Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2007 with funding from Microsoft Corporation http://www.archive.org/details/americanpostalseOOmelirich THE AMERICAN POSTAL SERVICE History of the Postal Service from the Earliest Times The American System Described with Full Details of Operation A Fund of Interesting Information upon All Postal Subjects • •• • • • • • • %• • • • '• • • •• By LOUIS MELIUS Washington, D. C. Second Edition Revised and Enlarged Copyright 1917 Louis Melius • • • • MATIONAL OAPITAL PRESS, INC., WASHINQTON, O. C. Postmaster General Burleson Biographical Sketches of the Postmaster General and His Four Assistants Albert Sidney Burleson, of Austin, Tex., Postmaster General, was born June 7, 1863, at San Marcos, Tex.; was educated at Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, Baylor University (of Waco), and University of Texas. Was admitted to the bar in 1884; was Assistant City Attorney of Austin in 1885, '86, '87, '88, '89 and '90; was appointed by the Governor of Texas, Attorney of the Twenty-Sixth Judicial District in 1891; was elected to said office, 1892, '94 and '96; was elected to the 56th, 57th, 58th, 59th, 60th, 61st, 62d, and 63d Congresses; appointed Postmaster General March 4, 1913, and confirmed March 6, 1913. John C. Koons, First Assistant Postmaster General, entered the service as a Railway Postal Clerk; was transferred to Washington and made Post Office Inspector, subsequently made Chief of the Division of Salaries and Allowances and member of the Parcel Post Commission, in which latter connection his services were considered of especial value and importance. Appointed Chief Post Office Inspector and upon the resignation of the late First Assistant Postmaster General, Daniel C. Roper, was named to succeed him. His legal residence is in Carroll Co., Md. Otto Praeger, Second Assistant Postmaster General, was born in Victoria, Tex., 1871. Legal residence, San Antonio, Tex. Took a course of instruction in the University of Texas and was a student on political economy under David F. Houston now Secretary of Agriculture. Engaged in the newspaper business at San Antonio in 1887 — San Antonio Light and San Antonio Express; was for a time city clerk of said city; was engaged in newspaper work as Washington correspondent when appointed Postmaster of Washington, D. C, and in August, 1915, was appointed Second Assistant to succeed Hon. Joseph Stewart. Alexander Monroe Dockery, Third Assistant Postmaster General, is a native of Missouri, born in Daviess County, educated at Macon Academy; studied medicine, graduated and practiced it for a while but later engaged in the banking business. Served in Congress from March 3, 1883, to March 3, 1899. Member of Committee of Appropriations, twelve years; Committee Post Offices and Post Roads, four years; Governor of Missouri from 1901 to 1905; was author of the bill extending the special delivery system to all post offices; also extending free delivery service to small cities; advocated the first appropriation for rural delivery. Chairman of the com- mission which bore his name, constituted by Congress for administrative reforms in the conduct of public business, and author of the act creating a new accounting system for the Treasury Department and many other public measures which have made his name familiar to the public and political life of the country. James I. Blakslee, Fourth Assistant Postmaster General, was born at Mauch Chunk, Pa., December 17, 1870. Public school education, supplemented with special courses at Bethlehem Preparatory School, Cheltenham Military Academy and High School, Pottstown, Pa.; was connected with the Lehigh Valley and Penn- sylvania railroads as telegraph operator and assistant yardmaster; Lieutenant, Com- pany E, Eighth Regiment, National Guards, 1897; commissioned same rank and regiment, U. S. Volunteers, and appointed quartermaster and commissary. Reserve Hospital Corps, U. S. Army, during the Spanish-American War. Removed to Lehighton in 1899. Chairman Democratic Committee of Carbon County, 1905. Assemblyman, Pennsylvania Legislature, 1907-09 term, and subsequently made Secretary Democratic State Committee, where his organizing ability won him national recognition. PREFACE This little work on postal affairs aims to familiarize postal employes and others with the operations of the Post Office Depart- ment in all its varied and numerous details. No attempt was made to cover the wide field of postal activity and inquiry for which a much larger book and much greater space would be required. It is simply meant to be a book of reference, a sort of hand-book on postal subjects for busy people who may not care to read lengthy accounts or stories which a few paragraphs might suf- ficiently explain, or care to wrestle with columns of figures which are best given in official reports and chiefly valuable to public men for legislative purposes, for comparison and survey. All necessary postal knowledge of immediate public interest is herein set forth in such compact shape as to acquaint the reader with what he might want to know, or direct his inquiry to sources of wider information if the desire was not satisfied with the refer- ence thereto which this work might afford. In general it will be found amply sufficient for all ordinary purpose as the scope of subjects is as wide as the active operations of the Department at present include. The special articles referring to subjects of general postal interest cover a considerable range of inquiry and deal more fully with those matters which are but briefly mentioned in that portion devoted to the purely business details of the Department. Much of this material is new and all of it treated so as to interest the reader. These articles on general postal topics in connection with the other matter herewith given, relating to the service, may please some one here and there and perhaps justify the publica- tion of this little contribution to the literature of the time. L. M. Washington, D. C. March 15, 1917. 405718 To Mr. Ruskin McArdle, late Private Secretary to the Postmaster General, now Chief Clerk of the Department, whose friendly regard I have long en- joyed and whose courteous and considerate treat- ment to aU with whom his official relations have brought him into contact, this little volume is re- spectfully dedicated as a mark of appreciation and a token of deep and lasting esteem. The Author. ORGANIZATION OF THE DEPARTMENT The operations of the postal service are conducted by divisional arrange- ment with the duties of each accurately and specifically defined. Previous to this administration much of the work of the various bureaus was found to be overlapping each other and exercising a separate authority in correlated matters. These oflBcially related duties were each brought under a proper head, insuring prompt attention and fixing a definite responsibihty which has been found to be of recognized benefit and value. OFFICE OF THE POSTMASTER GENERAL Postmaster General. — ^Albert S. Burleson, Texas. Private Secretary. — Robert E. Cowart, Texas. Chiej Clerk. — Ruskin McArdle, Texas. Assistant Chief Clerk. — William W. Smith, Tennessee. Division of Solicitor. — Solicitor. — William H. Lamar, Maryland. Assistant Attorneys. — J. Juleen Southerland, North Carolina. Walter E. Kelly, Ohio. Edwin A. Niess, Pennsylvania. John A. Nash, Pennsylvania. Bond Examiner. — Horace J. Donnelly, District of Columbia. Law Clerk. — Arthur J. Kause, Ohio, Division of Purchasing Agent. — Purchasing Agent. — James A. Edgerton, New Jersey. Chief Clerk. — Frederick H. Austin, Missouri. Division of Post Office Inspectors. — Chief Inspector. — George M. Sutton, Missouri. Chief Clerk. — J. Robert Cox, North Carolina. Appointment Clerk. — Vacant. Disbursing Clerk. — William M. Mooney, Ohio. OFFICE OF the FIRST ASSISTANT POSTMASTER GENERAL First Assistant Postmaster General. — John C. Koons, Maryland. Chief Clerk. — John W. Johnston, New York, Division of Post Office Service. — Superintendent. — Goodwin D. Eliaworth, North Carolina. Assistant Superintendent. — William S. Ryan, New York. Division of Postmasters* Appointments. — Superintendent. — Charles R. Hodges, Texas. Assistant Superintendent. — Lorel N. Morgan, West Virginia. Assistant Superintendent. — Simon E. Sullivan, Maryland. Division of Dead Letters. — Superintendent. — Marvin M. McLean, Texas. OFFICE OF the SECOND ASSISTANT POSTMASTER GENERAL Second Assistant Postmaster General. — Otto Praeger, Texas. Chief Clerk. — Eugene R. White, Vermont. 6 The American Postal Service Division of Railway Mail Service, — General Superintendent — Wm. I. Denning, Georgia. Assistant General Superintendent. — George F. Stone, New York. Chief Clerk. — Chase C. Gove, Nebraska. Division of Foreign Mails. — Superintendent. — Robert L. Maddox, Kentucky. Assistant Superintendent. — Stewart M. Weber, Pennsylvania. Assistant Superintendent at New York, — ^Edwin Sands, New York, Division of Railway Adjustments. — Superintendent. — ^James B. Corridon, District of Columbia. Assistant Superintendent. — George E. Bandel, Maryland. office of the third assistant postmaster general Third Assistant Postmaster General. — ^Alexander M. Dockery, Missouri. Chief Clerk. — William J. Barrows, Missouri. Division of Finance. — Superintendent. — William E. Buffington, Pennsylvania. Division of Postal Savings. — Director. — Carter B. Keene, Maine. Assistant Director. — Charles H. Fullaway, Pennsylvania. Chief Clerk. — Harry H. Thompson, Maryland. Division of Money Orders. — Superintendent. — Charles E. Matthews, Oklahoma. Chief Clerk. — F. H. Rainey, District of Columbia. Division of Classification. — Superintendent. — William C. Wood, Kansas. Division of Stamps. — Superintendent. — William C. Fitch, New York. Division of Registered Mails. — Superintendent. — Leighton V. B. Marschalk, Kentucky. office of the fourth assistant postmaster general Fourth Assistant Postmaster General. — ^James I. Blakslee, Pennsylvania. Chief Clerk. — J. King Pickett, Alabama. Division of Rural Mails. — Superintendent. — George L. Wood, Maryland. Assistant Superintendent. — Edgar R. Ryan, Pennsylvania. Chief Clerk. — Lansing M. Dow, New Hampshire. Division of Equipment and Supplies. — Superintendent. — ^Alfred B. Foster, California. Assistant Superintendent, — ^Vacant. Chief Clerk. — Vacant. office of the auditor for the post office department Auditor. — Charles A. Kram, Pennsylvania. Assistant and Chief Clerk, — Terrence H. Sweeney, Minnesota. Law Clerk. — Faber Stevenson, Ohio. Expert Accountant. — ^Lewis M. Bartlett, Massachusetts. The American Pobtai* Service Electrical Accounting SyslefB* — Chiefs of Division* — Louis Brehm, UlinoSa. Joshua H. Clark, Maryland. James R. White, District of Columbia. Miscellaneous Division. — ■ C/tie/.— Jasper N. Baiceb, Kansas. LATEST FACTS OP POSTAL INTEREST Report of Postmaster General, Pascal Year Ending June 30, 1917 The long continued agitation between the railroads and the Post OfEce Department over the method of payment for mail transportation is in process of settlement by actual tests. The contention is whether the basis of payment shall be by weight or by the space used. While the space rate is the higher of the two it lends itself to rational readjustment, and is therefore best for government needs. The tests made show a saving of shout $7,000,000 per annum by the space method. The eflSciency standard now required of Postmasters, has It is stated, greatly improved the service and the announced policy of the Department to reappoint all those who render meritorious service has been adhered to and will be continued. During the year ending June 30, 1917, 38 second class oflSces were advanced to the first classy 135 third class to second, and 1,203 fourth class to third. Average annual salary of post-oSSce clerks is now $1,142 per annum^ city carriers $1,126.50. Removals of employees for cause are now rarely made, statisties show less than one per cent in both the post office and city carrier service. It is recommended that where because of unusual conditions, rural carriers cannot be obtained at the maximum rate of pay, advertisements be issued calling for proposals for the performanee of such service. Motor vehicle routes are now In operation on a total length of over 41,000 miles, avera^lnj^ 54 miles per route, at an averse cost of $1,786.49 per route. There are now 43,463 rural routes in operation, covering 1,112,556 miles. Cost of rural service decreased 0.011 per patron during the year 1917j cost per mile decreased 0.114 cent per mile. 9. The American Postal Service The cost per mile of travel by star-route contractors is $0.1024. Cost per mile of travel by rural carrier is $0.1510. This difference in cost is receiving departmental consideration. r ! Shipment of parcel post packages increased 14 per cent in 1917, the increase representing more than 25,000,000 pieces. Cooper- ation of postmasters in bringing the insurance feature particu- larly that of partial damage prominently to public notice, has resulted in an increase of over 8,000,000 insured parcels over the showing of 1916.' Growing carelessness in addressing letter mail resulted in 13,000,000 letters being found undeliverable during 1917, an increase of 21 per cent. The report shows an audited surplus for the year of $9,836,211 the largest in the history of the department. The increase over the preceding year was 5.66 per cent, while the increase in cost was 4.45 per cent. The audited revenues for the year amounted to $329,726,116. Remarkable growth in postal savings is shown. In 1917 there were 674,728 depositors with a total of $131,954,696 to their credit. The average balance for each depositor was $195,57. This was an increase over the previous year of 71,791 in the number of depositors, $45,934,811 in the amount and $52,90 in the per capita balance. CONTENTS CHAPTER I PAGB Latest Facts 7 General Postal History 11- Beginning of Personal Communication 12 Postal History of England 12 Penny Postage 13 General Post Office in London 14 French and German Postal History 15 The American Colonial Period 16 Under the Continental Congress 16 The Crown Postmasters 17 Post Offices and Post Roads Established 18 The Period of Progress 18 Postage Stamps Introduced 19 Progressive Steps Taken 19 Historical Data 20 CHAPTER II Questions of Finance. Postal Revenue — How Derived and Expended Revenues and Expenditures 21 Method of Expenditure 21 Appropriations 22 Auditor 23 CHAPTER III Departmental Operations — General and Detailed Descriptions and Cost of Service History of Rural Free Delivery 24 Rural Delivery Defined 25 The Struggle for Rural Delivery 25 The Advantages of Rural Delivery 26 Rural Delivery as Viewed by President McKinley 27 First County Rural Delivery 27 Country- Wide Extension, Rural Delivery 28 How Rural Delivery Enhances the Value of Farm Land 28 Per Capita Cost, in Rural Delivery 29 Some Necessary Conditions, Rural Delivery 31 Annual Cost per Patron by States and Pieces Handled 31 Population and Extension, Rural Service 32 Motor Vehicle Routes, Rural Delivery » . 