The Washington times., 1903-12-03
TO FURTHER RESTRAIN
THE GREEN GOODS MEN
Legislation Recommended
in P0stOfice Report.
TO FORBID TRANSPORTATION
Suggestions as to Recognizing the Ru-
raj Free Delivery Service on
Better Basis.

That the gullable farmers and others /
IN the country who think It no harm TO /
buy counterfeit money at a handsome /
discount may be still further protected /
from the sharDers who prey upon them, /
J. L. Bristow. Fourth Assistant Post
master General, recommends In his an
nual report just smade public that the |
interstate commerce laws be so
amended that railroad and telegraph |
companies shall be forbid len to transact |
business for green goods and lottery |
men.
Mr.. Bristow also recommends;
That special agents and route inspect /
ors be hereafter known as rural agents. !
That in the future assistant postmas- |
ters and cashiers in postoffices be required /
to give bond directly to the postmaster so !
the postmaster may be liable for the
whole of any deficiency in his office it
mas been found that the present system !
by which these officials give bond to the
Government does not work well, as in
some cases the Government is not able
TO collect the total amount Of the loss.
That the maximum salary of rural
free delivery carriers be raised to 500
and they no longer allowed to carry
on an express business in connection
with their deliveries. Investigation
proves many of the carriers pay more
attention 10 expressage than to mail.
In some instances they deliver adver-
Using material which is sent to them
by express. thereby deprlving the postal
service OF the revenue from the matter
Another trick of the drivers is 70 form
combinations to compel certain publish
ers and merchandise dealers to pay
them commissions for advertising
goods.
Decrease of 1909.
The number Of postmasters appointed
/ IN the last fiscal year was 10, 1851, a de-
| crease Of 1919 from 1902 The decrease
/ was due TO The falling off in the expi-
ration of presidential appointments. and
/ to the policy Of the department to re-
| move fourth class postmasters only for
/ cause The Offices established last year
/ were 2,707, a decrease of j .131 from the
/ year before. The postoffices discontin-
/ ued were 1852. an increase OF 403 over
I the previous year.
There were among postmasters for the
year as follows: Resignation. S,345, re
uovals. 1,409; deaths, 799 The total
number Of pOstoffices on June so was
"a l69, divided as follows: First class,
2f2; second class, 11O7; third class. 1890;
/ fourth class. $3.50. Cit delivery was
tablished at 80 postohices during the
year. as against 81 in 1902. At the close
/ Of the year there We're 1.0S2 free delivery
Offices.
| Gross receipts from free delivery Of
fees for the year were Ss3. ice 6231S. an
Increase Of PA per cent The cost OF
the free delivery service WAS SIS. 2s7, $50.
| an increase Of 1898 per cent The ex-
lpense Of the free delivery service was
2O.69 per cent of the receipts at free de-
/ livery offices. as against 20.55 per cent
for the previous year. The cost for each
carrier was S9s9.56. while for the preced-
ing year it was $3.50. In all 653 car
riers left the service in the year. 26 be-
cause they were arrested for violations
OF the postal regulations. and 100 for
gross violations of the regulations for
which they were not arrested.
Special Delivery Fees.
The collections for special delivery
were SIG. 1854 80 in fees of s cents each,
showing 1888. 56S pieces of special deliv-
cry mail.
on June 90. 1902. there were s.44s rural
routes in operation. In the course OF
the fiscal year ending June so. 1903. 6.653
routes were established. making a total
o. Is, 10. The pieces of mail delivered
I
&C. 1903 numbered 309 42S. I2S, while IS .954,-
$50 pieces were collected. For the six
y7onths the value of stamps. Cancelled
on rural routes was 1913 OS4.37. and the
pay for carriers aggregated %,5lS,1S5.
/ IT, average monthly cancellations were
s1l 2. and the average wages Of carriers
$49.7S.
For the purpose of expediting the work
Of examining the II 200 rural route petit
lions pending on June 30. Mr. BristoW
/ recommends an appropriation for sc
/ more inspectors, making the total force
I75.
4 There are now in operation 1925
\ routes" continues the report. 1T Is es-
l tiuated that $3.50 additional routes can
be established out Of the appropria-
/ ton now available, making 22.67S which
viii be in operation or ordered estab-
l ished by March !, 1904. To maintain
the service on these routes for the rs
cal year from July /. 1894. 10 June 80.
1905. will require $l3.56O,0o0
100000 Required.
with the number of agents now
employed il viii require about S3,oO0--
900 additional to enable the departing mt
to establish the service for the fiscal
year 1904-5 as rapidly as routes sre
examined. II Congress provides for IN
Increased number Of agents, as recon-
mended. il will require about 100000
additional. or $500 600 to maintain and
install the service during the next fiscal
year.
IF the maximum salary OF the car
riers is increased from $500 to $3.50 per
annum, as recommended, it will neees-
state an increase in these estimates OF
about p per cent.
In the course of the year 200,729 cases
have been referred to the Inspectors
division for investigation. The entire
number investigated was 2i0.O61, but
there We're left over from the fiscal
year 1902 946O7 cases. so that there