Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-30
POSTAL RECEIPTS
IN D. c. ; MILLIONS
Local Business for Year
Greater Than in Any One
of Twenty States.
GLEANINGs FROM REPORT

The Washington city post office did
more business during the fiscal year
ended June 80. 1918. than all the post
Offices in any one of twenty states of
the Union. according to the report OF
Postmaster NJ. o. Chance to the first
assistant postmaster general The re-
port became public today in Postal
Information. 4 publication of the local
post Office. ~
. The report shows that the receipts
Of the local post Office for the fiscal
year ended June. 1918. were $685.
0eS.49. Mr.. Chance names the follow
ing states which. he said. produced
smaller amount of postal revenue:
Arizona, Arkansas. Delaware. FIor1oa,
Idaho. Maine. Mississippi, Montana
New Hampshire. New Mexico. Nevada,
North Dakota. Oregon. Rhode lsland'
Vermont, West Virginia and Wyom-
ing.
Four States Total Passed. o..
I'm fact. it shows" Mr.. Chance con-
tinues, "that the total receipts of all
post Offices in Delaware. Nevada. New
Mexico and Wyoming amounted to
only s2.9S7,o47.05, which is less than
the receipts of the Washington post
office. In these four states there were
1907 postmasters whose compensation
amounted to $536,294.60 and the cost
of the city delivery service was $lSo,-
S64.17, making total cost OF $125,.
1877, as compared with a total cost
of SIMILAR items at this ofhce OF Sszs'-
2S1.69."
Friends Of the movement to secure
representation in Congress for the
District looked upon these figures to-
day as another argument t odemon-
strate that the National Capital Is as
much entitled as many states are to
have such representation.
In the introduction Of his report
Postmaster Chance states that the
business of the local post office has
increased at monthly rate. which, he
believes. has been greater than any
Although the bulk of the increase
in the business of the office dates
from the entrance of this country into
the war, Postmaster Chance submits
comparative figures for the fiscal
years 1916 and 1913 to show how rapid
the rise has been.
Receipts in 1915 and 1918.
Total receipts. exclusive of money
orders, for 1916 were $2.020,355.44, and
for 1918, $s,085,o9s.4 This is an in
crease of 5s.o5 per cent, the total ex-
pense chargeable to the Washington
post office was $426,315.12, or only
37.1s per cent greater than 1916.
Money order fees for 1918 amounted
to $35, 1886 as compared with $1S.-
492.05 in 1916.
DELAYS in Mail Service.
Commenting upon delays in mail
service, Mr.. Chance writes, in part, as
follows:
"Some instances Of serious delays to
mail and other irregularities occur.
attributable mainly to the necessity
Of the accomplishment of technical
post Office work with unskilled and
unframed employees. The loss of a
large number of expert distributors
necessitated radical changes in state
had to be modified to conform to the
new state of affairs.
Mr.. Chance points to the fact that
tons of government mail passed
through the local post Office during
the war. This included all of the
pamphlets and other literature of the
draft system, carloads Of liberty loan
material. thousands of soldiers checks
from theawar risk insurance bureau
and cor less quantities Of mail from
such 5ncies as the food and fuel ad-
mir ,ations, War Industries Board.
y Trade Board and American Red
f.prs.
Increase in Parcel Post.
Congestion on the railroads. the
postmaster recalls. caused heavy in
crease in parcel post business. To
show this increase Mr.. Chance points
ont that in December, 1916. 67.253
narcei post packages were handled; !;
in December, 1917, 1856, and in
October Of this year. 1877 1928.
II will be observed that there is
over 100 per cent increase in the
number Of parcels delivered in Octo-
ber, 1918, over those delivered in De-
cember, 1915, and about per cent In
crease in the number Of parcels de-
.ivered in October, 1slS.s over those
delivered in December, 1917. The data
Mas been compared with the December
fCnnfin1iefi M, Flevanfh PaxeA