32 Village Delivery 34 City Delivery 35 Star Routes 35 Postal Savings 35 Money Order System 36 Stamp Books 36 Postal Cards 37 Division of Stamps 37 Classification 37 Purchasing Agent 38 Dead Letter Office 38 Mail Locks 89 Mail Pouches 39 Post Office Supplies 41 Special Delivery 42 Foreign Mail Service 42 Topography Branch 43 Division of Post Office Service 44 American Postal System 45 Considerate Treatment of Newspaper Mail 45 10 The American Postal Service CHAPTER IV Special Articles PAGE Stamp Manufacture, Bureau Engraving and Printing . 46 Post Office Inspectors 48 Railway Mail Service 48 Parcel Post, Opposition Thereto 49 Interesting Facts. Postmasters General 53 Withdrawal of Letters from the Mail 54 Handling of the Mail in Department 54 Cost Accounting 55 Cleansing Mail Bags 55 Farm-to- Table Movement 55 Postal Service in Alaska 57 Standardization of Post Offices 58 Postal Savings Circulars in Foreign Tongues 58 A Patriotic Editor 59 Damage, Parcel Post Mail 59 Opinion of Daniel Webster on Mail Extension 60 Blind Woman on Pay Rolls 61 Wanamaker — Four Postal Reforms 62 The Rural Carrier as a Weather Man 64 New Box Numbering System, Rural Routes 65 Wireless Telephones, Rural Service 68 Parcel Post Exhibits at County Fairs 70 The Great Express Service of the Government 71 The Telephone and Parcel Post in Cooperation 72 Speeding up the Service — Rural Mails 73 Training Public Officials 74 For the Benefit of the Fourth Class Postmasters 76 Public Work and Private Control 77 Protecting the Public Records 78 Registry and Insurance Service, 1916 78 Readjustment Rate, Second Class Mail 79 Peculiar Customs, European Rural Delivery 80 What Was a Newspaper in 1825 ? 81 Women in the Post Office Department 82 Railroad Accidents, Construction of Cars 83 Public Ownership of Telegraph and Telephone — Burleson 83 Liquor Carried by the Mails 84 How the Post Office Department Helps the Farmer 85 Expediting the Mails on Star Routes 87 Abraham Lincoln Postmaster in 1837 88 A Central Accounting Office for Each County 88 Millions of Money for Good Roads 89 $14,550,000 for Rural Post Roads 91 Mail Extensions by Air and Motor Truck Houtes 92 Care Required in Preparing Contracts 93 Birthday American Postal Service 93 List of Postmasters General 94 CHAPTER V Miscellaneous Matters General and Financial Summary 95 Items of Interest 97 Old Laws and Regulations 104 Queer Collection Holiday Mail 108 Feeding the Cats 110 Couple of Distinguished Canines IID Soldier's Sister a Mail Clerk 112 Index to Items of Interest \\% THE AMERICAN POSTAL SERVICE CHAPTER I General Postal History The need of communication was doubtless one of the earliest activities of the Ancient World, not for public use but for govern- ment purpose. In Holy Writ we learn that the Israelitish Nation made early use of the means at hand. In the first Book of Kings it is stated that Queen Jezebel wrote letters in Ahab's name, sealed with the King's seal, and sent them to the elders and nobles in the city. In the Book of Esther mention is made of sending letters by posts to all the King's provinces. There are also evidences that the Assyrian and Persian nations established stations, or posts a day's Journey apart, at which horses were kept ready saddled with waiting couriers for the transmission of public orders and edicts. Xenophon mentions that Cyrus employed posts throughout his dominions and Herodotus speaks of the large structures erected for post stations. The mail service of China dates far back into antiquity. It is said that in the fourteenth century there were 10,000 mail stations in the empire. Peru, remarkable for its early evidences of civilization, had according to the historian Prescott, communication established from one end of the country to the other. There is, however, nothing to show that ordinary human affairs received any attention at this early period, the activities of rulers being devoted entirely to govern- mental interest and concern. The affairs of commerce and trade were probably carried on by personal enterprise, by voyages of trade discovery by water or expeditions on land. The method of using couriers for transmitting intelligence was evidently long continued, being the only means known by which such need could be met, or the one which most naturally suggested itself. The Romans employed couriers for the promulgation of military and public orders to their scattered provinces, private letters being sent by slaves or by such opportunity as occasion afforded. It is said that Charlemagne employed couriers for public purposes, but the practice was discontinued after his death, special messengers being used when occasion required. England employed couriers for public purposes in the thirteenth century, and in the fourteenth century Louis XI returned to the practice n 12 The American Postal Service of employing mounted couriers and established stations but only for government purposes. The Beginning of Personal Communication As early as the beginning of the thirteenth century the need of personal communication was recognized and the University of Paris arranged for the employment of foot-messengers to bear letters from its thousands of students to the various countries in Europe from whence they came. This plan lasted until 1719. In the fifteenth century an attempt was made and the custom prevailed for some time, of sending letters by traveling trades- men or dealers who made regular trips in certain directions for barter, purchase or sale. The tremendous stimulus given to the development of commercial conditions by the crusades, made business intercourse necessary, and the post riders who had siu*- plus horses soon found use for them in the conveyance of passengers and ultimately in the transmission of general information which finally resulted in a fixed compensation and which method re- mained in use for a considerable period. The real beginning of letter posts for private and business purposes, dates from the year 1516, when Roger, Count of Thurn, established riding posts in the Tyrol, connecting Germany and Italy. A letter post had been established in the Hanse towns in the thirteenth century, but the actual commencement of such activities dates from the year 1516. The Emperor Charles V made these riding posts general throughout his dominions and appointed Leonard, Count of Thurn, his postmaster general. I The Counts of Thurn and Taxis held this monopoly by regular succession for many years afterward. The rapid growth of English civilization made postal progress necessary for its people and this brings us to the period of most interest to students as well as the average reader. The Postal History of England As much of our postal system is naturally based on that of England from our early Colonial dependence, it is of interest to note the various steps of English progress and development in connection with the subject. The first English postmaster general of whom any account can be given was Sir Brian Tuke, who is described on the records of the year 1533 as "Magister Nuncrorum, Cursorum, Sire, Postarum," The American Postal Service IS but long subsequent to this appointment of a postmaster general the details of the service were frequently regulated by proclama- tion and by orders in council. During the earlier years of Queen Elizabeth, most of the business of the postal service to and from England was managed by the incorporated "Merchant Strangers'* who appointed special postmasters among themselves. The accession of James I, necessitating more frequent com- munication between London and Scotland, led to many improve- ments in the postal service. It was ordered that the posts should travel not less than 7 miles an hour in summer and 5 miles in winter. In 1619 a separate postmaster general for foreign parts was created. Thomas Witherings was one of the successors in this office and entitled to rank as one of the many conspicuous postal reformers in the continental service. All letters were then carried by carriers or footpads 16 or 18 miles a day. It required two months to get answers from Scotland or Ireland to London. He directed that all northern mail be put into one "portmantle" directed to Edinburgh and separate bags to such postmasters as lived upon the road near to any city or town corporate, which was the first step in the separation of mail since carried to such perfection here and elsewhere. Penny Postage Attempted The income from the post office in 1643 was but 5,000 pounds. Ultimately the posts both inland and foreign were farmed out to John Manley for 10,000 pounds a year by an agreement made in 1653. About this time an attorney of York, named John Hill, ventured upon the plan of placing relays of post horses between that city and London and undertook to convey letters and parcels at half the former charge. He aimed to establish penny postage for England, two-penny postage for Scotland, and a four-penny postage for Ireland. But the post office was regarded in that day as a means of revenue and incidentally of political espionage and government did not approve of such individual enterprise. His letter carriers were literally trampled down by Cromwell's soldiers, and the enterprising attorney narrowly escaped severe punishment.' Another attempt at penny postage for London was established by William Duckwra, a custom house employe, and Robert Murray ,► a clerk in the excise office. Duckwra carried for a penny and regis- tered and insured, both letters and parcels up to a pound in weight 14 The American Postal Service and $10 in value. He established hourly collections and ten deliveries daily for the central parts of London and six for the suburbs The Duke of York had, however, a patent covering this service and suits were laid against him which put an end to his enterprise. The systematic employment of women in post office and tele- graph service was for a long time an experiment and a problem, but it afterwards proved a success. Under new regulations in 1870, women were employed as telegraphists for eight hours daily with pay according to age, intelligence and practical ex- perience. At the close of 1880, there were a thousand women so employed in the cities of London, Edinburgh, and Dublin, and nearly as many in minor postal positions throughout the Kingdom. General Post Office at London The necessary authority for the establishment of a general post office at London to cover the British dominions, including the American Colonies, was given by act of Parliment in 1657. Under this act the postal affairs of England were conducted for a great length of time with but little if any improvement. It was not until the memorable pamphlet of Sir Rowland Hill was issued in 1837 that any real progress was made or any attempt made worthy of mention. Postal conditions were so unsatisfactory that he made the whole subject a matter of profound inquiry and his pamphlet on "Postal Reform" stirred the nation and led to a complete reformation of the entire postal system and was the beginning of the British post office as we see it today. The important events in English postal history given above and that which follows in chronological order are abridged from the Encyclopedia Brittanica, 1891 — 1720, organization of cross roads and rural posts; 1753, establishment of post office in American Colonies under Benjamin Franklin; 1774, improved mail coaches and organized mail routes; 1821, first conveyance of mail by steam- packet; 1830, first mail coach by railway; 1834, postage