Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-16

Postmaster General Payne.
His Latest Photograph.
there is no such delivery the post office re-
ceipts are growing at the rate OF about
2 per cent per annum. Where the rural de-
livery has been introduced they are an
nually growing at the rate Of 10 per cent.
Besides that the circular and other small
mail sent along such routes Is very great.
Some of the chief business institutions OF
the country get lists OF the people along
the routes and circularize them
will the day come when every man in
the United States will get his letters at
his own home?"
try are very sparsely inhabited. should not
like to predict. We now have the star routes.
Men deliver mail to all the homes along
their route and thereby give mail to more
mail from those families and take it to the
post Office. That costs the government
nothing, as the star-route men are paid no
more for this additional service.
New Things in Uncle Sans Mails.
What new things are you doing for the
peopIe?"
I've are improving the service In every
way possible. and our chief work this year
has been done for New York. The mail is
greatly congested there and great deal
of time Is consumed in getting it from the
post office to the railway stations. We
have arranged to build a post office over
the tracks at the new Pennsylvania sta
ton and also at the New York Central
station. These two places will be connected
by pneumatic tubes with the other Of
fees. They will be so that the mails will be
sorted in them and dropped through chutes
or by elevators right down to the doors of
the cars. These two great depots will take
out 20 per cent of the mail Of New York.
and the new arrangements. when COM
pleted, will save considerable time in the
forwarding Of the mails"
Then we are improving the ocean serv-
Ice and our foreign postal arrangements, !"
tho Postmaster General continued eve
now have mail clerks and post Offices in
the large steamers just as in the railway
cars. The clerks begin to sort the mail fC r
different parts and towns Of the United
states as soon as they leave Europe. and
when the ships arrive It Is shipped off by
rail without rehandling. This saves about
a day on every foreign letter. We are also
increasing the number of ships which carry
the mails. We now have four regular mails
across the Atlantic each way every week
and we hope to soon send and receive mails
daily. We want to cut down the foreign
postage to the maritime ma tions to 2 cents
letter. and we believe that the revenues
will be greater under this reduction than a.
the 5-cent rate as now"
How about postal savings banks~
1--WE may have them some day for the
smaller towns and villages where there are
no such banking facilities. I think they
would be good for such places. I have
tried to have them introduced into Porto
Rico. but so far Congress has not adopted
my suggestion. We have no banks in Porto
Rico except at San Juan and Ponce. The
people understand nothing about savings
Institutions and 1t seems 20 me that postal
savings banks would do much to inculcate
thrift and thereby better the condition Of
the island. Porto Rico has almost million
people and although the majority are very
poor, many are well to do.
Postal Tefegraphs and Telephones.
"Will the Post Office Department ever
control our telegraphs and telephones?'
Il am not a prophet nor the son of a
prophet" said the Postmaster General, and
so I cannot answer that question. II be-
leve. however that such things under
government like ours are far better off in
the hands of private parties The govern
ment machine is already enormous. and
this would multiply it. AS 1t is, the tele-
graphs and telephones very we'll man
aged There are competing companies, and
the rates are comparatively cheap. l should
hesitate to take over these great instftu-
tons if had the power"
Don't Want Postal Express.
How about a postal express so that
poultry, butter and other small farm pro-
ducts as we'll as merchandise could be taken
through the mail?'
IT don't think that would do in our coun-
try. We have such magnificent distances
and we should have to have a uniform rate
without regard to distance The result
would be that the private companies would
do all the profitable short haul business and
the government would have the long hauls
at low rates 1t would enormously increase
the expenses without a proportionate in
crease Of revenue 1t would not pay"
Postal Checks and Postal Notes.
How about sending small sums by
mail?" asked.
1--WE need some new arrangements for
that" replied the Postmaster General. 1.-THE
post office money order is well enough for
larger sums, but we ought to have some
thing for the sending of small change. am
in favor of postal notes Of the denomina-
tons of 81 and S. with a payable-to-order
provision on the back. II no name was
written in the blank these notes would do
for q common currency. and Ii the order
was filled In they would be only payable
by the post office, which would cash them
on presentat ton. Fractional parts Of a
dollar could be sent In notes Or stamps
made for tho purpose. We should have
some better way of sending small sums"
FRANK G. CARPENTER