The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-07-17

the past ten years. In 1860 the gross re-
ceipts of the whole service were only about
IS .000.0 200. and In 1892 the increase alone
over the receipts of 1902 was more than
Sl2.OUO.VO. In 1894 the receipts were 49,
than sl5O.OOo.o 900. That is a wonderful rec
ord"
DO you think our Post-Ofice business is
better managed from year to year."
Yes. In 1897 the receipts were about
S. 100000 and the deficit was over sll.-
OJo.1D. In 1902 the deficit had shrunken
TO three millions and In 1903 ii was only
four ana one-half millions.
"A large part of the last deficit was
caused by the great additional expense of
the new rural delivery service. which Will
cost us this year about So. 000. 900. Were 1t
not for that service the department would
now be self-sustatning.'
rs the rural free delivery a success,
General?" l asked.
Yes. indeed" was the reply. Few
people know how great a success II is.
We have now more than 1900 rural de-
livery routes. giving a oaiiy mail delivery
to 10000 antilles. or to more than H.
$500. Estimating our population at H.
WO.e,0. We are now serving one-seVenth OF
all the peopl. in the United States through
the rural delivery"
WILL A SOME DAY.
viii that service ever pay its own ex-
penses%"
1t may pay. but it will be far in the
future. 1t does pay already in the in
crease of business throughout the coun-
try and also in the growth of the postal
business In those localities ana to those
localities. We find that in settled rural
districts where there is no such deliv-
at the rate Of about . per cent per annuni.
Where the rural delivery has been in
PRODUCED they are annually at
the rate of 10 per cent. Besides that, the
circular and ether 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"
viii the day come when every man in
the United Statea will get his letters at
his own home
try are very sparsely inhabited. I 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 than l0I. zoo families.
They also collect mail from those fam
ilies and take II to the Post ONCE. That
costs the Government nothing. as the
star-route men are paid no more for this
additional service"
What new things are you doing for the
people,
way possible. and our chief work this
year has been done for New York. The
mail Is greatly copgested there and a
great deal Of time Is consumed In getting
lions.
We have arranged to build a post ONCE
over the tracks at the New Pennsylvania
Station and also at the New York Central
Station. These two places will be CON
offices.
They will be so that the mails will be
sorted in them and droDpeI through
chutes or by elevators right down to the
doors OF the cars. These two great depots
viii take out 80 per cent OF the mail of
when. completed, will save considerable
time in the forwarding of the malls"
Then we are improving the ocean serv-
Ice and our foreign postal arrangements"
the Postmaster General continued.
We now have mail clerks and Post Of
hccs In the large steamers just as in the
railway cars. The clerks begin to sort the
mail for different parts and towns of the
United states as soon as they leave Eu-
rope, and when the ships arrive 1t is
shipped OFF by rail without r%ehandlins.
letter.
We are also increasing the number of
ships which carry the mails. We now have
send and receive mails daily.
% We want to cut down the foreign post
age 10 the maritime nations TO 2 cents a
letter. and we believe that the revenues
will be greater under this reduction than
at the 3-cent rate as now.
BANKS AND POST OFFICE.
How about postal savings banks?'
I'VE may ave 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, 1 have
tried to have them introduced into Porto
Rico. but so far Congress has not adopted
my suggestion.
I'VE have no banks In Porto Rico. ex-
cept at San Juan and Ponce. The people
understand nothing about savings institu-
lions, and It seems to me that postal saw
Ings banks would do much to inculcate
thrift and thereby better the condition OF
lion people, and. although the majority are
very poor. many are we'll to do"
viii the Post-Ofice Department ever
control our telegraphs and telephones?
prophet" said the Postmaster General.
and so cannot answer that question. Il be-
lieve. however. that such things under a
government like ours are far better on In
the hands of private parties.
The Government machine Is already
enormous. and this would multiply 1t. AS
it Ver is. H shf m 1s,ssfssns T ana ' are Competing ing
and the rates are compare
lively cheap. l should hesitate to take
over these great institutions II | had the
power"
DON'T WANT A POSTAL EXPRESS.
How about a postal express. SO that
poultry. butter and other small farm prod
ucts as well as merchandise could be
taken through the mail?'
QOH l Hlll Una WYNN w ~ ONA
country. We have such magnificent dis
tances and we should have TO have q uni
form rate without regard to distance;
THE result would be that the private
companies would do all the profitable
business and the Government
would have the long hauls at low rates.
1t would enormously increase the exa
penses without a proportionate increase
revenue. 1t would not pay"
How about sending small sums by
I'VE need some new arrangements
for that" replied the Postmaster General;
enough for larger sums, but we ought to
have something for the s eF nas Of s small
Of the denominations of 81 and 81. with
rayable-to-order provision on the back:
IF no name was written in the blank
these notes would do for a common cur
rency, and if the order was filled in they
be only payable by the Post Office,
which would cash them on presentation.
Fractional parts of a dollar could be
sent in notes or stamps made for the pur-
pose. We should have some better way
sending small sums