stamps invented by James Chalmers, Dundee, Scotland; 1835, overland route to India; 1838, Postal money order system; 1840, general and uniform penny postage (per half ounce) ; 1855, first street letter boxes put up in London; 1856, Postal Guide issued; 1861, Postal Savings Banks instituted; 1870, transfer of telegraph to state and postal cars introduced; 1881, postal orders issued; 1883, parcel post established. I The Amebican Postal Service 15 French and German Postal History The French Postal System was founded by Louis XI in 1464. It was largely extended by Charles IX, 1565, and generally improved under Henry IV and Louis XIII. Napoleon abolished the board system by which the French service was then conducted and recommitted the business to a postmaster general as it had been under Louis XIII. Napoleon greatly improved the service in all its details, and the measures he adopted and the reforms he introduced in 1802 remained in force for many years afterward and are probably in use now with such additions as developments suggested. The most important reforms in French Postal History were the extension of postal facilities to all the communes, effected under Charles X, 1829; adoption of postage stamp, 1849, under Louis Napoleon. Issue of postal notes to bearer, 1860; Postal Savings Banks, instituted 1880. The development of the Prussian or present German postal system was mainly due to Dr. Stcphan, who was also the chief organizer of the International Postal Union. This Prussian system, incorporated into the admirably organized post and telegraph service of the empire, began with the Great Elector, 1646. In Strasburg a messenger code existed as early as 1443. A postal service was organized at Nuremberg in 1570. The first mail steam packet was built in 1821; the first transmission of mails by railway was in 1847; telegraph service in postal affairs, 1849. A regular delivery by letter carriers attached to the state postal system existed in Berlin as early as 1712. These principal items of postal history concerning France and Germany are condensed from the excellent articles upon the sub- ject as found in the Encyclopedia Brittanica, edition of 1891, as well as the information on English postal history, for which acknowledgment is made in its proper place relating to the Postal History of Great Britain. 1^ The American Postal Service The American Colonial Period The earliest attempt to provide postal facilities for the colonies was in 1672 when Governor Lovelace, of the New York colony, established monthly service between New York and Boston. An office was later established at Philadelphia from which weekly mail was received and sent. By the signing of letters patent in 1691 the control of the American posts was vested in Thomas Neale, commonly called the "Neale Patent." In that year Neale and the Royal Postmasters General appointed Andrew Hamilton, Postmaster General of America. All the colonies except Virginia cooperated with him in improving and extending the service. A weekly post was established between Portsmouth, New Hamp- shire, to Boston, Saybrook, New York, Philadelphia, Maryland and Virginia. Five riders were engaged to cover each of the five stages twice a week. In 1707 the crown purchased the good will of the American post and continued John Hamilton, the son of Andrew, in that office at an annual salary of 200 pounds. In the year 1737, Franklin became postmaster at Philadelphia and generally supervised the other offices of the colonies. In 1753 he was one of the deputy Postmasters General, but was dismissed in 1774 by Governor Hutchinson, of Massachusetts, because of his adherence to the patriotic cause. Under the Continental Congress But Franklin was not to remain idle for when the Continental Congress met at its second session at Philadelphia, July 26, 1775, they resolved to have a post office system of their own and he was selected to carry on the work. A salary of $1,000 per annum was voted him with permission to employ a secretary and a comptroller with a salary of $340 per annum to each, and a line of posts ordered established from Falmouth, New England, to Savannah, Ga., with postages 20 per centum less than those afforded by parliament. However, Franklin's great diplomatic ability soon secured him a transfer to a wider field of usefulness and his son-in-law, Richard Bache, jvho had been comptroller, was named to succeed him. The lj0ger kept by this gentleman is still preserved among the archives of the Department. It consists of about 3 quijjes of foolscap, written over in a neat and legible hand. Ebenezer Hazard, who had been the Constitu- tional postmaster at New York, so termed to distinguish him from the British deputy at that place, was appointed to succeed him. The American Postal Service 17 In 1782, an act was passed by the Colonial Congress establishing a line of posts between New Hampshire and Georgia, the salary of the deputies not to exceed 20 per cent of the revenues. The rate of pastage at that time on letters weighing not over 1 penny- weight and going not more than 60 miles was equal to 5}/^ cents and a proportionate charge for greater weights and distances. The Crown Postmasters In a well- written article in the Washington, D. C, Evening Stavy of July 26, 1913, upon the occasion of the celebration of the one hundred and thirty-eighth year of the American postal serv- ice, the activities or self -assumed powers of the English or crown postmasters and its effect in encouraging the independent senti- ment of the time was stated as follows: "These crown postmasters had, or at least they exercised, the right of * spying' upon the mails intrusted to their care. This made it difficult and dangerous for the liberty-loving colonists to communicate with each other. The zealous representatives of England also professed to exercise a supervising care over the news- papers which were printed in the colonies, and made arbitrary rules and regulations against those who were too Uberal or out- spoken in their expressions of condemnation of things as they then were and who dared to urge the liberty and independence of the colonists. Some papers were shut out of the mails and some were forced to tone down their utterances. A pound sterling was demanded to carry 250 papers, 130 miles. "The post office led in the unification of the colonists. Paul Revere was the confidential post rider of Massachusetts. The tea party in Boston Harbor would have been but a neighborhood affair but for the agency of the post office and the patriotic pub- lishers who spread the news up and down the Atlantic coast. "The postal service did more than any one other agency to . unify and unite the colonists. It brought their interests antT- endeavors to a common meeting point. It brought the leading men and women to know and exchange ideas one with another. Printing presses were established about the same time that the postal service was begun in America. Postmasters enjoyed the privilege of sending their mail free of postage, so most postmasters became publishers. In this way the news of the doings of the various jealous colonists was disseminated and the opinions of these early postmaster-publishers were given wide circulation. It added an incentive to trade and intercourse. By making the coloniafts acquainted it dissipated jealousies. The growth of the post office from the humble beginning of a sturdy carrier from New York to Boston loaded with * divers letters and small portable packages' (you see they had parcel post even in those days), solidified the colonists and made their independence possible." 18 The American Postal Service Post Offices and Post Roads Established During the Continental Government, the receipts of all the post offices did not exceed $35,000 and in 1789 were $10,000 less. February 20, 1792, an act was passed establishing post offices and post roads within the United States, the first general law. The con- tracts made were to run eight years and the salary of the Postmaster General was increased to $2,000, and $1,000 for his Assistant. The original number of post offices (that is for the first year) was seventy-five and the mail routes less than 2,000 miles over which mails were carried by horse, stage, or sailing packets. In 1795, the number of postoffices had increased to 453, and the routes to over 13,000, and the net revenue to over $42,000. This closes the period of Continental management, except ordinary details and changes which bore no relation to any especial object or purpose. The Period of Progress From 1801 dates the great advance in modern methods, ideas and accomplishment. It then occupied forty days to get a letter from Portland, Me., to Savannah, Ga., and bring back an answer, and forty-four at Philadelphia for a reply to one addressed to Nashville, Tenn. Ten years later the time had been reduced to twenty-seven and thnty days. By 1810 there were over 2,400 post offices and the post routes covered over 37,000 miles. Marked improvements began soon after this period. The office of Second Assistant Postmaster General was created and the scale of postages changed. Single letters of one piece were charged from 8 to 25 cents, according to distance. Sunday delivery of mail at post offices was inaugurated about that time in the face of great ob- jection from the religious bodies of the country, the strife being kept up for many years. In 1813 the mails were first conveyed in steamboats from one port town to another, the Government paying 3 cents for each letter and 1 cent for newspapers. The postal laws of 1816 made a further change in postage which lasted until 1845. The new scale charged letters consisting of one piece of paper, not going over 30 miles, 6 cents; not over 80 miles, 10 cents; not over 150 miles, 12j^ cents, and not over 400 miles, 18% cents, and for greater distances, 25 cents. On the ninth of March, 1829, Hon. William T. Barry, of Kentucky, was commissioned Postmaster General by President Jackson, and called to a seat in his Cabinet, being the first Postmaster General to receive that honor. The American Postal Service 19 Postage Stamps Introduced Early in 1836, pony expresses as they were called, were put into operation on the principal turnpike roads of the Southern and Western States for the purpose of carrying letters of persons de- siring greater expedition, press news and Government dispatches, at triple the ordinary rates, but the experiment was abandoned, not proving profitable. In July, 1838, the Department was reorganized and an Auditor appointed. The office of Third Assistant Postmaster General was also created at that time. Railroads were declared post routes by act of Congress, in July, 1838, and the mails carried upon them. Postage stamps of the five- and ten-cent denominations with the faces of Franklin and Washington, respectively, were introduced in 1847. Previously all postages were collected entirely in money, prepayment being optional. July, 1851, a new series of stamps was adopted, con- sisting at first of denominations of 1 and 3 cents, but afterwards of larger amounts. Progressive Steps Taken Rapidly sketched for reference, the more important progressive steps that followed show that during the administration of Presi- dent Tyler, while Hon. Charles A. Wickhffe, of Kentucky, was ^ Postmaster General, many reforms were instituted, such as cheap- ^-^ ening the postage, improving the manner of letting routes by contract, prohibiting private expresses, and restricting the frank- ing privilege. Prior to this period, letters were not rated by weight but by enclosures. For instance, a letter containing three bank- notes for which the single letter charge would be 18% cents for over 150 miles, was then charged 75 cents, the inclosure making it a quadruple letter. Under the new system the rate was meas- ured by the weight, all weighing not over half an ounce were regarded as single letters and carried for 5 cents for distances not over 300 miles and 10 cents for greater distances. In 1850 the "foreign desk," from which ultimately grew the admirable arrange^ ment of the Postal Union, was instituted by Hon. Horatio King, of Maine. Through the efforts of Judge Hall, of New York, Postmaster General under President Fillmore, the postage on letters was reduced to 3 cents. The registration system came in under Postmaster General Campbell, of Pennsylvania, during the administration of President Pierce, i The Free Delivery Service 20 The Amekican Postal Service was inaugurated in 1863 by Hon. Montgomery Blair, of Maryland, also the money order system in 1864, in Lincoln's administration. The Railway Mail Service dates from July, 1862, when Judge Holt, of Kentucky, ordered its establishment, the first railway postofiice being from Quincy, 111., to St. Joseph, Mo., on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railway. Historical Data A summary of historical data covering some of the principal features of postal progress may be given in chronological order as follows: Postage stamps first issued at New York, July, 1847; stamped evelopes first issued, June, 1853; letters registered, July, 1855; newspaper wrappers. Act of Congress, February, 1861; Free City Delivery, July, 1863; Money Order System, November, 1864; International Money Orders, October, 