Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-12-27

lin farm values. Owing to the mar
velously rapid growth Of this service,
however, it is but natural that de-
fects have developed. The cost Of
rural delivery is probably much great
er than it should be. Now is an APP
propriate time for considering care
fully the conditions under which it is
operated, for perfecting the existing
organization. and for introducing such
economies as are consistent with q
proper conduct Of the service.
I'm so far as the rates Of payment
for transportation Of the mails are
fixed by contracts based on com
petitivc bidding, there can be no doubt
as to their fairness. The larger part
Of this item, however, is for payments
to railways at rates fixed by law. The
charge for this service during the past
fiscal year was nearly $50,00O.O00.
ain one respect, the postal service is
susceptible of marked improvement.
1t needs a more effective system OF
supervision. Over $4,000 offices scat
tered throughout the length and
breadth of the land are directly de-
pendent on the department at Wash
to make expenditures, and for sup
plies. 1t would seem to be an excel
lent plan to make large city postof-
fees the centers Of convenient postal
areas by giving city postmasters
supervisory authority over the small
er Offices Of the neighborhood.
THE departments recommendation
for the establishment of postal saw
ings banks is earnestly renewed. AS
IS per cent of the savings Of the peo-
pie are deposited in the banks Of IA
states the need for additional saw
| ings repositories for other parts of the
country is apparent. These portions
Of the United States now wanting in
| such facilities could be readily sup
piled through the instrumentality of a
| postal savings system.
"Of the vessels carrying mails to the
| Orient more than 20 per cent. fly for
| egn flags, while not a single steam
| ship now carrying our mails to Aus
tralasia and to South America, except
the north coast flies the American flag
| These parts of the world are Of great
| commercial Importance, and the
| maintenance OF frequent fast. and
|
step in establishing closer trade rela-
| tons with them. Contracts for SER
vice to these countries cannot be Sc
| cured under the present law: More
' liberal remuneration is necessary
! Legislation should be enacted granting
adequate mail pay to American steam
| ships on routes of this character.
| ITO provide a simple and cheap
| means of transmitting small sums
| through the mails, and to lessen the
use Of coins bills and postage stamps
for that purpose, it is recommended
| that a form of postal note or check be
| adopted, similar to the present money
order. but issued for lower fees with
out written application in fixed de-
| nominations less than SO.
| Suggestions are made in the report
of means by which the public could
facilitate the work of the PostofficC
Department. Among them are these:
The equipment Of every residence
win private mail box in cities having
| carrier service: posting heavy mail
| ings early in the day. instead of the
evening; the general use of a return
address on envelopes: the prompt
notification of postmasters of all
| changes in addresses; and the exer-
| else of care in the proper addressing
| OF all mail matter.
Some idea of the size of the postal
service of the United States and the
magnitude of its business can be
gained from brief review of the
salient facts disclosed by the latest
annual statistics. These figures show
| that the service now has about 325,0OC
| employees, and that these employees
handled during the last fiscal year
| nearly fourteen billion pieces of mail
The number Of postoffices in operation
| is 6O,144. There are 1852 domestic
| transportation routes, aggreSatinG
| 44S,61S miles in length, with an an
nual travel of 542,151,121 miles A
| delivery service by carrier is provided
| on 40,62S rural routes and in LAC
cities and towns. Ordinary postage
| stamps to the number of S.712007 O31
were sold during the year and domes-
tic money orders to the value of $491
| o74,S44 were issued. The total re-
| celpts for the fiscal year 1909 were
sos, So 383.07. an increase of 6.31 PEI
| cent over the receipts of the previous
year, The total expenditures amount
| ed to $221 004.102.S9, an increase Of 607
per cent