First Class Postoffice

Ann Arbor can be made a first-class postoffice after April 1, next, with a little intelligent co-operation on the part of its citizens. As is known, the post-offices of the country are divided into four classes. Ann Arbor has long been in the second class. To get into the first class it is necessary that the Receipts of the office should be oves S40. 000 a year. There are numerous advantages to a city to have the postoffice of the first class. The only first class offices in the state now are Detroit, Grand Rapids, Saginaw, Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Lansing and Jackson. Ann Arbor should be added to the list of first class offices.

How can it be done ? By increasing the receipts of the office for the next six months about $2,000 over what they were for the corresponding six months a year ago. This would be an in crease of about 10 per cent, over that six months.

The receipts of the Ann Arbor postoffice from Oct. 1, 1898, to Marchh 31, 1899, were $20,607.27. These six months aro the best in the year. They were counted in the last fiscal year's revenue. To make Ann Arbor a first-class office the receipts this year from Oct. 1, 1899, to March 81, 1900, should be $22,600.

The reason for this is, that the receipts of the Ann Arbor office from April 1, 1899 to Sept. 30, 1899, were $17409.27. This period, of course, includes the poorest months of the year in Ann Arbor, covering as it does, the long vacation period. The receipts for the same period in 1898 were $16,766.60, showing an increase of 642.67 in the six months, or only about four percent.

Naturally, however, there should be a bigger increase in the coming six months. There are 250 more students here, and students are letter writers, especially the freshmen class. there are at least 200 more peopler here besides the students. But while this alone brings Ann Arbor in sight of the coveted goal, it will not quite reach it, unless each one does his little to help. Many stamps are sent in from outside. If our business industries and merchants would discourage the making of remittances to them in stamps, Ann Arbor would become after April next a first-class office. If they do not, the city will be obliged to wait another year. There are more than $2,000 worth of stamps sent in here every six months which are used here, and for which Ann Arbor gets no credit.

The receipts for July of this year were $2,455.42, August $2,204. 12, September $2,810.19. The receipts in 1898 for these months were : July $2,246.40, August $2,004.83, September $2,727.66. The two best months in the year at the postoffice are generally October and March.