The Postoffice Department

Mr. E. II. Barbel-, Third Assistant Postmaster-General, has oomploted his annual report. It containa niany facts of interest. Tho number of oflicial letters received in that burean in the last fiscal yei,r was (585,000. These were opeaao, classifled, indoxed, and distributod by four clerks. ïhe figures show tliat the postal cards are very popular. During tho year there was issued 107,616,000, of the value of $1,076,160. In the mouth of Octoier last there were issued of the new cards, '20,138,000, which is one-üfth of the entire amount sold during the fiscal year. The estímate of the nnmbor necessary for the next fiscal year is 151,967,000. The number of public or ordinary postal stamps issued to Postmasters during the fiscal year was 082,342,770, of a value of $18,271,17!). The value of postage andperiodical Ktamps was .$815,902. The uumber of official stamps issued to the executivo departments was 18,495,900 of a value of $834,970. The total number of stamps of all kiu ds issued was 973,275,025, of a value of $25,477,511. Tho increase in the number of ordinary stamps is about 10 per cent. The increase, includirtg official stamps, is about 7 per cent. The postage stamps sent through the registered ponches to Postmasters numbered 359,462. Of this entire amouut there were lost but ten packngos, of an aggregite value of $250. The statistics of the Dead-Letter Service are of a quite romantic interest. The number of dead letters handled during tho year was about 4,500,000. Of these 31,799 contaiued money aggregating $61,000; 14,225 letters contained drafts, notes, and bilis of exchange, of a value of $2,987,847 ; 135,027 letters contained samples of merchandiso, postage stnmps, and miscellaneous articles ; 3,740,000 contained uothing of valuo. Tliere were mailed to foreign countries from the United States 12,500,000 letters. Of these 106,200 were return ed undelivered. Tho number of letters receivod from foreign countries whs 11,800,000, of which 219,100 were returned undelivered. These figures show the advantago which this country will derive from the new postal treaty of Borne. That treaty provides that each country shnll retain tho postage on all letters mailed in its own territory, and that no account shall be kept between the conntnes. ine excess or leners mailed from this country over the nurnber received from foreign countries is nearly 1,000,000. The net gain to the United States from the treaty, thereforc, presuming all letters to be only single weight, is 5 cents on 1,000,000 letters, $50,000. The result of the operations of the new law, which roquires prepayraent of newspapcr postnge, presenta a enríous paradox. While the aggregato receipts from this source have not been as large as they were under the old system, the aet gain to the govornment is greater. The Poatoffice Department estimated that the new law would yield $1,500,000 annually. This estímate was based npon the returns from 55 leadiug offices íor a uniform period. But the Postmasters either orred or did not make truthful returns, for tho receipts from this source are less thnn $1,000,000. The gevernments makos a gain, however, from the fact that this sum is mainly collected in iidvance at a few offices, whero no commission is ailowed upon the sums collected. The amount received umler this new system is near $800,000- about the sum received under the old system in 1873. Of the entire amount collected, commissions were paid upon only about 9100,000. Newspaper prepaymentstamps have been supplicd to 3,400 offices - the total numberof places in the United States where daily newspapers are published. The increase in the 1 L r:l,A .wïUa iliiri'iKï the year was 15 per cent. The system of registered through-pouches works satisfactorily. Thoy have been used upon all the principal routes. Postmasters generally certify to their usefulness.