Year: 1872

OUR POS7AL SERViCE.


The records Of the Post-Oflce furnish
gauges of our civilization. The continuous in
crease of its reyenue-stated this year as e1-
ceeding last years by nine per cent--till now
it has reached $20,OO00OO, is far in advance OF
the increase of population, and indicates by 80
much the improvement of the people and the
spread of intelligence. Some evidences of this
are supplied which are more convincing than
the mere amount paid for POSTAGE thus the
percentage of increase over last year in postage
stamps was about twelfth but in newspaper
wrappers it was nearly one-third Coincdent
with the extension of tho Post-Ofice business
in other ways, is its progress in the require
ment of railroad service. In 1897 this was
reported as GA miles; now it is $1,000, the
greatest increase being in the present year,
reported at 5000 miles. Some improve
ments in speed, especially on long routes,
are claimed every year. In our for
eign correspondence the increase is greater
proportonaly than in domestic. We sent
Europe last year 10000 pounds of letters and
received $4,000; but if literature forms the
bulk of the package mail, we had the chance
Of learning more from European brains than
they from ours, for they sent us sixty per
cent more weight than we furnished, of
printed matter and samples.


We have now the official figures of the
Post Office army; it is 44,6OO strong, whereof
10000 are postmasters who receive about
s., 100000 salary per annum. Special account
Is made of the operations of the Dead Letter
office, to which more than 100000 letters
found their way last year. That a consider
able number of letters will always go there is
of course to be expected, especially since they
are sent there in case of neglect of prepay
ment; but the better the management OF the
general office and the more thorough the effort
to deliver letters directly, the smaller will be
the percentage of those that have to be
opened by dead-etter clerks. 1t is not pleas
ant to think of how many broken promises
and serious inconveniences are indicated by
four million delayed lettefsin snnbe year.
The extension of the motley order system to
foreign countries has already proved of great
service to that large proportion of our adopted
citizens that contributes from the wealth
gathered in the new home to the slender store
Of those who were left behind. The franking
privilege comes in for the usual share Of the
Postmaster's objections; our opinions have



here Yet it does seem as if the country
might vince under the statement that during


the late Presidential canvass there was at
least three and half million dollars lost in


postage alone by this abuse, while numer-


GUS delays and arrangements of the regular


business of the Office are reported as the result


of choking the mails with prodgious amount
of electioneering documents, most of which,


we know, were EMBODIED in forged franks at


the Capitol.


A very large part Of tue Report is devoted to


the advocacy of the assumption of the tele-


graph business of the country by the Post


Office, the entering wedge of argument being


the needs of the Signal Service, and dispute


with telegraph company about rates. On


this, too, we have expressed opinions which


we see no reason to change. The way In


which the Post-0ffice conducts the business


now intrusted to it, will not encourage the


community to place more work in its hands.


There are some who have made the expert


ment of mailing letters from Williamsburgh


to Harlem and back again. who say that it


still takes the best part of week for the


Post Office people to make this round of a


half dozen miles. Bat the most essential OBJ


lection is, after all, that postal telegraph


system gives the secrets of the entire COM


munity into the keeping of the Government


and makes free press and an opposition TO


the party in power O mere matter of suffer-


ance. Whether messages would be cheaper


or dearer under such system is not of inn


portance, Nothing is cheap when its price is


liberty.