Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-11-21
THE ESTIMATES
Secretary Cortelyou Makes Known What the ?. 0.
 Wants.

Washington, Noy. 21-Postmaster General Cortelyou recently completed and forwarded to the secretary of the treasury the estimates for the post office department for the fiscal year ending June 30. 1907. They show q reduction of expenses wherever it IS believed it will not impair the ser vice. but provision for development of postal facilities to meet the growing needs of all sections of the country.
 The estimates for the postal service at large, the field service, aggregate S193,0O0,000, an increase over last years appropriation of about S12000.- GOO. This increase represents the nor nal growth of the service based upon what the postal authorities regard as the most careful and conservative es- inmates. The principal items in the increase are the rural delivery ser vice, railway mail service, compensa- tion to postmasters and their clerks, and the compensation of letter car riers.
 For the maintenance of the rural delivery service and its proper exten- sion over S29,0O0.000 will be required. This is an increase of $3,600000 over the appropriation for the current year.
 The estimates for the railway mail service and railway mail transporta- tiOn call for an increase of about s. 100000 over the current appropriation.
 To provide for the compensation of postmasters and clerks in post offices an increase of nearly $2.000,OO0 will be necessary for the coming year: and for city letter carriers an increase of more than S90O,000 will be needed.
 That the extension of the pneumatic tube service is contemplated is shown by the fact that the estimate carries $3322,OO0 more than the current appro- priatiOn.
 A number of other and compara- lively minor increases have been ask ed for in order to allow for tine nat ural expansion of the service and to meet the constant demand for improy- ed postal facilities.
 Curtailment has been recommended wherever possible and many decreases are shown. of which the following are examples.
 Railway transportation. special fla cilities. decrease $167,OO0: letter car rfers, new offices, $35,OOO: free deliy- cry service, incidental expenses, StOO,- GOO: incidental expenses, rural deIiy- cry. $25,000; advertising schedules of foreign mails, S26.00O. The recent re- organization of the department. 1t is pointed out is also in line with the intention to simplify the administration of the service and reduce expenses. No large appropriations for experi- ments or innovations have been asked for by the postmaster general, his aim being, It is stated, for the present at least. to improve and develop the ex- istfng service.
 The deficit for the, fiscal year ended June 30 1905, was S14,5T2.5S4. This amount. thef difference between the expenditures and the revenues of the departmentf' it is officially announced, may be said to represent the actual cost of thf service to the people. If recent calculations are as accurate as they have been frequently in the past. they afford good reason for believing that the deficit for the year ending June 90. 1906. will be considerably less"
 It Is an interesting fact that the to- tai revenue for the fiscal year 1905 ex- ceeded the total expenditures for the fiscal year 1901 by nearly s500.00O.