1867; Postal Cards, May, 1873; Postage reduced to 2 cents, October, 1883; Special Delivery, October, 1885; Rural Delivery, October, 1896; Postal Savings, January, 1911; Parcel Post, January, 1913. The maximum number of post offices in the United States, 76,945, was reached in 1901, since which time by the introduction of rural delivery the number has steadily declined, 21,011 having been discontinued. July, 1916, there were 55,934 in operation. Extent of post routes in miles in 1790 was 1,875. In 1915 the number was 1,672,169. The miles of service performed in 1915 amounted to 617,527,795. The entire compensation paid to postmasters in 1789 was $1,657. In 1916 the estimated amount was $31,150,000. CHAPTER II Questions of Finance Postal Revenue — How Derived The revenues of the Post OflSce Department are derived from sales of stamps, stamped envelopes, newspaper wrappers and postal cards, second-class postage (pound rate) paid in money, box rents, money order business, balances due from foreign postal administrations, miscellaneous receipts, fines and penalties, and from unclaimed dead letters and postal matter. Its greatest revenue is received from postage paid on mail matter. The amount so received in the last fiscal year was $287,001,495.13, or 91.97 per cent of the total revenue received. Of this amount $20,174,973.93 was received from mailings of second, third and fourth-class mail matter on which the postage was collected in money, the remainder, $266,826,521.20, being the postage paid by means of stamps. Entire revenue, 1916, $312,057,688,83. Revenues and Expenditures The audited revenues and expenditures of the Post OflSce De- partment for the year 1916, show that the ordinary postal revenue yielded $303,232,143.36; revenue from money order business $8,130,545.47, and from postal savings business $695,000. Total revenue received, $312,057,688.83. Expenditures: On account of the current year, 1916, $297,637,128.87. On account of previous years, $8,566,904.27. Total expenditure during the fiscal year 1916, $306,204,033.14. Excess of revenue over expenditure, 1916, $5,853,565.69. Amount of losses by fire, burglary, etc., $24,419.62. Surplus in postal revenue for fiscal year 1916, $5,829,236.07. Method of Expenditure Expenses of the postal service are paid as follows : By Postmasters. — ^Postmasters are authorized to pay their own salaries, the salaries of clerks and carriers attached to their oflSces, rent, light, and fuel, and other expenses of their oflfices from postal receipts. By Warrants Drawn upon the Treasurer of the United States. — These warrants are in payment of the contracts for transporta- tion of mail, supplies, and other obligations that cannot be paid direct by postmasters. The accounts are prepared for payment 21 22 The American Postal Service by journals in the Bureau of the Post Office Department having jurisdiction over the appropriations and certified to the Auditor, who reviews them and forwards the journals to the Division of Finance. Warrants are then drawn for the amounts due to contractors, countersigned by the Auditor and mailed direct from the Department to the payees. By Disbursing Postmasters, — Certain payments may be author- ized by the Postmaster General to be made by postmasters desig- nated as disbursing officers. The Department authorizes and directs disbursing postmasters, one in each State, to pay the monthly salaries of rural delivery carriers. In addition thereto the Department authorizes other postmasters who are designated as disbursing officers, to pay the salaries of railway mail clerks, and in some instances the salaries of postoffice inspectors and other employes of the postal service. When the receipts of an office are not sufficient to meet the pay rolls authorized by the Department, the postmaster is instructed to make an estimate of the deficiency and forward a requisition to the Postmaster General therefor. An accountable warrant drawn on the Treas- urer of the United States for the sum needed is then forwarded to the postmaster who deposits the same in a depository bank and issues his check in payment of such salaries. By Transfer Draft. — If a balance appears to be due a post- master after his term of office has expired and his accounts have been adjusted, the Auditor certifies the amount due and upon this certification a transfer draft issued by the Department and drawn on a postmaster in the State in which the former post- master resides, is forwarded in settlement of the account. How Appropriations Are Made for the Department Appropriations for the Post Office Department are made by the Congress upon estimates submitted to the Postmaster General by the heads of the various bureaus according to the nature and needs of the service. After examination and approval by the Postmaster General, these estimates are sent to the Secretary of the Treasury where the estimates for all Departments of the Government are assembled for transmission to Congress. Hear- ings on the estimates submitted by the Postmaster General are then held by the House Committee on Post Offices and Post Roads, the members of which go over the items in detail, the various The American Postal Service 23 bureau heads being in attendance to explain more fully, if need be, the public necessity and requirements of the estimates submitted. The Postmaster General may also be called upon to explain these estimates if the Committee so desire. At the conclusion of these hearings, the result of such inquiry and the recommendations of the Post Office Committee are submitted to Congress and are considered in Committee of the Whole. When the post office bill is under consideration and upon its passage through the House of Representatives it is in charge of the Chairman of the Committee on Post Offices and Post Roads, who answers all inquires made and defends the action of his committee in submitting these estimates to Congress for its action and approval. Auditor for the Post Office Department All accounts of the Post Office Department are audited by the Sixth Auditor of the Treasury, who is the Auditor for the Depart- ment. When the Department was reorganized in 1836 this position was created for the purpose of relieving the Postmaster General of the responsibilities of this particular form of official duty. The statutes define these duties which are numerous and important, the fiscal relations, owing to the great growth of the postal service, being of such magnitude and involving such an amount of detail that the office has become one of the greatest of the auditing branches of the Treasury Department. The annual reports of the Auditor to the Postmaster General show the financial condition of the Department at the close of each fiscal year and are a part of the Postmaster General's report to Congress. A very large force of clerks is required to conduct the operations of the office and the most approved devices and methods are used to facilitate the dispatch of business. For greater convenience the office of the Auditor is lodged with the Post Office Department. CHAPTER III Department Operations— General and Detailed De- scriptions and Cost of Service History of Rural Free Delivery The subject of Rural Free Delivery occupies so much public attention both in the press and among the people, and the Depart- ment has shown such interest in the matter and done so much to make the service popular and attractive as a public measure, that it is worthy of some considerable space in a work devoted entirely to postal affairs. Aside from tabular work which has no proper place in descriptive accounts of departmental operations, a very good idea of what rural delivery is and aims to accomplish, may be gathered from the articles which follow this introductory reference. The history of Rural Delivery dates from January 5, 1892, when Hon. James O'Donnell, Member of Congress from Michigan, introduced the first bill in Congress relating to the subject. This bill carried an appropriation of $6,000 but failed of passage. March 3, 1893, Congress appropriated $10,000 for experimental purposes but this sum together with $20,000 appropriated July 16, 1894, for the same purpose, was not used, Postmaster General W. S. Bissell, of New York, deeming the amount insufficient. On June 9, 1896, $10,000 together with the prior appropriation of $30,000 was made available, and experimental rural free de- livery service was established by Postmaster General Wilson, of West Virginia, on October 1, 1896, simultaneously, on three routes in that State — Charlestown, Uvilla and Halltown. At the close of business June 30, 1916, there were 42,927 rural routes in operation, 42,766 carriers covering 1,083,070 miles and serving 5,719,062 families, representing a total population of 26,307,686, and at the cost of $51,715,616. Aggregate daily travel by rural carriers, 1,063,305 miles. Average length of rural routes, 24.96 miles. The first complete county service was in Carroll County, Maryland. Available reports show that between the years 1905 and 1909, delivery of mail on rural routes increased 87 per cent. In 1913, 2,745,319,372 pieces of mail were delivered; in 1915, 3,193,326,480; 1916, 3,022,755,601. Cost of delivery per patron: 1915, $2,060; 1916, $1,966. Average annual pay of carriers was $1,162.50, including motor vehicle service. For horse-drawn routes the average was $1,155.48. The American Postal Service 25 Rural Delivery Defined The doubts, uncertainties and the delicate questions involved in the early days of rural delivery when the subject was viewed with concern, cautiously tested as an experiment and its extension in various directions regarded as perhaps outside the bounds of original intent and therefore to be approached with considerable reserve, is well illustrated when petitions from Utah and other mining sections of the West for the establishment of such service to supply isolated communities devoted exclusively to mining, raised the question in the administration of Postmaster General Charles Emory Smith as to the proper definition of rural free delivery. It was held by the First Assistant Postmaster General that the term "rural" meant communities not included in cities or incorporated villages, and that it did not necessarily imply that the persons so situated should be engaged in farming pursuits. The Struggle for Rural Free Delivery The aim and purpose of rural delivery was to place the rural resident on something like equal grounds with the dweller in the cities so far as mail facilities were concerned, not exactly so, for conditions were dissimilar, but to such reasonable extent as circumstances would permit. For years there had been a grow- ing discontent among farmers and the people in the smaller towns and villages because of the postal advantages afforded to the cities, and the more populous communities. They felt themselves deprived of opportunities and benefits which others enjoyed and could not understand why the accident of location should make such a difference. Postal service was intended for all the people, not a part, not merely for those who had chosen to live in cities but for those outside as well. This desire to share at least in the benefits so freely accorded to others became at length so out- spoken and insistent that recognition could no longer be denied and the matter was finally introduced into Congress and an at- tempt made to secure legislation upon the subject. The magnified diflSculties of such a proposition as rural delivery contemplated had long deterred action, and when the attempt was finally made, the question was viewed with such caution and approached with such hesitation and the apprehension of an unknown and indeterminate expense so bound up with possible failure of real benefit in proportion to cost, that postal authorities 26 The American Postal Service hesitated to take the initial step. Even when a sum of money was appropriated the task seemed too great for successful accomplish- ment, and it was only when further delay was vigorously opposed that the step was taken. Congress voted $40,000 to make the experiment and with that to begin with active measures were taken and the rest is postal history. 