maryland. Virginia. the Carolinas,
West Virginia and Ohio, towns in
which can practically all be reached by
4 night of travel and that in Il COM
Portable Pullman car, one has well nigh
on to & half of the entire membership
Of Congress.
The men III public life are buster now
adays than they We're Is or 20 years ago
and the desire to be back at their bust
ness is strong with many. The long and
continued Republican administration Of
Affairs At Washington has reduced the
transaction of government affairs to q
conservative basis and to better sys-
lem than YVES ever known before. There
ire many men, although they do not as
rule come from New England, who
cave lot of their Congressional duties
around the departments to clerks, and
skip away home returning here when
heir votes are needed. Perhaps that is
one reason Why the New England con-
,ressmen are kept in office longer and
Why the business of their constituents
S donc more SO tisfactorily. .-
Members of the Maine delegation are
improving the leisure days in dispatch
ng their public documents, quotas OF
Tlich have recently come in. There
IRE thousands of these documents In
he aggregate for every member in the
curse of year and the effort is to
end them out to those constituents
Who win be most interested in the con-
ents of particular books. Some sena-
ors and members allow the. books to
ccunnla:e in the folding rooms. Both
ne Maine senator's keep the mails to
ne Pine Tree State filled With these
.ooks. which are sent out almost as
asst as they come in. There are the
iorse books, which have been going
nut to constituents for years and which
re in the homes Of thousands Of Maine
arlncrs at the present time. The same
true of the cattle books. Congress at
'lmost every session authorizes new
ssues Of these most popular OF publ
atoms. The Maine senators and Maine
members have never been able to fully
atisfy the demand for those two books
nong their constituents.
The Year Book of the department Of
agriculture is another very popular
production, which is never supplied in
efficiently large numbers. Each men,
ers quota is a few hundred volumes,
which it is readily seen does not go far
n accommodating population OF
Yearly 100000 which resides in every
congressional district of the country.
Then there are a great many other
ooks and pamphlets, touching upon
he widest possible variety of subjects.
'hese are all sent out under franks.
What goes to Maine alone during a
ession Of Congress would make in the
aggregate many tons of mail that
would load more than one big freight
ar.
There was a big jump during the last
seal year in Augustus postal business.
he figures have just been made public
zero In the report of the auditor for the
>ost office department. The gross re-
eipts in the Augusta Office were $1i4 80.
where the prey ious fiscal year they were
'nly S134, $685.. The government made
lear profit of S95,3199s, last year, in the
operations of the Augusta Office. as
tgainst clear profit Of $90.161CG the pre-
.ious fiscal year. The expenses of run
ling the Augusta office. the last fiscal
ear, were SiS.SS5.3i. or "a per cent. Of the
,ross receipts. as against $ii.I&.61. or %
'er cent, the previous year. Last years
expenses comprised $500 for postmaster's
'alary. s36 623. SO for clerk hire. as against
g, 6S6.O6 the - months prior thereto $732.-
:: for incidental expenses and $S1l9.62 for
he free delivery of mail. The incidental
expenses for the year before at Argus
as post office were $753Gl and the cost |
If free delivery $7y7S94 The advance in
gross receipts was greater for Augusta
han for any other post office in the State.
'aving Portland. where the gross receipts |
Jumped from $iS9.Sl3l3 to $2GS, o4S.g1. There 4
vas no separate rent account at Augusta |
because the post Office is in government |
,uilding.
Gardiner showed n slight increase, the !
sross- receipts advancing from $11. 0la Sc to |
i1.Sl2.S. but the net revenue decreased |
from s2522'' % to s1S33.02. The percentage OF
expenses to receipts at Gardiner last |
year, was 70 per cent as against 70 per
cent. the previous year. The postmas-
ter's salary is 5000 and clerk hire. last |
year. was ssi5G.23 as against s2s32. 10 for the
previous year. Rent. light and fuel there
,osts $500 a year and the incidentais for
the fiscal year Just past were sil3ss as
against $S0SsS the previous year The
cost Of. free delivery of mail increased 1
from sa15s6 to fo967. so that the total
expenses for the last fiscal year were St0,- Il
97s.Ss as against $s714M
r. RMS IS last years record for Waterville
cross receirts. sai,3a2.63; postmaster's sal-
airy, 5000; clerk hire. s5ssssl; rent. light
ana luei, $ll5O; incidentals.. $257A free
1ehvet!. 10; total expenses, IA. ZOE rs.
% y per cent: net revenue 500. 6se.as The II
record Of WateIyille for the previous fis-
cal year IS: Gross receipts. SIS, 42oSS;
postmasters salary, $500; clerk hire.
Continued on pass ~ II