Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1909-12-27

educational centers 1t encourages
the Improvement of country roads. BY
making rural life more attractive it
stimulates agriculture. No doubt il is
partly responsible for the increase in
iarm values. owing to the marvel
ously rapid growth of this service,
however, it is put natural that defects
have developed. The cost of rural de-
livery is probably much greater than
it should be. Now is an appropriate
time for considering carefully the
conditions under which IL is operated,
for pcrfecting the existing orgonZa-
tion and for introducing such econo-
mics as are consistent with proper
conduct of the service
'In so far as the rates Of payment
for transportation of the mails are
fixed by contracts based on compeu-
tive bidding, there can be no doubt as
to their fairness. The larger part Of
this item, however. is fer payments to
railways fixed by law. The charge for
this service during the past fiscal
year was nearly 10000, eco.
In one respect the postal service is
susceptible of marked Improvement.
1t needs Il more effective system of
supervision over 1000 offices scat
tered the length and breadth of the
land ere directly dependent ON the de-
partment at Washington for instruc-
tions, for authority to make expendi-
lures and for supplies. 1t would seem
TO be an excellent plan to make large
city postofiices the centers OF con
venient postal areas by giving city
postmasters supervisory authority over
the smaller Offices of the neighbor-
hood.
THE departments recommendation
for the establishment of postal saw
ings banks is earnestly renewed. As
9S per cent of the savings of the peo-
pie are deposited in the banks of four
teen states, the need for additional
repositories for other parts Of the
country is apparent. Those portions
of the United States now wanting in
such facilities could be readily sup
piled through the instrumentality of
postal savings system.
"Of the vessels carrying mails To
the Orient more than 20 per cent fly
foreign flags, while not a single stea M
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
of frequent, fast and reg
ular mail service would be the first
step in establishing closer trade rcla-
tions with them Contracts for SER
vice to these countries can not he Sc
cured under the present law. More
liberal remuneration is necessary.
should be enacted granting
adequate mail pay to American steam =
ships on routes of this character.
"To provide simple and cheap
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 notes or check
be adopted, similar to the present
order, but issued for lower
fees without written application In
fixed denominations less than $40.
suggestions are made in the report
of means by which the public could
facilitate the work of the postoffice
department. Among them are these.
The equipment of every residence
with a private mail box in cities hav-
ing carrier service; posting heavy
early in The day, instead of
the evening; the general use of It re-
turn address on envelopes; the prompt
notification OF pOstmasters of all
changes in addresses, and the exer-
else of care in the proper addressing
Of al mail matter.
some idea of the size of the postal
service of the United States and the
of its business can be
gained from a brief review of the
salient facts disclosed by the latest
annual statistics. These figures show
that the service now has about 325,-
600 employees. and that these employees
handled during the last fiscal year
nearly fourteen billion pieces of mail.
The number of postoffices in opera
iion is 60,144. There are 26,652 do
nestle transportation routes, aggregat-
ing 44S,61S miles in length, with an
annual travel Of 542,l51,121 miles. A
delivery service by carrier is provided
on 40,62S rural routes and in LAO
cities and towns. Ordinary postage
stamps to the number of SIP, 2,O07,031
were sold during the year and domes-
tic money orders to the value of
s491, 1,074,S33 were issued. The total
receipts for the fiscal year 1909 were
s203, ,562, 2,3S3.07, an increase OF 6.31
per cent over the receipts Of the pre-
5ious year. The total expenditures
amounted to 1921, 1,004.102.S9, an in
,reasc of COZ per cent