Arizona republican., 1908-11-30
MONDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 30, 1908.
ismissed for cause during the past

dismissed for cause during the past
 year
 Rural delivery is now in operation
 on 945.OS7 miles of road. over which
 carriers are required to travel daily.
 Of these roads 35,OOO miles are ma
 cadum, the remainder being earth,
 sand or gravel. Since the service was
 first established S70,632, ,162 has been
 expended on roads traversed by rural
 carriers. Road officials and patrons
 are notified wherever repairs are nee
 essary on rural routes. More work
 has been done on such public high
 ways and more expenditures made in
 their improvement during. the past
 year than in any previous year in the
 history of rural delivery and the of
 ficial reports received clearly idicate
 that interest in road improvement is
 being generally manifested throughout the country.
 The estimate of appropriations nee essary for this service for the next fiscal year, as submitted by Assistant
 Postmaster General De Graw is &c., 246.000 an increase of $673. 900 over the current appropriation. Of this esti- mate $34,053, ,159 is for continuing the service on 39,277 routes in operation on June 30 last, $626,S41 for continu- ing the service on 723 routes which it is estimated will be established dur inging the current fiscal year at an estimated average salary for carriers of sS67 per annum, $179.000 to inaugu- rate new service during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1910, $1,36O,OOO to pay substitutes for 39.63S carriers on vacation, at an estimated average rate of S367 per annum less six per cent deducted on account of carriers not in service twelve months, S12.00O to pay clerks m charge of stations of rural delivery service. and S15.00G to pay tolls and ferryage charged for carriers who traverse toll roads or turnpikes or cross streams over toll bridges or ferrys. During the past year there were 1872 new routes established, r routes discontinued prior thereto were and 14O, routes discon- tinued. leaving net increase in number l. .549. During the year 1858 postoffices were discontinued and the patrons rendered service by rural carriers. On only little more than 10 per cent of the rural routes the quantity of mail handled was less than 5000 pieces per quarter which heretofore has been considered fair average for a stand ard route. Included in this number 1 are 659 tri-weekly routes and a num- Der of short length routes serving re- stricted territories.
 The report recommends legislation | by congress which will permit the | adoption of an improved method of | 1isposing of unbelievable articles of ! mail by sale. so as to eliminate as far | IS practicable the objectionable lottery | features involved in carrying out the ! existing law on the subject In the | lead letter office during the year there l were received 13.145,17 pieces of mail. | md there were returned to senders r. 1 ,02, ,6S4 letters and parcels. oS almost | wo million more than in the previous I year On the last day of the fiscal | ear every piece of mail matter receiv- d had been opened and treated. an unprecedented condition in the work ,f the division.
 The report recommends increasing he number of positions in the higher -rades of clerkships. with correspond ng decrease in lower grades