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Show THE U. S. MAILS. POINTS OF GENERAL INTEREST FROM WANNAMAKER'S REPORT. lie Recommend the KMtuhlUhment of Toi-tal Toi-tal Kavliitf HankR Aa Kcjrarris lie-Keiliireil lie-Keiliireil Pontuffe l'ontmafttera ItPiuoveU and Appointed. Washington. Nov. 29. The postmaster-general, in his annual report, shows that during tho past year over two hundred thousand dollars was saved on postal card contracts. The cards, though inferior at lirst, were quickly brought up to tho required standard. Four hundred thousand dollars dol-lars was saved in stamped envelope contracts, con-tracts, and two hundred thousand dollars dol-lars on certain mail carrying. At the same time mail routes have been extended over almost two million miles of railway, steamboat and stage lines. Tho gross revenue was nearly $.", 000,000 larger than ever bo-fore. bo-fore. Almost 5000 new postollic.es, more than in any one year before, have been established upon petitions of communities. com-munities. Touching on the postal telegraphs schema, the. postmaster-general says the swiftest mail is not fast enough in these days for the needs of commerce aud special correspondence. Iu ono form or another the public imperatively demands cheaper telegraphy and tho postotlico department can supply it at less cost than any corporation. Under tho head, "A New Plan for Postal Savings Bank," the report recommends rec-ommends that the postolliee department depart-ment be authorized to establish postal savings banks under regulations formulated formu-lated by the postmaster general. 'They aro to be located in states having hav-ing no laws regulating savings banks; in any other htate upon the petition of any considerable number num-ber of residents in any one locality Regarding reduced postage, the postmaster-general says, in part: "In point of fact there is a clear gain of nearly thirty million dollars from letter postage. post-age. This largo profit with tho annual deficit (which last year amounted to $0,7W,300) is all swallowed up by losses on other classes of mail matter carried at less than cost of distribution and handling. The amount received from Tetter postage last year was about thirty-eight millions. Tho reduction to tho one cent rate would bring this down to nineteen millions. The deficiency for tho current, year is "about four and oue half millions, which would make a total delicicney of $.'3,n00,000. This, deficiency de-ficiency would be reduced by tho natural nat-ural increase of business due to the stimulus of a low rate and by tho completion com-pletion of pending legislation to collect proper postage from sample copies of so-called so-called newspapers and from paper covered cov-ered books. By the sample copy business alone over ono million dollars is annually lost to the revenue and in the transportation of paper covered books considerable more than one million mil-lion dollars is kept out of the postal income in-come for the benefit of certain book publishers. The deficiency under the ono cent rate might be still further reduced re-duced by the adoption of improved devices de-vices from time to time, which would save time and money. The most for midable item, however, is $,0()0.-000 $,0()0.-000 worth of work performed annually without pay for the executive departments. If they had to pay postage post-age revenue that would be s.i(Ki,00i) more annually than now. The resources re-sources of the department for the fiscal year were Jli'l.Hsn.H.Si; expenditures and liabilities, $iiii,C4,'i,0N3. The deficiency for tho year, therefore, is $i),7Wi.:ioo.'" The report shows that 14,072 p.ist-niasters p.ist-niasters were removed duriilg the past two years; 20, 0H0 appointed (luring tho same time. |