Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-06-08
atliseellaneuus 8eadins,
UNCLE SANS ONE BUSINESS.
Postoffice the Biggest Employer In
the Country.

Postoffice the Biggest Employer In
the Country.
The only business operated by the
United States government today-and
that by explicit provision Of the ma
tional constitution-is the postoffice.
In the number Of persons employed,
moreover, this is the largest business
concern in the company.
Just how vast are it's operations
may be seen in the development Of
the New York postoffice since the
first year Of Washington's presidency.
The average receipts Of the New York
office for just a little more than half
day during 1905 exceeded the en-
tire receipts Of the national postoffice
during the year 1889.
The gross revenue Of this metro
politan office FOR the fiscal year end
ing June 80 last exceeded by a good
margin the combined receipts Of Ala
bama, Mississippi, Alaska, Arizona,
Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Flori-
da, Idaho. Indian Territory. Maine,
Louisiana, Nevada, New Hampshire,
New Mexico North Carolina, North
Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia,
West Virginia, Washington and Wy
oming. 1t exceeded by more than
one and a half million dollars the
combined postel revenues Of Boston,
San Francisco, st. Louis, Buffalo,
Milwaukee and cincinnati.
New York did larger postal busi-
ness in that year than the whole state
of Illinois, including Chicago; than
Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia
and Pittsburg; than Massachusetts,.
including Boston.
The territory covered by the New
York postoffice embraces only the
boroughs of Manhattan and the
Bronx. The postal needs Of other
parts of the greater city are served
by independent postoffices, ranging in
importance from Brooklyn, with its
annual revenue of two millions, to
Bayside, N. Y, with a revenue of a
little more than two thousand. The
gross revenues of the postoffices In
the greater city aggregated $1S,537,-
1868.
The New York postoffice not only
collects and distributes mail matter
written by or addressed to it's own cit
liens; it is also the gateway through
which foreign mail enters the country
and the funnel through which almost
all letters, papers and packages must
pass to the rest of the world.
During last year, the New York
city delivery department collected
and delivered, in round numbers, a
billion and a half pieces of mail mat
ter. More than nine million dollars
worth of stamps and post cards were
sold. The entire revenue of the office
was SIG, 100000 Four and a half
million letters and post cards were
handled daily.
The New York postoffice has $500
employees. 1t has thirty-seven branch
stations for which mail is bagged on
incoming ships and trains as If each
was a separate town.
In addition there are 210 sub-sta-
tions-chie1y in drug stores, where
stamp and money order business is
done. Thirty-five per cent of the
matter mailed in New York Is for To-
cal delivery.
In one very important phase of its
work the metropolitan postoffice ex-
cells the services in any other city OF
the world. In the inquiry and dead
letter department at the general office
most interesting and varied task Is
accomplished.
| All the undirected, misdirected, in
sufficiently stamped. unclaimed and
unavailable pieces of mail pass
through this department Last year
there were received more than 72.OOO
Inquiries for missing mail. Fifty-five
per cent of these were recovered OF
accounted for. Nearly 3,OOO,OOO
pieces were sent to the dead letter
office at Washington.
More than a million and quarter
of letters misdirected by the senders
were forwarded the correct addresses
having been secured by the alert, eX-
perienced clerks i'm this department
Often considerable ingenuity, as well
as linguistic and geographical knowl-
edge, is required to guess what the
sender meant to write.
Another interesting phase of this
departments work is the locating oi
owners or consignees of money found
loose i'm the mails. Last year more
than $500 different sums were found
in amounts ranging from a cent to
2,OO0
New York is the main gateway oi
the United States. and the New YORK
postoffice is the national mail funnel
The bulk of the Canadian foreign
mail-incoming and outgOing-passes
through New York and is handled
i'm bags-by the New York office.
! When Europeans write to Austria