4 The Advantages of Rural Delivery The question has frequently been asked to what extent and in what way has rural delivery service benefited the country sections of the United States. Many magazine articles have been written to show the general advantages it affords in rendering rural condi- tions more tolerable and enduring the inconveniences to which such life is subject. In one particular at least, it has been of im- mense advantage and that alone has secured it great public favor. It has given the farmer his daily paper. This great educator of our modern civilization, an almost indispensable necessity of our times, was practically denied the rural resident before the advent of this service, but now the avenues of communication are so far- reaching and the service so well conducted, that publishers of daily papers have not only been able to greatly extend their circula- tion in every direction, but actually to bring the morning news- paper to the farmer's door at an hour which places him on- an equal footing with his city neighbor in all the advantages which early news can give, but which is of special advantage to the farmer who has something to sell and is thus directed to the best market for his purpose. The combined opportunity which both publisher and sub- scriber now enjoy in country sections reached by rural delivery and the use made of it is forcibly illustrated in a recent statement published in a South Dakota paper. A rural carrier stated that when he started service some years ago there were but three farmers on his two routes who took daily papers. There are now something like 200 dailies taken by patrons on these routes, some farmers subscribing for two or three. j What rural delivery has done in other directions may be summed up as follows : It has broadened the field of industrial opportunity, touched as if with magic power the possibilities of human endeavor, and transformed conditions to a degree almost marvelous. It has brought special delivery almost to the door; secured good roads The American Postal Service 27 and maintains them by oflScial interest and concern; has attracted the attention of the various States to this question and obtained results; it has made farm lands more valuable and contributed to increased production; it has abridged time by rapid communica- tion; brightened all environment, and made ordinary dull routine interesting and attractive; it has lessened toil by the instructive suggestions which Government experiment and inquiry affords, and has made the home a center of influence and crowns domestic life with all that makes for peace and contentment. Rural Delivery as Viewed by President McKinley The favorable opinion entertained of the advantages of the rural free delivery service when it was yet in the experimental stage and doubts were expressed as to its practical benefit, cost considered, is well set forth by President McKinley in his annual message to Congress, December 3, 1900. "This service ameliorates the isolation of farm life, conduces to good roads and quickens and extends the dissemination of general information. Experience thus far has tended to allay the apprehension that it would be so expensive as to forbid its general adoption or make it a serious burden. Its actual application has shown that it increases postal receipts, and can be accompanied by reductions in other branches of the service, so that augmented revenues and the accomplished savings together materially reduce the net cost." The First County Rural Service The first full county service was inaugurated in Carroll County, Maryland, and at a time when weather conditions made it some- thing of an undertaking. December 20, 1899, was the date selected and winter with its storms and snow had put the roads in the worst possible condition. Sixty-three post offices and thirty-five services by star route contractors, were discontinued in one day and rural free delivery service substituted. West- minster, then a third-class office, was made the distributing center but postal stations were established in villages where post offices had formerly been located. Service started with four two-horse postal wagons and with a postal clerk in each to issue money orders, register letters and cancel stamps on the letter mail collected. These wagons supplied mail to twenty rural carriers at designated points and brought all the 28 The American Postal Service territory within easy and convenient reach. This initial service first covered 387 square miles of the 453 in the county, but soon afterward embraced it all. The inauguration of so great a change in postal service created antagonism and a strong delegation came to Washington to enter protest. But the manifest advantages which soon began to appear, silenced all opposition, and the great majority of the protesting citizens withdrew their opposition and bore convincing testimony to the eflficiency and value of the service. The cost of the service in the first three months was $4,543, saving by service superseded, $2,805, Increase of postal receipts was $1,501.75 leaving net cost of the whole county service for three months at only $236. This successful county experiment attracted wide attention and full county service was thereafter rapidly established in many directions. Country-wide Extension, Rural Delivery The extension of rural delivery has increased from year to year and the cost of the service has grown in corresponding proportion. The great next step would be country-wide extension, which has been frequently mentioned on account of the vast possibilities bound up in such a measure. This would, however, involve a very considerable expense. It is estimated that to extend this service to all rural patrons wherever located would cost something like $100,000,000 more. While such complete service is the logical conclusion of all rural delivery effort and may be expected to engage public attention in the near future, as it is the only means left by which the thousands of people now deprived of such benefits can be reached and accommodated, such a tremendous advance must be seriously considered before any definite steps can be taken, but rural delivery will never reach the point of greatest usefulness until this country-wide extension is an accomplished fact and people everywhere are permitted to equally enjoy the benefit which it confers. How Rural Delivery Enhances the Value of Farm Land Many arguments have been advanced by the friends of rural delivery to show the almost immeasurable value of this service to the farming communities of the nation, but there is one case which has come under the notice of the publisher which presents an argument of such striking force that it is worthy of special mention. I The American Postal Service 29 Mr. Marion F. Holderman, of Washington, D. C, states that in 1885 he bought 135 acres of farming land three miles east of Ran- toul, 111., in Champaign County, for $44 per acre, and that in 1901 rural delivery was established enabling the delivery of the Chicago daily papers at his gate in the morning, thus giving him all the advantages of the Chicago market and the opportunity of the shipment of grain, stock, and farm products the same day that these published market reports appeared. This fact so greatly enhanced the value of the land through these succeeding years that he was able to sell this property for $225 per acre on March 1, 1917, thus netting him a profit of $24,435. No improvements were made on the farm except necessary repairs and painting of the buildings. He states that if there had not been rural delivery he would have had to go to the post office for his mail at least twice a week which at the lowest estimate for the time of the person, vehicle, and the horses would have cost him over $225 per annum, and as there are 105 families on the route besides himself, the saving to the patrons of the route by this service is over $23,850 annually, besides the value of the land increase, and the many other ad- vantages which have followed. Taking his estimate of saving to each family along a route and allowing for six families for each mile, three on each side of the road, and there being 1,037,259 miles of rural delivery roads in the United States, it can be seen what an aggregate wonderful saving this has made, not counting the property, personal and educational value of such a service to the people. It will be seen that by this showing that the saving to the patrons of 1 mile of rural delivery service ($1,350) will more than pay what it costs the Government for a 24-mile route at a rate of $1,200 per annum. The Per Capita Cost in Rural Delivery The per capita cost in the Rural Delivery Service has been a matter of considerable interest to those who are following the pro- gress and extension of this branch of the public service. The great advance which has been made in this service and the still greater extent to which it is proposed to extend it, embracing ultimately all patrons wherever located, naturally raises the question of cost as a whole and the cost per patron. 30 The American Postal Service Charles Emory Smith, Postmaster General in 1900, who was one of the staunch friends of rural delivery in its early days, said the gross cost could be estimated by three methods, cost per square mile, cost per capita, and cost per county. Adhering to the sub- ject in hand it may be stated that he found the cost per capita at that time to be 92.7 serving a population of about 2,000,000 people on something less than 3,000 routes. There is no reliable data covering the period to 1910 upon this subject, but taking an estimate based upon close calculation, it is found that notwith- standing the tremendous growth of this service during that time reaching in 1910 over 41,000 routes and accommodating over 20,000,000 patrons, the cost per capita had arisen to only 1.797, and now with nearly 43,000 routes and serving over 26,000,000 people as patrons, the cost per capita is but 1.966. No answer as to cost considering the known value of such service could be illustrated more forcibly than by the figures here presented. If the undeniable benefits of rural service to the people can be given with ever-increasing eflSciency at a cost no greater than that, it can be reasonably assumed that the people who live upon the farms of the United States and endure the hardships of such life with its many attendant inconveniences are certainly entitled to their share of public benefit, especially when as shown, the cost is so small compared to the inmeasurable advantages afforded. The city delivery service of the nation with its 34,000 carriers costs now over $43,000,000. No computation of cost per capita in this service has ever been made and relative comparison cannot be given but such figures as are available show that in 1911 the per capita cost of serving the people in the cities of the country was $1.40 and that in 1916 this cost had increased to $1.75. When the comparatively comfortable conditions under which city delivery is conducted is considered, and the proportionate difference in appropriation taken into account, it will appear that the excess of cost in rural delivery is no greater than might natu- rally be expected from the peculiar nature of the service, the terri- tory to be covered, and the almost insurmountable conditions with which it has to contend. Indeed, it is a matter of surprise that the cost of service per capita under the circumstances is so small. To keep down the public expense to so low a figure while extend- ing this service to millions of people heretofore denied this privi- The American Postal Service 31 lege, should be a matter of congratulation and encourage the hope, as well as assure the ultimate end towards which all rural delivery aims and activities are directed, viz., country-wide extension. Some Necessary Conditions of Rural Delivery England, France and Germany antedate us in the establishment of rural delivery, but the service there is bureaucratic, originating always with the post office officials and dominated by red tape requirements. Ours is democratic and cooperative. It is estab- lished upon petitions sent through Representatives in Congress, irrespective of party affiliation. However, any application re- ceived from a postmaster, or individual, showing reasonable warrant for the establishment of a rural route in any community will be given careful consideration by the Department. It is absolutely free, the only conditions the Government makes in establishing and maintaining service is that those who desire to avail themselves of its beneficent provisions shall do their part towards rendering it of public advantage, viz., by mending their roads, building bridges over unbridged creeks and streams, see that the county commissioners give prompt attention to such needs and provide themselves with suitable receiving boxes, con- veniently placed along the roadside that the carrier can readily deposit and collect mail without alighting from his conveyance. Patrons can do much towards aiding the Government in this matter and they doubtless do their bit in a willing and accommodating spirit. Annual Cost Per Patron, and Pieces Handled in Rural Delivery Service A study of the annual cost per patron in the rural delivery service for the year 1916, shows that in the States of California and Utah, and in the District of Columbia, it was less than $1 each. In the States of Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecti- cut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Caro- lina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia, it was more than $1 and less than $2. In Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming, it was more 4 3£ The American Postal Service than $2 and less than $3, and in North and South Dakota it was over $3 and less than $4. Annual cost of service for patron de- creased from 2,066 in 1915 to 1,966 in 1916. The annual cost per piece of mail handled on rural routes was lowest in the States of Arizona, California, Connecticut, Massa- chusetts, Rhode Island, Utah, and the District of Columbia, and highest in Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, North and South Carolina, and Tennessee. Annual cost per price handled was .0144 in 1915 and .0150 in 1916. The States which had the largest number of patrons served on rural routes (over