Omaha daily bee., 1903-01-05

the business OF the country or its growth
in population. Back OF the desk at which
the postmaster general sits is a tabulated
statement showing the business dome by
the postofice department for every year
since its establishment.
Increase in Receipts.
THE increase in the total postal receipts
almost stagger me every time I look at that
table, said Postmaster General PAYNE.
Every year the Increase in our receipts is
greater than we're the total receipts Of the
department at the close Of the civil war.
The more we reduce the postage rate the
greater the receipts seem and the more
nearly we are able to balance accounts Cor
the service rendered. In two decades we
have more than trebled postal receipts.
The table also shows that during the civil
war the postal receipts OF the United States
government steadily Increased, being larger
when the war closed than when 1t began.
This shows what a small factor the south
Is in postal revenues OF the country. Our
increase for the fiscal year end
Ing 1908 is greater than we're the total post
office receipts at the beginning Of the war.
Modern business methods have made the
Postofice department up-to-date. Our sue
cess is due, first, to the cooperation OF
railroads; second, to the cooperation Of
urban business organizations, and, third. to
the cooperation of newspapers. Cities
which are struggling with each other for
supremacy bring pressure to bear which
manifests itself in the extension of the
service and the newspapers through their
circulation managers won't let us forget
where the service can be improved. A
difference of half an hour in a train seTv-
Ice may determine which city will monopo-
lizo a given news territory, and the busi-
ness OF the department is to get the mail
at the quickest possible time into any given
territory. We have as a result OF the phe-
nomenal increase in the posta, business
some grievous inequalities in the matter OF
salaries. The most striking example Of an
underpaid employe on the continent is in
this department. The superintendent of
the money order division handles 5000, OOO.-
900 a year. His salary is So, 900 a year. It
is a most difficult and e~xacting Job. have
written personal letters to senator's and
members of the house, but the salary is at
the old fgure-$1 for each 500, 900 for
which he is responsible.
Gives Credit to Machen.
During the last few days some sensa-
tlonal newspapers have printed columns
u toS upOu tue fObIOIlCe department.
growing out of the orders issued concern
ing the kind of letter boxes to be used on
rural delivers routes. From time to time
a commission has been named to examine
all samples submitted and select those re-
garded as most suitable. These commits
sions have had three objects in view-sim-
plicity Of construction, safety for con-
tents and cheapness of cost. The boxes
selected have given general satisfaction
not only to the people along the routes,
but the carriers as we'll. The only people
who registered a kick" are manufacturers
or inventors of other boxes who failed to
secure the adoption of their devices. These
people have succeeded in inducing some
newspapers to attack the postemce OFF,
Gals and especially Mr.. A. W.. Machen.
superintendent OF the free delivery serv-
ice.
"Mr. Machen was appointed to his pres
ent position by Mr.. Cleveland. No man
ever filled the place before him with the
credit which attaches to his administration.
He has made the service over which he
presides the most perfect of its kind in the
world and there is not a country in the
postal union that has not attempted to
follow the lines he has laid out. No man
ever filled an important 'Suhhc office with
out calling down upon himself the snarls
of Jealous outsiders. Two or three years
ago an attack was made upon Mr.. Machen
almost Identical in form with the present
one. The house committee on postofices,
OF which Mr.. Loud OF California was then
chairman and is now, investigated the
charges and the result was a complete and
thorough vindication. The rural free de-
livery service has come to stay and the
man who has done more to make its opera
tion effective and useful and in the highest
degree creditable to the government is
Mr.. Machen, who is today the subject of
scurrilous and unwarranted attacks insti-
gated by patriotic citizens who are angry
because the Postof1ce department fails to
appraise their inventive genius at the value
they place upon 1t themselves"