Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-01-02
POSTAGE IN SOUTH CAROLINA.
The Bill of This State Is Smaller Than
Any Other.

According to official figures, says a
Washington letter, South Carolina
spends less money than any other state
in the, Union for postage. The gross
receipts Of the postoffices Of this state
according to per capita Of circulation,
Is so per cent. This means that for
each man, woman and child in the
state, there has been paid out Of his
or her pocket just a trifle over fifty
two cents towards the postal estab-
lishment Of the government and In the
transmission Of mail. This is In direct
contrast to New York, which averages
1888 per capita in postal expenditures
New York Is not the head Of the list
in expenditures toward the postoffice
department, however. Nevada being
first with 1887 per head and the Dis
trict Of Columbia next with $3.4S. All
statesS and territories are exceeded by
far-off Midway Island, where the av-
erage per capita postal expenditures
are 1886. There Is so little popula-
ton on the island to make an average
from that 1t really does not count.
South Carolina's gross postofice re-
ceipts for the fiscal year ended. June
80, 1906, were .$73S,724, while those of
New York were $2s,SSS.164. Pennsyl-
vania. ranks first in the total number
of postoffices, having 4,377, while New
York Is fifth with 1882. Pennsylvania
spends only s1.S9 per capita with her
postoffices. South Carolina Is twenty
fifth In the total number Of postofflces,
having just 047.
Virginia Is the second state In the
Union In the total number of postof-
fees, having S,426, fairly close Sec
ond To Pennsylvania. In rank Of ex-
penditures Virginia is thirty ninth,
with an average of $1.0s per head
Kentucky is the third state in number
Of postoffices. having S,17S, and Texas
is fourth. with 3,o4s. The former av-
eragess eighty-six cents per head in ex-
penditures and the latter ninety five
cents.
From a strictly business point OF
view the figures present curious facts
South Carolina's poor showing is due,
of course, to her large. negro popula-
ton, which Is in excess Of the white
population by a good many thousands
Assistant Postmaster General DeGraw
commenting upon the figures today
said that the negro population accounts
for the low expenditure. 1t Is fire.
quently the case that whole families
of negroes in that state go an entire
year without writing a letter to any
one or receiving one. Their letters are
seldom over one or two a year. The
same thing is true Of Mississippi. with
her large negro population. The aver
age expenditure Of that state Is fifty
nine cents and she ranks next to South
Carolina at the tail end of the list of
states. Alaska Is between Mississip-
pi and South Carolina, the average OF
the territory being fifty-four cents
Porto Rico makes the smallest show
ing of all the possessions Of Uncle
Sam, the average being eleven cents
The island of Guam has just one post
office, but the soldiers and officers OF
the army there spend fourteen cents
apiece each year for postage.
"Our rural free delivery routes In
South Carolina, Mississippi and one or
two other southern states do not pay
for themselves" said Mr.. DeGraw to
the correspondent. "They are really
loss to the government. This is, as In
case of the regular postoffices, due to
the large negro population There
is no suggestion of reducing the routes
in South Carolina because of the loss
but the department does not propose to
extend them as fast as in other states.
There are now 6S,131 postoff1ces In
the United States. Just one hundred
years ago, in 1905 the total number
was 1858, less than the state of In
diana now has.