a million in each) were Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas. The States which had less than 100,000 patrons served were Arizona, Delaware, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Utah, Wyoming and the District of Columbia. Population and Extension of Rural Service Relative to the provision in the act making appropriations for the rural service for the fiscal year 1917, "that rural mail delivery shall be extended so as to serve as nearly as practicable the entire rural population of the United States," it should be stated that rural delivery service covered, at the end of the fiscal year 1916, 1,037,259 miles of roads, while star-route service was operated upon 139,634 miles. It is estimated that there are 2,199,646 miles of public roads in the United States, so that there remain 1,022,753 miles or roads on which no mail service is in operation. At the end of the fiscal year 1916 an estimated population of 26,307,686 was served by rural routes, 520,000 by star routes, and approximately 10,000,000 by fourth-class post offices. The total rural population in the United States is placed at 43,991,722. It will be seen, therefore, that while 83 per cent of the rural popula- tion is receiving convenient mail service, 47 per cent of the rural road mileage is uncovered. Speeding Up the Rural Service by Motor Vehicle This is a time of intense activity. Action is demanded every- where and "get there" is the cry of the day. Brevity and speed are in close fellowship in the business world and competition spurs on towards the greatest possible endeavor in any direction where The American Postal Service 33 advantage lies. Expedients no longer serve. Only that which is best and in the highest degree efficient, can hope to survive. The introduction of the motor car in transforming conditions and pro- ducing wonderful changes is characteristic of this pushing age. Time is money. The motor has demonstrated its value, and dominates the field of all far-reaching enterprise. Business men recognize its tremendous possibilities and advantageous help in saving time and abridging distance. It spells efficiency in com- mercial life and men strain a point to bring themselves up along- side their pushing and wideawake neighbors in availing themselves of this great modern aid to the completest equipment. The farmer realizing what it can accomplish in his peculiar domain, has has- tened to supply himself with what will contribute to his profit, and he finds in this great adjunct to energetic industrial life the means of increasing his business and enlarging his vision of oppor- tunity and desire. Motor vehicle service is of course an innovation upon the 24-mile horse-drawn route, and as any innovation upon old-established custom may expect to meet objection in the administration of public affairs, especially when such an innovation contemplates a readjustment of routes and a possible reduction of carriers, ob- jection was raised in some quarters, but the desire to secure all the benefit which the parcel post could give by the opportunity afforded by zone extension, was a determining factor in the case, and the Postmaster General, availing himself of the power vested in him by act of Congress, ordered its establishment, due regard being had to the limitations and conditions under which it could be operated. Experience has justified the wisdom of such action. Motor vehicles were accordingly introduced into the rural service in 1915 to meet this demand for greater expedition in service and the transportation of increased amounts of parcel post and mail matter on extended routes and principally from the larger cities. These routes must, however, be 50 miles in length and the compen- sation is fixed at not more than $1,800 per annum, the carriers to furnish and maintain their own motor vehicles. On June 30, 1916, 500 of such routes were in operation with a total length of 26,878 miles, averaging 53.756 miles per route, with an annual cost of $877,824, or an average of $1,755.65 per route. These motor routes superseded horse-drawn vehicle service formerly costing $1,093,106 a year, or an annual saving of $5 15,282. Motor 84 The American Postal Service routes are of especial benefit in sections where railroad facilities are lacking. The greater distance covered by motor routes makes it possible for a much larger number of persons in given localities to communicate with one another on the same day, eliminating the necessity for taking the mail to postoffices for redispatch and in some instances transshipment over one or more railroads. Better facilities are also afforded for the transportation of pro- ducts of the farm. Indianapolis, Ind., is a conspicuous example of the efficiency of this service in reducing postage; a 20-pound package mailed on a rural route from one office in Marion County addressed to a patron of a rural route on another, which would have cost 24 cents, can now be carried for 15 cents, and a 50-pound package from one point to another, the cost of which would have been 54 cents will now cost but 30 cents. Village Delivery In furtherance of the desire of the Government to do every- thing in its power to oblige and accommodate the people of the country and enlarge every privilege which could advance their interests or provide for their comfort, the question of the exten- sion of village delivery, for which there has been considerable demand, but which has heretofore received little encouragement, was taken up with a view of securing such action from Congress as would allow further extensions to be made, the original appro- priation being too limited for the purpose. Between the very great facilities afforded the dwellers in the cities and the almost equally great accommodation shown to those in the rural sections, village delivery was but imperfectly con- sidered and the benefits and advantages which a more direct attention to these needs could have secured, was allowed to remain in abeyance, or at least not given the attention it deserved. But the claim of the residents of small towns to equal privileges with more favored localities was at length recognized and village delivery which was established and put into operation in 1912, ^, was extended until 280 of such towns now have this accommoda-™! tion, employing 400 carriers. The entrance salary paid village -' delivery carriers is at the rate of $600 per annum, and increased to $690 per annum after twelve months of satisfactory service. Only communities where the annual post office receipts amount to $5,000 are entitled to this service. The American Postal Service 35 Carriers appointed at third class offices are not subject to civil service rules as such offices are not classified. When the receipts amount to $8,000 per annum, the office is advanced to second class and the village delivery carriers are given a civil service status. City Delivery In 1864 the number of city delivery offices was 66, number of carriers 685, cost of service, 1864, $317,063.20. In 1916 the number of offices was 1,864, number of carriers 34,114, and the cost of service $43,136,818. Average annual salaries of carriers for the past four years has increased from $1,080.22, to $1,115.46. Carriers enter the service at a salary of $800 per annum and are promoted annually on their service record through the various grades until they reach the salary of $1,100 at first class offices, and $1,000 at offices of the second class, after which promotion depends upon their exceptional efficiency. Star Routes June 30, 1916, the number of star routes was 11,187, length in miles, 147,167, average cost per mile of length of routes e$54.16, per mile of travel $0.1026. In the renewal of contracts on certain routes in the western States under new form of advertisement there was a reduction in the cost of operation of $130,000. Star routes are so-called because originally, a "star" appeared on the advertisements for contract bidding to distinguish them from other contracts and because of the words "with due celerity, certainty and security" which appeared in connection with such contract service. The purpose of star route service is to serve post offices off the line of railroad travel and incidentally such families as may live between those post offices who erect boxes or hang out satchels to receive their mail, also to collect mail where proper provision has been made for the purpose. No bid submitted under an advertisement for star route service will be considered unless the bidder shall agree in his bid that in the event of the contract being awarded to him he will reside on or contiguous to the route and give his personal supervision to the performance of the service. Postal Savings The postal savings system was inaugurated January 3, 1911. In June, 1916, the number of depositors was 602,937 and the 36 The American Postal Service balance to the credit of depositors was $86,019,885.00. The denominations of postal notes or certificates are $5.00, $10.00, $20.00, $50.00 and $100.00, and they may be purchased at any postal depository. The interest allowed by the Government is 2 per cent. These deposits may be exchanged in amounts of $20.00 and multiples thereof, for 23^ per cent U. S. Postal Savings, registered or coupon bonds. Postal certificates are made at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Money Order System Dr. Charles F. Macdonald, who had been greatly interested and had taken an active part in the establishment of the money order system, was upon its inauguration in May, 1864, appointed as superintendent. He is often called the "father of the money order system" and doubtless with some considerable justice. He labored untiringly to make it a success, and upon his death in 1902 it was found that he had bequeathed $2,000 to the United States to be used by the Postmaster General in the improvement of that service, and Congress by act of October 22, 1913, accepted the gift, and the commission appointed by the Postmaster General in furtherance of the act recommended that a vignette of Dr. Macdonald be placed on the money order draft forms. This recommendation was approved by the Postmaster General and carried into effect. Orders issued: 1916, 121,636,818. Amount, $719,364,950.46. Orders paid and repaid: number, 122,379,113. Amount, $720,584,719.58. Net money order revenue for 1916, $6,821,499.75. Stamp Books The need for some convenient way of handling postage stamps when more were purchased than immediately required and which need was long felt and operated as a bar against the purchase of stamps in any considerable quantity for occasional use, led the Hon. Edwin C. Madden, Third Assistant Postmaster General, to consider some method of remedying this lack, and on March 26, 1900, after considerable experiment with paper of various kinds to suit the purpose, devised the stamp book now in use of which millions of copies are annually sold. In 1916, the Department issued 28,005,930 of these books and the demand for them is constantly increasing. These books are made in six different kinds — ^books containing 24 and 96 stamps of the 1-cent denomina- The American Postal Service 37 tion; 12, 24 and 48, of the 2-cent denomination, and a book con- taining both 1-cent and 2-cent stamps, viz., 24 1-cent, and 24 2-cent. In this connection it may be but just to divide the credit of the origin of the stamp book with Captain Bain of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, who, it is said, had the project in mind for some time previous to its inauguration as a pubUc accommoda- tion. Mr. Madden is usually given the credit but, as stated, the credit may perhaps be fairly divided, as it is understood that both these gentlemen collaborated in the perfection of the project. Postal Cards The postal cards now so generally used at once sprang into public favor when adopted in this country in 1873. Their use has not only been a means of carrying intelligence in easy and convenient form, but has contributed to commercial enterprise in many forms, and many directions as the growing demand for them in the business world amply indicates. The number issued to postmasters in 1916 was 1,047,894,800 and the value of these cards was $10,784,307.00. Division of Stamps Postage stamps and other stamped paper on hand in post offices, July 1, 1915. .$104,035,823.48 Stamped paper charged to postmasters . . 287,352,176 . 84 Sales by postmasters, July 1, 1915, to June 30, 1916 277,728,025 . 