Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-13
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

too much of a rebel to suit the Tories
and in l774 the Governor of Massac chill
sets dismissed him from office. A year
later. IT'S. the rebel Americans took
over affairs. and promptly reappointed
Franklin: he became the first Postmas-
ter General Of the United States, having
supervision of the entire system COM
prisng IA post offlces in Massachusetts,,
one in New Hampshire and few scat
| tered among the other States-total, rs
post Offices, Today there are 50,J57
offices. The entire mileage in 1889 of
all postal routes was 1875; today. the
continental mileage OF postal routes is
| AGA, 269 miles.
1t is of little significance to compare
the size of the expenditures of the
Post ONCE Department under Frank
lin and that under Postmaster Cen
cral Brown today-$32 900 compared
with 1888, $50 ,989. But it is significant
/ to note the enormous growth in serv-
ice patronage, per capita Of popula-
ton.
In the early days the pioneers were
far more limited in their personal
horizons than men are today. They
worked upon their own acres and Cos
siped In their little villages, but knew
little outside of their own neighbour
hood. The narrowneSs of their lives
is indicated by the fact that, with the
exceeding high rates of postage, the
total expenditures for postage, even as
late as 1887 amounted to an average
of only 26 cents year per capita, and
up TO 1890 1t never exceeded 81. In
1900 1t reached $1.34 per capita.
The cost per capita reached, in 1917,
the year we entered the war, an aver
age Of 1918 and in the last two years
coded in cost per capita. But that Is
no proof of increasing extravaganza,
but rather of increasing usefulness to
the general population. The improve
mentS in serviCe-such as delivery to
the homes and business off1ceS in 2,401
cities and villages-now employs an
army of 46,25l letter carriers; that
service began in 1854 in So cities with
only 6e5 carriers.
50 carriers, today that service employs
45,051 rural carriers.
Within the last decade, air-mail serv-
ice has been added with a consequent
deficit while becoming popularized. In
large cities, the pneumatic tube system
adds to expense, but also immensely en-
hanCes speed of distribution of mail to
the branch post offices. In New York
City-Manhattan and Brooklyn-there
are more than 81 miles of two-way g.
inch tubes, through which IS per cent of
the mail Is blown underground to %
of the large Sub-stations. There Is
similar service in Boston.
The addition of parcel post and the
postal savings departments add to the
cost Of operation, but indicate the in
creased demands of the public for the
convenialce and economy of q highly
developed service. Congress has never
been close in making appropriations for
the betterment OF the post Office, and
there Is no criticism Of the administra-
ton of the department by its officials.
The expenditures are controlled by Con-
gress, and to a large extent are so adj
Justed as to constitute subsidies in sup
port Of steamships and railroads, rather
than to be regulated wholly from the
standpoint of economy of mail Transport
tation.
At present, under direction of Presi-
dent Hoover, fresh minds of experts
from outside of the regular organization
are set to studying the possible econo-
miles, with view to proposing retrench-
ments to the next Congress but ALWAYS
keeping in view increased efficiency.
Possibly some of the reforms NAV strike
at the substituting Of transportation on
sea and land.
lcopyriGht. 1890. by Paul v. Coninsl
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