Show FROM IANAMAKER The Adoption of the Telephone is Recommended LOUISIANA LOTTERY MAILS Commodore FolKers Beport Guns Required for the New Vessels The Vesuvius Dynamite Guns Unsatisfactory WASHINGTON Dec 3The annual report of PosnmasterGeneral Wanamaker is very lengthy It shows in spite of the fact that over 1000000 wortn cf lottery revenue was lost the past year the postal deficit is surely dlsaprear ng provided the same rate of revenue and expenses ex-penses obtain up to July 11S93 The extension exten-sion of THE MERIT SYSTEM OF PROMOTION so successfully put into operation in the department de-partment lately to the larger postofflces and railway mail has begun Much is expected from it Referring to the lottery matter the post mastergeneral says the disproportion ot trials and convictions to the number of arrests and ndtctments Is accounted for by the usual delays de-lays of the law and not to any lack of judgment on the part of inspectors He refers to the action of certain express companies in carrying lottery malls and says he shall report this question to the attorneygeneral with a view to obtaining a decision upon the constitutionality constitu-tionality of the Question involved Since the prohibition of the Louisiana lottery mails foreign lottery companies have sought to make I capital out ot the fact under the supposition that foreign mails are not to be subjected to tcI like surveillance with domestic malls and I greatly increased their mailing of circulars etc The department is now strugglingwith this problem and the evil is decreasing The postmastergeneral recounts the successes suc-cesses of sea postofttces in quickening incoming foreign malls received at New York and recommends recom-mends the employment of a postoffice steim tug for New York harbor It is shown by figures fig-ures that ninetenths of the causes WHY LETTERS GO ASTRAY are due to the carelessness of the public and Wanamaker not only endeavors to show how the worK of the dead letter office may be reduced reC duced but recommends the establishment of a branch in San Francisco to save time and the tinI expense of transfer and retransfer across the continent The postmastergeneral renews his recommendation recom-mendation for the division of tho country into postal districts and advances many reasons why it would bo beneficial Wanamaker recommends this year the adop tion of the telephone as well as the telegraph to the postal system showing it is not only a constitutional privilege but the duty of Congress Con-gress to utilize all the means of modern science for quickening the transmission of intelligence Ho argues at much length on the point combats com-bats the arguments against it details cORS struggle with the Western Union etc WaneS I maker believes in a full parcels post but does not recommend It at present He urges the abolition 1 aboli-tion of personal suretyships of postmasters as they are too frequently under obligations I which damage the service He proposes to extend ex-tend the money order system everywhere It appears that nearly eight thousand miles of additional railway fast office service have been established 130 miles in the Pacific coast states SpOO in other western states and 2400 in the southern states and about 1000 in the north eastern states SPECIAL ATTENTION GIVEN THE PACIFIC STATES in reorganizing old routes to meet the rapidly changing centres of business and populatisn Wanamaker describes the pneumatic tube systems of Berlin and London and strongly recommends their adoption in this country He insists they would pay and records several attempts at-tempts at beginning such service Muchspace is devoted to rural free delivery which has been on trial In fortysir communities communi-ties with surprisingly gratifying results increase in-crease of receipts service more than selfsup porting etc Numerous arguments are adduced why the service should bo enlarged and a recommendation is made for the passage of a bill providing free delivery in towns of a population popu-lation of between 5000 and 10000 Special delivery de-livery service in cities increased this year one third over the average of the last four years Speaking of POSTAL ACCOMMODATIONS THROUGH THE COUNTRY the postmaster general says the plan of putting put-ting up expensive public buildings in certain places and leaving other meritorious towns without any is not a good one The investigations investiga-tions of the year adduce plenty of good reasons why it would bo a useful economical and patriotic patri-otic thing to build generally small public buildings build-ings for poatofflces The postmaster general argues strongly for a system of postal savings reiterating his plan of last year and adding to it Bids under the postal aid act are treated at length and after speaking of recent awards the report adds To accomplish the above schedule the Pacific Mail company will have to spend from six to seven millions for new hips and the line to tho Argentine republic if accepted will require nearly three millions for three new ships Fortnightly services to China d splaces the English which have already arranged to withdraw It is stated with some credence that one or more of the very few American lines would have been obliged to go out of business but for the prospect of assistance from the government gov-ernment which now enables them to compete with other subsidized lines who otherwise would monopolize the trade for other countries If contracts are completed with all the companies com-panies whose bid seem improper In form the service will probably begin from the 1st of March and the sum necessary to be appropriated appropri-ated for the remainder of the fiscal year must be more than 52447345 in addition to the appropriation for sea and inland postage already put into the estimates for the year For the fiscal year from June 301592 to Juno 301S93 will probably be needed J58I57S for which appropriation will bo necessary as the estimates are for that year include the amount of sea and Inland postage The exact amount cannot be ascertained until the contracts are executed It is estimated under this act there will be ships of a total tonnage ton-nage of 109000 tons carrying the American flag in addition to the tonnage under flag but not under act Some of the old ships will cive way to new and the additional ships necessary for the increased speed required the companies will be obliged to build fifteen ships immediately immedi-ately The postmaster general RECOMMENDS THE ABOLITION OF BOX RENTS at free delivery offices in small places and on the one cent postage question says There is great need of wider transportation of packages by mail but I dont urge it until greater and more needed improvements in the service aro made Ono cent postage too is not immediately immedi-ately to be undertaken but it can be made possible pos-sible by the itt of January 1S94 if desirable be fore the service is lurtner penectea it will come easier If we let the reduction of the foreign for-eign rate wait awhile If we simplify inland postage rates so that nil postage may be rightly collected if we consolidate third and fourth class matter and if we secure credit for government mails and other losing business which the department under the present law is obliged to do The postmastergeneral further shows how newspapers may be transported free from July 1193 saying in part If books alleged to bo periodicals were properly classified and sample sam-ple copies of newspapers except to a reasonable reason-able number were classified as any other merchandise mer-chandise the increased revenue would more than equal the total amount now collected from publishers for postage of newspapers In other words the department would suffer no loss by carrying newspapers to actual subscribers free if it got just pay for serials and sample copies only Mr Wanamaker devotes much space to the COMPLAINTS OF FOURTHCLASS POSTMASTERS and refers to the agitation among them as due to the thrifty interest of an attorney or an editorof a postal journal Until the importance import-ance of the fourth class postmaster is raised and additional work or direction or responsibility responsi-bility entitles him on business principles to larger pay any movement to relieve him can only fail MrWanamaker says the fourthclass postmaster is deserving of better compensation compensa-tion and bettor consideration than ho receives and the department is striving to help him The postmastergeneral would give him a chance for increased compensation by extending extend-ing to him the management of rural free delivery de-livery and more gradually the extension of the telegraph and telephone service Into the country coun-try and the transfer postal deposits |