The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1915-07-16

most care in selection,
Governor Dockery, who has imme-
date supervision of postal finances,
makes the following statement:
Undoubtedly there is a deficiency
in the postal revenues for the fiscal
year which ended June 30, 1915. What
it will amount to, however, cannot be
definitely known until after the ac-
counts for the quarter ended June 80
are audited.
"On the Goth of February last,
addressed communication to Con-
gresham Lloyd, which appeared in
the Congressional Record of that date,
in which it was stated: That there
will be a deficiency in postal revenues
in the fiscal year 1915 is no longer
doubted. What the amount Of the
deficit will be no one can say at this
time That prophecy has come true
although | thought at that time, in
view Of the disturbed business situa-
ton, that the deficiency would prob
ably be more than twenty-five mil
lion dollars. That it will probably be
somewhere between eleven and four
teen millions, and not exceed at the
maximum estimate fourteen millions,
is due to the very pronounced and ad-
mitted business improvement during
the last few months, and to the prac-
tice of economy by the Post Office
Department.
"That the European war is solely
responsible for the decline in our pos
tai revenues cannot be denied. The
fact is self-evident. Before the out
break of the war postal revenues were
in every way satisfactory. They ex-
ceeded the expenditures and put the
Post Office Department on a self-sus-
tanning basis, enabling Postmaster
General Burleson to announce, for the
first time in thirty years, an actual,
bona fide postal surplus, and to pay
into the general fund of the Treasury,
to be used for the general purposes of
the government, the sum of 81 100000,
as the postal surplus for the fiscal
years 1918 and 1914. This accom-
plishment is unique in the admins
tration of the Departments finances
and is without precedent in its fiscal
history.
"During the month of June, 1914,
prior to the beginning of the war
across the ocean, bringing unparal-
leled destruction of life, resources,
trade and commerce, and reducing the
ordinary revenues of every civilized
nation of the world, our postal receipts
increased at rate in excess Of sew
en- per cent over the corresponding
month of the preceding year Even
in July last the increase was nearly
five per cent, although there were
plainly heard the rumblings of the APP
preaching cyclone Of war which broke
upon half the people of the world
during the latter days of July. When,
however, the armies of Germany in
vaded Belgium and France, and ma
ton followed nation in quick success
sion in the declaration of hostilities,
our postal revenues, from both do
nestle and foreign business, rapidly
declined For the month of August
last the decline was slightly in excess
of one per cent, involving a revenue
loss of practically six per cent in a
single month. The decline continued
month by month and reached it's max
imum in November, when loss in
of about six per cent was
shown when compared with the same
month of the previous year. These
were troubulous days for postal re-
ceipts. The stock exchanges of the
world were closed; all the industries
Of peaceful trade and commerce were
idle. The steady revenue decline
which began in the latter part Of last
July was, however, arrested in De-
cember. Since this time there has |
been a gradual but continuous i'm
proyement in nearly every industry
and this improvement has been re-
fiected in the steady growth of pos
tai revenues. The returns for the fif-
ty largest postofiices, at which is col
lected Approximately one-half Of ali |
the postal income, show a decrease
Of less than one-third Of one per cent