Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-03
UNCLE SAM S MAILS
What the Postmaster Genera:
Says of His Big Job.
AN ARMY OF EMPLOYEES
Millions of Packages and Money
Handled. by Clerks.
POsTMEN AND PICTURE CARDS
Is 1t Political Machine Run for the
Benefit of the Party in
PowerP
POSTMEN AND PICTURE CARDS

Copyright. 1905, 10y Frank G.. CnrpentCr.)
have just had long talk with George
p. Cortelyou, Postmaster General. He en-
tered the Post Office Department as ste
nographer when he first came to Washing
ton fifteen years ago, and worked there
four or five years, holding various confiden-
tial positions before he was promoted to the
White House. AS the friend. clerk and Sec
Rotary of Presidents Cleveland Mckinley
and Roosevelt he has been closely asso-
cla.ed with our pest office business.
It Is something to know, a business like
this. and tho man who handles ii must have
brains. nerve. honesty and executive ability.
Lei mo show YOU how big the Job is. The
Postmaster General has given the fig
mr.. but l use only round numbers and
translate his words into simple compari-
soEs. 1t is big In the money handled. We
rpoat GT,N'n,GnO on II last year, and It
brought in SlJ}.u"nG Goa Nevertheless these
sung are small in comparison with the job
For that sum we carried the mails of So
0unNGo souls, and it cost each of them only
II cents for the years service.
The Job IS a big one in tho hands en-
plcyNi. Mr. Cortelyou has 100000 men I'M
der him. and his clerks carry our letters
over so many routes that If they could be
placed end tn end they would reach from
tho Garth 10 the moon and back, and leave
more han COCO miles to spare. In our
own country alone the different classes Of
domestic mail travel altogether half bill
non mics n one year, ana the humber Oh
pieces handled on the railways amount to
1s.e1H. oHa,0c0. Such figures are inconceiv-
able.
Are Government Clerks HonestP
During the talk l asked the Postmaster
General as TO graft in the department, put
ting the blunt question as TO whether gov
eminent clerks We're honest. The Postmas-
ter General replied:
Il answer emphatically, yes. and If you
ask whether they are equal to the average
business employee in efficiency l will again
say yes Take our registered mail in 1904.
This department handled 2s,OOO,OtO pieces,
containing billions OF dollars and other
valuable matter How much of that do you
think was lost? Just about three thou
sandths OF one per cent, and that percent
age includes losses from fire and flood, 60
well az from stealing. 1t means loss OF
cents in Sl,0o0 and a total money indem-
nifty to be paid of less than 5000 1 don't
believe there is a private enterprise In the
world that can show a better record"
Uncle Sans Postal Deficit.
by your report, see that the Post Office
Department spent last year just about
s14o0O coo more than it took in. Does not
our postal service pay, and If not how can
that be remedied?'
by the word pay I infer that you mean
60 ask whether the department is self-suU-
tanning The so-callcd deficit for the las,
fiscal year was more than you state by over
half million dollars; but that IS due to the
fact that the revenue from certain classes
OF mail matter is not equal to the cost CT
maintaining their parts of the service II
could be remedied BY giving the department
credit for all free matter handled by the
different government departments and by
members of Congress, or by placing Il high
er tariff upon one of several classes of mail
matter and especially upon second-clas So
matter. think it would be better bust
ness to have each department pay its o.:n
postage. We should then know Just what It
costs 20 maintain each branch of the gov
eminent and the Post Office Department
would get credit FOR Its service.
las to sccond-class matter" continued.
Postmaster General COrtelyou, that makes
up two-thirds of the bulk weight OF our
mails. and a large part of 1t is handled al
loss Some of that mailed by the pub
fishers is carried free and the remainder
pound. Upon all such matter it is estimated
that the revenue is only about eight-tenths
of cent a pound. and the enormous sums
which We receive come mainly from the
high rate upon the other three classes
II the rate on second-class matter were
raised ard II all the mail which 1t carried
paid. there would be no deficit. AS IL Is
now the amount lacking has to be supplied
b. draft upon the Treasury for moneys
received from other sources OF govern
n9ent revenue.
The Rural Delivery Service.
Tell me something about the rural de
livery mail"
Tire rural delivery service has been
pretty well established throughout the
United States. We have now more than
35,sT4 routes and we employ 81, T6s rural
mail carriers. Almost all these deliver and
collect mail along their routes every da y.
They deliver letters to more than 5000 coo
families or TO almost 100000 persons.
Talking the population of the United STATE
at the round number of 100000 fun J
one person In every six gets his daily
mail BY rural delivery"
Jus, What are the duties of a rura!
mail carrer?'
lie IS required to deliver to the box OF