The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-11-18
Postoffice Receipts
Show Business Gain
Increase Of 631 Per Cent Ia the Revenues Indicates
Healthy Condition. William E. Curtis Says Postal
Statistics Clearly Set Forth Country Growth.

orders alone, practically the entire |
amount being the savings of the for /
eign-born population in the United |
States RENTED to their parents and |
other relatives, or for investment Dur |
ing the fiscal year 1903 the sum OF |
sSS,9I2,3Ss was sent, but, as have al |
ready told you, there was falling on |
to 1856, 629 during the recent year.
The growth of the country is indi /
statistics than by any other standard I
of comparison, although there has |
been decided falling off in the total |
number of postoffices since the rural |
delivery was introduced High water |
mark was reached in 1901, when there
we're 76,945 postofiices, but those OF
the fourth class on the country roads
and at the four corners have gradually
been abolished and the mail of their
patrons has been delivered at the
doorstep of the farmers homes by car.
riers.
The total number OF postoffices in
operation on the Both of June last was
60,144 which was falling off of 1891
since 1901 and a decrease of LOLA dur
ing the previous twelve months.
The number of first and second
class Offices increased considerably
= however, and the amount OF money
1 devoted to postmasters' salaries was
+ s26.571 .991, decided increase from
the previous year;
Thu r<.rcr,t,o f,F fho D0cfnfi1o 10
partment is increasing rapidly, and
amounted to S203, 563.343 asst year, an
increase of s12.083,719, but 1t does not
4, yet equal or even keep pace with the
expenditures, which were 1921 ,0D4 ,102
during the fiscal year 1909-an in.
4 crease of $12,662.216 from the pre-
vious year There seems to be no
way OF pulling down the expenses, not
withstanding the efforts of the Pest.
Office department to economic end to
rule ont of the mails vast quantities
of second-class matter that was for
merly carried free.
4 The deficit in the earnings fast year
! was larger than ever before in the
history Of the government, and
amounted TO s17.479.770. Ten years
ago the deficit was $5,385,6S8, while in
1902 is was only s2,9s1.169. 1t is in
: creasing so rapidly every year that
!, there is very little hope that the Post
; Office Department will ever become
) self-supporting, as 1t Is in nearly every
, other country. The difficulty is thai
1 under our liberal laws an enormous
5 amount of printed matter, including
. city and country newspapers, is car
ried free.
( Indeed, the only part of our posta
D service which pays us a profit Is The
0 foreign mails, and yet our Congress
s chiefly because of the opposition o
/. the representatives from Wisconsin
/ Minnesota and other northwestern
e states, refuses to pay sufficient com
n pensation to induce capitalists to es
n tablish steamship lines to foreign
@ countries. II Congress would permi
Y the Postmaster General to use all th,
k money he receives from foreign post
i age to pay for carrying the foreigl
). mails, there would be no lack o
8 American merchant marine. but n,
. steamship line can afford to carry tn
y mails for what the American Congress
e permits him to pay, and hence on
d letters are carried to and from foreigl
n countries for foreign vesse's, whic
e are subsidized by their own govern
n ments, and collect many millions G
n dollars annually for freight upo
s. American merchandise.
it The honesty OF our postal service
lie worth talking about, and 1t Is sui
ject OF which everybody ought to b
B. proud. During the last fiscal yea
y, ,,,itI,c,-5 i-o,.-airs- tho .-rkncswn vo1po