Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-09
THE GOVERNMENT AT WORK.
W-The Post Office Department.
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

The Post Office Department, with its
$4,000 employees, is the largest single
governmental establishment in the world.
1t annually handles more than fourteen
billion pieces of mail at q cost of more
than two hundred million dollars. More
than half of all the employees of the
government are at work under the direc-
ton of the Postmaster General. Some
idea of the immensely of its business
may be CLEANED from the statement that
the stamps Of all kinds used in a single
year would plaster ., 200 acres Of land.
or make six belts of stamps around the
earth. Counting those on stampeu en-
velopes. newspaper wrappers and postal
cards, the aggregate number used an
nuallx is upward -of eleven .biflion.
When the revenues Of the government
began to fall off two years ago the Post
ONCE Department started to look for OPP
portunities TO- retrepch. 1t was found
that in the money-order' business the
labor involved in handling the advice
slips mailed. from the issuing to the,
paying ofice involved an expenditure OF
100000 year. So it was decided by
the Postmaster General to issue new
form or order, in which the advice slip
and is carried to the paying Office by the
person in whose favor the order Is
issued. This single economy, involving
an annual saving OF more than half
million dollars. Another opportunity for
retrenehment was found In the handling
of registered matter. 1t had been the
registered letter or parcel sent. This
required the handling Of more than
3O.OOO.O00 cards q year by the employees
Of the postal service. The Postmaster
General asked Congress to authorize him
to return cards to the .senders only when
requested. The. result of this small
economy will be a saving of several hun
dred thousand dollars.
The growth of the mail business of, the
United States has been one Of the marvels
-" of American prog
Growth of ress. In 1887 the
average individual
year for postage. In 1900 he spent s229
a year on mail sent out. The receipts
Of the Chicago post office today are larger
than those of the entire country at the
time of Abraham Lincoin's accession to
the presidency. No part Of the service
has enjoyed such a remarkable develop.
ment as the rural free delivery. Four
teen years ago there were only eighty-two
rural routes in operation. and they In
volyed an annual expenditure of only
$4,000. Today there are more than 49,
600 in operation, and they involve an
annual outlay of some $4,000 600. This
service Is. the most expensive that the
government renders, The entire re-
ceipts OF the rural letter carriers are less
than 5000. 900 year and the government
spends more than four times as much on
the service.
The Postmaster General is assisted In
his work by four assistant postmasters
general The first assistant has charge
of the appointment Of postmasters. of
whom there are more, than 60.0O. Under
present. regulations the aim is to appoint
men of recognized efficiency. and to keep
them In ONCE as long as they satisfactory
ly discharge their duties. He also has
charge of salaries and allowances for the
salaries of. all presidential post Offices
throughout the country fare adjusted, the
basis OF adjustment being the receipts of
the office. Likewise, he has charge Of
the expense accounts Of the various offices
aggregate: many millions Of dollars they
must be watched carefully. The city de-
livery service Is also under his jurfsdic-
ton The law provides that whenever a
ceipts or the city has a poulation Of TO-
600 city free delivery is established.
Nearly 1.5OO cities and towns now have
city delivery service.
.%, ~ -.
The second assistant postmaster genera.
has charge Of the transportation Of the
mails. It costs
HEAVY Charges for about S6O,OOOOOO
g., year for the
VdiIJ n6 A1oAA0' operation of mail
service on the railroad trains. OF the coun-
try, and the total expense OF mail trans
portatipn amounts to more than $s0.ooo.-
O0O.- There. are star routes to be looked