Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1921-12-21
u. S. POSTAL SERVICE -

Department is the largest Dusl-
ness concern in the world. The
annual income and outgo OF the
business done is over three billion
dollars. There are ] ,4O0,0OO let
tiers mailed in this country every
hour of every day Of the year, III.
GLIDING Sunday. In every day OF
the 365, 100000 letters are
sent. For this year y billion let
tiers will be handled. IA billion
postage stamps, one and one
quarter billion postal cards, and
two and three-quarter billion
stamped envelopes are sold every
wear. There are $4,000 en-
ployecs in the postal service, or
one for 337 persons. $4,000
rural carriers go out each morn
ing to deliver letters and packages
to six and one-half million taml-
lies--travelling for this purpose
355 million miles each year over
the public highways. o,5oo'ooO
pounds Of paper are used~to make
the, billionzand one-quarter postal
cards "a billion and a-half dol
lars, OF debts. are paid i'll postal
orders, requiring. 80 million
orders, thus averagiHg@terr dollars
each. The Postal Savings De
partment now has 100000 deposii75
tors, a larger number. ! t5llaiill t.trl
any banking institution il il Sst4hlee
world; and Is per cent? Of these
are Of foreign. extractipSHI..s. il g lsV ;
million envelopesEare used yearly
for the correspondence Of "'the
postal service, =anda billion blank
forms. THERE'S twice as mitch
business done i'll the New York
Citx postofficef as in the whole
Dominion OF Canada. More than
100000 letters III. the New York
postoffice are re-addressed every
day from the city directory. ~
million letters go to the Dead Lett
ter Office each year because OF
the stupidity and carelesslless or
the senders. The Parcel Post will
handle this year over. two and.oile=
half billion packages--or about
six times as many as the American
Railway Express.
All this Interesting information
is furnished by the Postmaster
General. in an article in the De-
ccnlber Review OF Reviews. Many
would call the United States Post
Office Department all experiment
in paicrnalism. But, as we have
pointed out before, III u Republic
there is no such thing as patcrnal-
ism lit is iratcrnalism. Neverthe-
less, whatever we may term 1t,
there can be no doubt that it is
one OF the greatest convenlences
to the 10 million people that
could be devised. Were it run
for profit, OF to pay interest and
principal on, say. a billion dollars
Of bonds. besides a yearly
dividend to the private stockhold-
ers on another two or three bill
lions in stock-whcre would we
be- Probably at the wrong end
OF the bag!
1t is a curious reflection. but
we think all business may have to
be revolutionized some time. The
fundamental principle since the
world began, has been that bust
ness was done for the purpose OF
making money. This is selfish
principle, and it is safe to say that
all human transactions based on
selfisllness are founded on error.
The true Democratic doctrine
would be that business should be
done to produce the greatest good
to the greatest number. This, We
takes it, applies to a government
postpfhce administration. 1t has
made good! Ii 50, how about the
railroads and the telegraph: Both
constructed on the peoples high
WAYS! The thought is worth con-