Postoffice Department

Ole report oí the postuiaster-geueral pres.nts a comprehensive statement uf the opéraüons of tlie iostoftlce department for the last ti-. al year, The receipts oí the departroent du. ing ihe year amo mted t.i 178,0811 47'J 04 and the expendituru to .Hi.:f.'t,4Ul.". The trans actions of ihe postal service indícate with harometric certainty the fluctuations in the busiuete oí the country. Inasmuch, therefore. abusiness complications continue to exist thnmghout the last yeaf to au unforeseen evtent it is not ecnrpraing th;i; bhe deflciency of revenue to meet theerpenditoresof the postoffice departmcnt. whiih was p.stimiitwl in ad vanee at about eight millinn dollars, should lie ex.-eeded by nearly pile and a quarter milllon dollars, 'l'ho ascertained revenues of the lasi year. which were tlie basis of cak-ulation tor the cuirenr year, belng'less than estimated, the defleiency for t ie om-rent year will be eorrespondtngïy Kreater. though the poHtmatter-general staie's that the latest indications aro so favorable that he i-onfidently predicts au iucreasu of at least Kht )er cent in the reveuues of the current year over tuose of the lost year. Tbe expeudieures iucrease steadüy and necessanly with the growth and ne'eds of the tountry so that the defleiency ia greater or lees m any year depending upon the volume of recelptB. The poRtmaster general itates that t his rteficienry is unnecessary and migbt be obviated at once if the law regulating rates upon mail matter of the second-class was niodified. The rate received for tlie traniinisuion of this matter Ia 1 tent ,or pouud, while the costof Mu'h transmission to the government is eight times that amount. In the genera] term of tlie iaw tbis rate covers newspapers aud periodicals. The extensions of the nieaning of these terms front tune t" time have admitted to the privileges intended lor legitímate newspapers and periodicals a surpriBing range of publications and created atrases the cot of whlch ainount intheagptrogatetothfc total deflciency of the postoffice departinent. IThe abuses of the pogtal privileges are mentii.iii'dandameudmeiitsto the laws suggested prevent theni. The tol al huinber of poNt-offices in the United .-.,-..,,,„ theSOtbJrtay of June, 1!H, was 68,8II au inrr-iN' of L4O8 over the preceding yea.. )i these ;i.-)28 were presidential, au inc i.isi' in th t cla'-sof BS over th" pre'-e lini year; B10 citiesund t nvns are provided with frep dehyery, ninctythree otber i'ities and towns cntitlud to this service umler the Iaw have not been Cooorded it on' account of lncufficient fuuds. The expen e of free delivery fut ui rent tista, year will be more thun $12,300,0(4 and under eiiting legislation this itein of ex ucnditnre is subject to constant increasc The estimated cost of rural free delivery general i y is so very large that it ongut not to be eunsidered in the present conditiou of affairs Dui log the year. xm ailditional dome-tic money-onier ornees were established. The tota nunv er of these 'iftices at the cloe oí the year v,-,. 19,284. There were H.;iOt.041 moneyorders issued dnring Iheyear, bemgan increase uwi the' preceding yetir of W4,308. The vaiue of these orders amoiuited to $138,793, m9.4S, au increase ut S [,ïlf,li.8i. There were al-o iasued daring the year postal Dotes iiniriiiiiiiii,' to il2,(M!i,Ö9t.ö6. Üuringthe year, 218 interimtinnal mouey cirder offlcos were added to these already estabh'abed, maKing a icjtid of i.u.') iicii office In operatiou June 30 18W Thenum crol international money orders issued uiiiitier the year was ii!;.xai. a decrease in uumber of 188,17; and tboir falúa -vas ?13, 792, 45 .81, a decrease in amoant oí $2,549,j.; The n mber of orders paid was JB1.1BÜ, au increaae over the pröceding year o iii. .'.;:. and their vftlne was $508.488. 78, au increase oí $.2Hj.llK.iit. LThe worki.ies of the special delivery system are herp noted and also the beneflts of the civil service Iaw to tlie p istoffiue departmeut.]