The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-12-12
General Prosperity RsIgnS in POStOflCt Department
MORE ROOM IS NEEDED
Prompt Steps Should be Taken to Pro vide Needed FaclIitles-Many Changes and Improvements
 Made During Past Year.

AWashington, December u.-Fonowing ns the report in part submitted to Pres fdent Roosevelt by Postmaster General Wynne.
 In presenting the annual report of the postoffice department for the fiscal year ended June 30 1904, I have pleasure in recording a year of most successful ad- ministration. Postal revenues have in- Ecreased. Statutory changes in the classi- 1lcation of the mails have been carried fout greatly to the benefit of the service. Amendments to regulations facilitating the handling of mercantile packages In lbulk have been put Into effect. At home and abroad postal facilities have been ex- hfended. Exchange of money orders with kforeign countries has been simplifed and gcheapened- Parcels-post conventions were extended to European countries as an experiment with Germany five years lago. They have been extended to Japan and the British colony of Hongkong to meet changes of trade conditions in the far east; also to Norway
 Economy and strict accountability have kbeen enforced in all branches of the ser Ivice While the so-called deficit of ss, b779,492-that is to say, the excess of ex- penditures over receipts-is greater by AT than for Ine fiscal year 1903, it must be borne in mind that the ex- lpenditure for the extension and main tenance of the rural-free delivery ser vice during the past fiscal year was h$4902,2 237 greater than the preceding year. There is urgent necessity for increased Ioffice accommodation for -he depart ment The city postoffce building in (which the postoffice department is now luuartered is entirely inadequate for the double purpose to which it has been de- lvoted, consequently a large part of the business of the general postoffice has to be conducted in rented buildings, not fire tproof, widely separated from the main loffice and rented at great cost. Consid- leratons of economy, as well as due regard for the orderly and expeditions conduct of the public business. demand lprompt action for relief. Initial steps to lmeet this requirement. were taken by congress in passing an act, approved March 3, 1903, looking toward the pur- chase of the block immediately south of the present department building, for the purpose of erecting thereon an annex, but mo steps have yet been taken to acquire little to the ground referred to. re- lspectfu1ly urge that this should be done without further delay.
 The increase in the number of clerks provided for by the current appropriation has enabled the department to establish an eight-hour schedule for clerks, es- pecially in the larger postoffices. It is not practicabl in all cases to limit the hours iof service to eight, but as near as possible this has been done.
 About 9 per cent of the clerks in the first and second-class postonices have been promoted under this appropriation. T believe d larger percentage should be promoted, and the estimates for clerk hire in first and second-class offices for the next fiscal year have been based on this view. It will be possible to promote about thirty-three and one-third per cent $100 each if the estimates submitted in the report of the acting first assistant post master general are approved
 Classification of Clerks.
 A committee appointed by the late postmaster general recommended re- classification of postoffice clerks, and in the postoffice appropriation bill for the current year amendment in classification was authorized to the extent of enabling the department to- correct most of the Irregularities in designation. respectful ly recommend adoption of the proposed .reclassihcation set forth in the repart of the acting first assistant postmaster gen. eral It creates a number of new titles and increases the maximum salary of certain positions, equalizing the salaries of the chiefs in several divisions of the postoffices.
 It is desirable that legislation be enact ied giving the postmaster general author ity to terminate bonds of postoffice clerks, and I earnestly urge the passage of sen- ate bill 3379, which gives this authority. Under the present law, bonds of post boffice clerks are continuous so long as the clerks retain the designations under which they. are bonded.
 It seems desirable that steps. should be taken to relieve this department of the expense of paying employees de- tailed for duty in connection with the work of the civil service commission. A number of clerks in the larger post offices are assigned to exclusive duties on civil service boards and postmasters de- rive no benefit from their services, al- though they are required to pay them salaries.
 At the last session of congress an ap- propriation was made for clerk hire at third-class postoffices. Experience has shown that this was a wise provision and I earnestly urge that the appropriation be continued and increased s200,0O0
 On June 90. 1904 the total number of domestic routes of all classes was 31. .513. their length 496s1S miles, and tie annual travel 505,5s5.526 miles. Compared win the preceding year this was decrease in length of routes of 9,450 miles but an in- crease in annual travel of 12,S92, ,166 miles. The annual rate of expenditue for such service at the end of the last fiscal year was s67, ,931,429.63. an increase of $4.336,- sS7.29.
 Star Routes.
 At the close of last fcsal year there