The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-06-28

given re-appointments. The policy of
re~appointing efficient postmasters has
Deer adhered to, while ~postmasters
have failed to give their offices
the required attention have been re-
fused disappointment.
Salaries and Allowances.
At the close OF business March n.
1912, there We're 1881 postofices in
the United States; 444 of the first
class, 1918 of the second class. S.
SS6 of the third class and 5O,443 Of
Ass.
There are employed at the present
time in the first and second class Of
noes 1882 assistant postmasters ana
S3,605 clerks.
Under the present postmaster gen
eral an effort has been made to reduce |
SUNDAY service to the minimum by
closing the p~ostofices on Sunday.
City Delivery Service.
AS early as 1874, under an act Of
congress, the employment Of letter
carriers was permitted at such post
offices as might be specified by the
postmaster general. The mail to be
delivered was restricted to letters and
a lee OF w cents was collected on
each letter delivered. In 1886 the law
was modified so as to provide for the
delivery Of newspapers at one cent
each.
The act OF Jan. 8, 1887, required that
letter carriers be employed in every
incorporated city, village or borough
having a population OF $4,000, and per-
mltted their employment in places of
10000 or more population.
This is the law now in effect. Ap-I
llicaticn for the establishment of city
delivery service at any postofdce an
titled thereto may be made by the
postmaster general, by citizens Joining
IN a petition, or by the municipal au-
thorities.
The number of deliveries and col
lections and the schedules of the car
riers are arranged with reference to
the arrival and departure of mails and
the volume of the mail.
City delivery service is in operation
IN l,098 cities necessitating the en-
ployment Of 29,742 carriers, involving
a cost of $4,000, 900. The number Of
carriers in the city of New York is
z,564; Chicago, 1907; Boston, 1902;
O44,
Under the provisions OF the postal
appropriation act now pending before
the congress 1t is proposed to extend
mai delivery experimentally to towns
and villages having postofices Of the
second or third class that are not by
law entitled to free delivery service.
AC AGW RAN0(AA DCS liAIllIdLlOu OF
$1,000 for the expenditure at each Of
fee for this service.
Division of Railway Adjustments.
Undoubtedly the most necessary
feature Of the postal service is the
transportation of mails by railroads
and attendant distribution of mails
IN transit. The 3,400 railroad routes
! n operation owe every section of
the country where railroads have
been built and form a network of ar
teries carrying the mails to every
nook and corner Of the land. They
transport annually more than 1000, 900
tons of mail and are indispensable fac
tors in the business and social life of
the nation.
Aviation Service.
One of the newest features in rom
nection with the transportation of the
mails is that Of service by aeroplanes.
While there is not at this time any
appropriation for this class of service
an item of $4,000 for aviation service
was included in the estimates for the
transportation of mails during the
fiscal year of 1913. During the mast
year permission has been given to
carry mail without expense to the de-
partment on a number Of aeroplane
routes.
Postal Finances.
1t is safe to assert that the postal
service Of the United States. although
but quasi-commercial in the nature OF
its functions, is the largest business
institution in the world today, and
that its financial transactions exceed
in amount any other single enterprise
either Of a public or private nature.
During the fiscal year ended June 80,
1911, the books of the department
showed that the transactions of its
fiscal agents n agencies involved the
receipt and disbursement of approx
imately $1,400,0 00, GOO.
Largely Self Supporting.
The appropriations made by con-
gress for maintaining the postal serv-
ice during the current fiscal year ag-
sregate approximately 1888. 900. 900, but
1t should be made clear that this sum
is not wholly a charge against the
general revenue of government derived
from customs, internal revenue. and
I other miscellaneous receipts. but
against Its own revenues SO far as
they are sufficient. So when your
daily paper refers to the enormous
budget OF the United States and its
billion dollar congress, you should be
informed Of the fact that approximate
ly one-fourth Of this billion dollars is
for the conduct OF a service which is
now self-supporting.
The efficiency Of the system is fully
demonstrated in the report of the third
assistant postmaster general for the
last fiscal year, In which it is shown
analytically that the postal service is
now financed from its own receipts,
in addition to being self-supporting.
Division of Stamps.
The public come in personal contact
" it'll the postal service most frequent
ly at the stamp window. Josh Bill
lings once wrote. in his quaint phone
tic spelling, "Konsider the postage
stamp, my son; it's usefulness kon-
sists in its ability to stick to one thing
until it gets there" This could very
/ appropriately be used as the text Of
an address to q graduating class, II
not OF a
Stamps Bring Revenue.
Postage stamps are the medium Of
over 80 per tent Of the OF the
i p~ostofice department, The adhesive
stamp was first adopted by the United
States government in 1847. AT first
the stamps were lot perforated, and
had to be cut apart with scissors. In
the first ear only 100000 stamps were
used; ia I01l the department issued
ever 10000, 900. 900 adhesive stamps
1,200,0 0O, 900 stamped envelopes, and
4 1000, 100000 postal cards. "A regiment
of 1000 men and women as engaged In
1.-The raan18actnxa3a hasAC1akS1Aaasa&eae