20 Stamped paper on hand in post offices, June 30, 1916 112,332,714.66 The reduction in stamp sales which followed the outbreak of the war in Europe and the gradual recovery is shown in the increases, viz., for the quarter ending September 30, 1915, the per- centage of increase was 3.01; for December 31, 1915, it was 9.04; for March 31, 1916, it was 9.87; for June 30, 1916, it was 11.25. Interesting information concerning the manufacture of stamps, etc., is given in the article relating to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing on page 46. Division of Classification This division is charged with the consideration of all questions relating to the classification of matter admitted to the mails, intended or deposited for mailing, including the determination of the admissibility of publications to the second class of mail matter, S8 The American Postal Service the limit of weight and size of mail, penalty envelopes and the franking privilege. This office is in the Bureau of the Third Assistant Postmaster General to whom all questions upon this and kindred subjects should be addressed. Purchasing Agent Under the direction and control of the Postmaster General, this officer has the supervision and purchase of all supplies for the Department, whether under contract or not, for the Post Office Department proper or for any branch of the postal service. The Postal Laws and Regulations provide that a Bureau officer con- trolling an appropriation, may authorize postmasters and other postal officials to purchase supplies chargeable to that appropria-j tion subject to the approval of the purchasing agent in eachi instance. The Dead Letter Office All undeliverable mail matter comes within two classes, unmail- able and unclaimed. The first comprises such as is not suffi- ciently prepaid or so incorrectly, insufficiently or illegibly ad- dressed that the destination could not be discovered. All letters of this class containing matter of value is classified and recorded and a considerable amount of money can thus be returned to the owner. The larger part of such unmailable matter contains ar- ticles of merchandise, photographs, etc. The undeliverable let- ters are those that though properly prepaid and correctly addressed are unclaimed, not taken out of the office, though effort had been made by advertisement to find the owner. Letters and parcels received for 1916 amounted to 10,839,890. Of this number 3,677,194 pieces were delivered, 101,485 filed, 7,019,436 destroyed and 41,775 under treatment. Checks, drafts, money orders and other valuable papers of the face value of $2,303,119.56 were found in undelivered letters, practically all of which was restored to the owners. The net revenue from the sale of undeliverable articles of merchandise and currency found loose in the mails, etc., aggregated $53,665.69. Advertised letters returned from the Dead Letter Office now require the payment of 1 cent, the revenue of this for the past six months amounted to $11,000, making net revenue $64,665.69, or within $10,000 of the whole amount required to conduct the operations of the office. Formerly all dead matter came to Washington for examination The American Postal Service S9 and disposition. Now there are twelve large cities in the country geographically arranged, to which dead matter is sent in addition to what is received in Washington. This has made it possible to largely reduce the force in the Washington office. The establish- ment of the Dead Letter Office dates back to 18^5. Mail Locks There are four kinds of locks used by the Department, in protect- ing the mails, the brass padlocks seen on letter and package boxes, the iron lock used on mail pouches, the inside letter box lock, and the registered lock used to protect the more valuable mail. The locks and keys are made by the Government in the equipment shops at Washington. Of the iron lock there are something like a million in use. These locks are made at a cost of 8}^ cents each and weigh but 2^/5 ounces, the lightest and best lock ever used for the purpose. Locks previously in use cost a great deal more to make and keep in repair and were much heavier. The study of economy in various forms during the past four years has made it possible to introduce many reforms in the manufacture of locks of which the above is a significant example. Steel is now largely used in all lock equipment on account of the high cost of brass. All equipment used in mail transportation is made by the Government. Mail locks and keys were formerly made by contract, but during the administration of Postmaster General Dickinson it was decided to do this work under Government supervision. Public policy, no less than economy dictated this course. While the manufacture of Government locks was surrounded with all pos- sible safeguard and precaution there could be no absolute assurance that the mechanism would be kept secret, would be safe from imi- tation, so the Government, both for security to the mails and for economic reasons, decided to have the work done under its own direction. Mail Pouches and Sacks In the general scheme of mail bags used in the postal service the term "pouch" is used to apply to all mail bags designed for lock- ing by means of mail locks, and the term "sack" is used to apply to all mail bags used in the postal service which are designed for closing but not locking. Under the term "pouch" may be mentioned those bags used 40 The American Postal Service for inclosing through registered mail, saddle bags, designed for transportation of mail on horseback; inner registered bags, used for holding registered matter and inclosed in another receptacle; and the ordinary pouches for first class mail matter such as letters, etc. ; also the mail catcher pouch, the use of which is restricted to the exchange of mails with moving trains. Under the term "sacks," which are designed for closing, as a rule, but not locking, comes the ordinary sack for newspapers and parcel post matter, and bearing a cord fastener which bears a label case and also serves for closure purposes. The standard bag is made of No. 8 canvas, of best quality, and withstands usage for several years. The sacks used for foreign mails, ordinary and registered, are not provided with a closure device but are tied with a string and secured with a lead seal, but it is expected in the near future these classes of bags will be equipped with a locking contrivance. During the last ten years the weight of pouches used for ordinary service has been rapidly diminishing. The average weight of pouches in 1907, largest size, was about 9 pounds 5 ounces each, while those now being introduced into the service weigh 2]/^ pounds each. This reduction in weight being due largely to the elimination of leather parts. Many old-style pouches are still in use, viz., made of a heavy canvas body, leather bottom and a light weight top; costing about $2.16 each; the "1908" pouch made of a heavy canvas bottom with leather band and a lighter weight canvas top and body, costing about $1.44 each. These pouches are now being rapidly replaced with the all-canvas pouch costing less than 70 cents each. Catcher pouch used in the exchange of mails on moving trains costs 80 cents each. Wherever possible, the Department has eliminated expensive leather and other parts in the production of its equipment. There are approximately 600,000 pouches and 4,000,000 sacks available to the service at present. The all-canvas pouch which the Department now furnishes costs between 69 and 70 cents, while the largest size domestic standard sack cost a little less than 73 cents, smaller sizes in proportion. Pouches and sacks are purchased by contract but kept in repair by the Government. New pouches of new types are also manufactured by the Gov- ernment, nearly 80,000 being made in the Mail Bag Repair Shop during the past year. The American Postal Service 41 The principal movement of mails is from the east to the west, from the great commercial centers to the less densely populated districts. This ebb and flow is natural in ordinary times, but is greatly increased both in volume and quantity when the immensely stimulated holiday trade changes conditions in all directions and calls for the exercise of administrative ability in meeting ex- traordinary demands and supplying suddenly developed needs. These conditions are met by a system of distribution devised to meet just such needs, whereby congestion is relieved at one point and pressing demands accommodated at another, the various mail bag depositories under capable management rendering such necessary aid. The whole supply of bags has been handled as much as ten times in one year through these depositories without which the peculiar conditions of the service could not be met. Mountain carriers in the northwest require special pouches espe- cially in the sections where snow shoes are needed. The carriers in Alaska with their dog-teams have also special makes of pouches and thus all conditions are met where peculiar needs require it. Post Office Supplies In June, 1872, Congress authorized the establishment of a blank agency for the purpose of supplying the smaller post oflSces with blanks and stationery. The appropriation was $132,500. In 1883 the scope of this enactment was enlarged and the Depart- ment undertook the tremendous task of supplying all the post oflBces of the country with stationery and all the office equipment and appliances needed in the conduct of public business. The amount of a recent appropriation for the purpose was about two and a half million dollars. From this blank agency has grown the Division of Supplies, which furnishes all supplies needed except mail bags, locks and keys, which come under the equipment branch, of which this division is a part. Supplies are sent to postmasters upon requisitions made out upon blank forms fur- nished for the purpose. These requisitions are carefully revised by clerks and allowances made conformably to practice and customs. Money order and postal note requisitions are also handled in this division. Supplies are required in enormous quanti- ties for public use. In twine alone the required amount for 1916 was 2,000,000 pounds, or 680,000 miles of it. Ink 15,000 gallons. Facing slips more than a billion; pencils, pens, blanks, envelopes 42 The American Postal Service and paper in staggering amounts. The utmost economy is prac- ticed in sending out these immense supplies that waste may be prevented and the money appropriated used to the best advantage. The capable management of the Superintendent and those in charge of the Division of Equipment and Supplies, has produced gratifying results in all directions and rendered service which has been recognized and appreciated. Special Delivery Special delivery was authorized by Act of March 3, 1885, during the administration of Postmaster General Vilas. Established October 1, 1885. At first restricted to free delivery oJBSces in towns of 4,000 or more inhabitants. August 4, 1886, it was extended to all free delivery offices. Special delivery service is made to all persons within the carrier limits of city delivery and to patrons of rural service who reside more than 1 mile from post offices, but within half a mile of rural routes. Deliveries are made at all first and second class post offices on Sundays and at other offices if open on Sunday, and at all offices on holidays. Auditor's report shows that for the quarter ending September, 1916, the amount expended for this service was $633,713.21. The number of pieces delivered was nearly 8,000,000, or a yearly average of some- thing like 32,000,000. Foreign Mail Service The foreign mail service of the United States dates back to 1868, when James H. Blackfan was chief clerk of the Department. This service was then in charge of the chief clerk and when the office of Superintendent of Foreign Mails was created he was placed in charge of it. These mails are carried under the Act of 1891. All mails not carried by the mileage basis under this act are carried by non-contract vessels on the weight basis. The total cost of this service in 1916 was $2,228,341. The rate of compensation allowed under the general statute for the sea con- veyance of United States mails by steamers of American register, not operated under the ocean mail Act of 1891, is not exceeding the full postage of the mails conveyed. The two principal offices from which foreign mail is dispatched are New York and San Francisco. Clerks are assigned to this service as need requires. Under the regulations of the Universal Postal Convention, mail The American Postal Service 48 matter other than parcel post, may be dispatched whether fully prepaid or not, but as double the amount of postage is collectable when not fully prepaid, postmasters in this country have been instructed whenever practicable to notify senders of short-paid letters that such double expense might be avoided. On registered articles and parcel post packages, full prepayment is compulsory. Rate of postage is 5 cents for the first ounce or fraction of an ounce, and 3 cents for each additional ounce or fraction thereof. Letter postage for England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and British possessions goes at 2 cents an ounce. International parcel post rate is 12 cents per pound or fraction of a pound. Topography Branch The impetus given to this branch of the service, the making of maps, by the rapid growth of rural delivery, the reorganization of which made the completion of county maps an almost immediate necessity, has considerably stimulated activity in this direction and been productive of great benefit generally. Recompilations of State maps have been made, old drawings brought up to date and diagram maps replaced by those of the regular edition. The making of maps has developed into quite an industry in recent years owing to the greatly increased need for such matter. Few people realize how necessary such aid is in determining questions of administrative concern, especially in such vast areas of public enterprise as the growth and extension of the rural delivery and star route service involves. These public maps are very largely used for post routes and alto- gether this branch occupies quite an important place in Depart- ment operations. Of the post-route class 43,258 were printed dur- ing the year of 1916, 1,545 were sold to the public, together with 5,983 county and 1,963 local center maps (blueprints) the balance having been distributed to the postal service, to other Depart- ments and to Members of Congress. In the blue-printing plant 7,964 county maps, 13,330 local center maps, and 10,347 mis- cellaneous plans, forms, etc., were made. Of the 3,010 counties in the United States there are 2,630 in which rural delivery service is in operation. Accurate maps, showing rural service in 984 of these counties, have been com- pleted, while preliminary maps for 755 others, giving similar in- formation, have been drawn. Base maps and other data are in 44 The American Postal Service hand which will be used in the compilation of maps of 432 addi- tional counties. Active steps are being taken to procure informa- tion from every possible source for use in compiling maps of the 459 remaining counties. These maps of every county in the United States in which rural service has been established, are made on a scale of 1 inch to the mile. They show all public roads, rural routes, post offices, houses, school-houses, churches and streams. Negative prints are sold at 35 cents each by application to the Third Assistant Postmaster General. Lists are furnished on request showing maps completed. Division of Post Office Service On the first of July, 1916, a new division was created in the office of the First Assistant Postmaster General to be known as the Division of Post Office Service. This new division absorbs tlvl duties formerly performed by the City Delivery and the Division of Salaries and Allowances. All persons employed directly in post offices as well as the city carriers will now come under the control of this division. It will also include every function relating to the handling and the moving of the mails in the cities and towns of the country. More efficiency and better results generally are conHl fidently expected to follow this change which is in line with the general policy of placing all closely related duties under the sam^ jurisdiction and control. CHAPTER IV Special Articles on Postal Subjects The American Postal System The genius of the American Postal System is found in the har- monious cooperation of its several parts, in direction and in operation; wise poHcy and purpose as seen in the formulation of plans, with willing assistance in operation to render such plans effective. The Postmaster General directs the policy, the bureau heads execute what is determined upon and the benefit or failure is seen in practical administration. All alike share in achievement, the mind that conceives, the heads that direct, and the force upon whose faithful and intelligent effort the outcome depends. A form of Government democratic in all its parts and tendencies requires fidelity and patriotic purpose in performance from every- one to whom any trust is committed, and in every successful accomplishment of any given plan or purpose, the measure of suc- cess is always in proportion to the interest taken or the industry with which such plan or purpose is pursued. Loyalty alike to administrative endeavor or the public welfare is imperatively required and unless this is faithfully and ungrudgingly given no plan can succeed, even the best devised must surely fail. There is such a thing as patriotic devotion to public duty and no man is fit to hold an office of trust no matter now small it may be ho does not consider this as an obligation to be met and honestly ischarged. If any one thing has contributed to make our postal establishment prosperous and great it is the conscious acceptance of the full meaning of such an obligation. This has distinguished Americans in all public employment, emphasizing the stirring words of Lord Nelson, England's great naval commander, whose injunction to patriotic response upon a memorable occasion deserves to be remembered in civil life as well, for loyalty and patriotism are as much in accord there, as much demanded in ordinary civil functions as in the more heroic, but not less honorable ^^and useful pursuit common to our national life. ^B Considerate Treatment of Newspaper Mail ^B When General Gresham was Postmaster General in President ^■Irthur's administration, the Washington correspondent of the ^Kjouisville Courier-Journal complained to him about the non- I 46 The American Postal Service delivery of newspapers mailed by private individuals. "What do you think is the reason?" asked General Gresham. "I attribute the failure," said the correspondent, "to the carelessness of post office officials. A newspaper in their mind is a very small thing and it is handled accordingly. If the address is the least unintelli- gible no effort is made to decipher it and it is tossed on the floor and if the wrapper happens to be torn it shares the same fate, and I believe that newspapers are often torn open and read without any conscientious scruples whatever." "I am glad you told me about the alleged carelessness that exists in post offices in the country," said General Gresham. "I shall give the matter prompt attention. If I cannot work out a reform in that respect, I would remove a postmaster for breaking the wrapper of a newspaper or making away with it as quick as I would if he had torn open a letter. One is as sacred as the other." Bureau of Engraving and Printing Stamp Manufacture The Bureau of Engraving and Printing in which all the postage stamps used by the Government are manufactured is a wonder- ful institution every way. Every known appliance and all that the mechanical skill and ingenuity of the Director, Hon. Joseph E. Ralph, and his very capable expert and designer, Mr. B. R. Stickney, could devise, have been brought into requisition for the purposes the Bureau is intended to serve. The various operations required in printing postage stamps alone, of which such enormous quantities are annually required, would seem a great undertaking, but when to this is added the printing of all the paper money, bonds and securities used by the Government, the magnitude of the task may be understood. Between four and five thousand people find employment within the Bureau, the greatest establishment of its kind in the world. Thousands of visitors annually witness the wonders therein dis- played and come away impressed with the marvels they have seen in the adaption of means to a definite purpose. The care and comfort of the employes is a matter of deep concern to the Director and every possible method of providing for both, by approved means of sanitation and ventilation, is availed of. The air is washed and strained to cleanse it of all impurities and full hospital provision made for those who may need medical care and attention. Nothing seems to have been forgotten or overlooked in The American Postal Service 47 this most wonderful of all government establishments and the result is that under favorable working conditions the utmost that may be expected is fully realized. The ordinary postage stamps are in denominations of from 1 cent to $1 and of nineteen kinds. The output is 40,000,000 daily, or something like thirteen billions per annum, with a face value in 1915 of $221,875,000. They are printed in sheets of 400 each, which are divided and subdivided until the sheet contains 100 stamps in which amount they are sent to the post oflSces for public use. The various processes used in manufacture, the printing, gumming and perforating, are separately performed on the sheets of stamps; those intended for slot machines are printed and per- fected on a rotary press which performs all the operations at once. This press, the invention of Mr. Stickney, after seven years of labor, will save 65 per cent of the cost of printing stamps per annum or $280,000, and will completely revolutionize stamp print- ing from intaglio plates. It combines twenty-three operations in one. It prints, gums and perforates the stamps, cuts them into sections of 100 stamps each, or will finish the stamps in coils of 500 and 1,000 stamps per coil. It turns out the finished product ready for shipment to the postmasters of the country. As an object lesson to further show the tremendous proportions of this postage stamp industry, it may be stated that the daily output would cover approximately eight acres of land if laid flat or make a chain of stamps 703 miles long if laid end to end. The sheets of 100 stamps each sent to post oflSces in 1915, piled up one upon another, would make a shaft over 6 miles high, and placed end to end would make a strip over 16,000 miles long and as there are ten rows of stamps on each sheet, a strip of single stamps would be more than 160,000 miles long, enough to girdle the earth six times with something over. The paper required to print these stamps for the year 1915 amounted to 1,200,000 pounds, and to make this paper and to obtain this amount, 3,500 spruce trees were ground to a pulp. Converted into lumber this would have built fifty houses complete. The amount of ink required was 670,000 pounds. When the post oflSce inspectors, unannounced, visited the Bureau at the close of the fiscal year of 1915 to check up the accounts, they were found correct to the last one-cent stamp, a high compliment to the excellent accounting system in practice at that institution. 48 The American Postal Service Orders for stamps are received daily from the Office of the Third Assistant Postmaster General and shipped by the Bm-eau. Post Office Inspectors The Division of Post Office Inspectors is in many ways one of the most interesting in the postal service. The duties are varied and of especial importance, as the Post Office Inspector when on duty for the Department is the official representative of the Postmaster General and clothed with all due official authority. The purpose, of such officials is to have ready at hand reliable men for confiden- tial work. Unusual capacity is required, tact, judgment, patience and courage. The duties of an inspector are not measured by the ordinary hours of employment, but depend altogether upon the nature of the work he is called upon to perform, day and nighl in successive order, being synonymous terms when especial servi( is required. Complaints are generally the basis of inquiry and operation, but the scope of duties takes a wide range, involving] special work of any kind and in any direction. Irregularities in the service form the principal basis of complaints, but violations of postal laws, frauds and depredations upon the mails furnish a proportionate share. The inspectors are assigned to duty in geographical divisions of the country under an inspector-in-charge, with the Chief Inspector at Washington in general control. As a rule inspectors do duty in their divisions, but under the orders of the Postmaster General they may be sent anywhere. They are expected to be familiar with the Postal Laws and Regulations and conduct their inquiries in accordance therewith. The division is directly under the Postmaster General and in the classified civil service, and the selections made for this important service represent men of intelli- gence and integrity. Volumes could be written of the strategy employed and methods pursued in tracing criminal operations. The more agreeable duties, however, require an equal amount of skill though attended with less danger and difficulty. The force of inspectors has been largely increased in recent years because of postal growth and development in all directions. The Railway Mail Service The Railway Mail Service of the United States, the mosi splendid of all the branches of the postal service, owes its origin t< Hon. S. R. Hobbie of New York, First Assistant Postmast( The American Postal Service 49 General in the administration of President Jackson. Upon his return from Europe in 1847, he made a report to the Department giving his impression of the traveling post ojQSce in England. The Department was then struggling with many difficulties in the dis- tribution and bagging of the mails and one plan after another was tried with but indifferent success. Finally Judge Holt, Postmaster General in 1862, determined to try the English system and the first railway post office was introduced in the postal service of the country. The overland mails were then carried by stage coaches from the west side of the Missouri River to Cali- fornia and the immense accumulation of mail matter at Saint Joseph, Mo., destined for the Pacific Coast and the intermediate States, induced the Postmaster General to establish the first railway post office on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad (Quincy, 111., to St. Joseph, Mo), the pioneer road in Railway Mail Service history. The growth of the Railway Mail Service has been marvelous and its achievements unequalled in modern progressive developement. Three thousand five hundred railroad mail routes, aggregating 502,937,359 miles of service and employ- ing nearly 19,000 postal clerks and supervisors with salaries amounting to over $26,000,000 attest the strength and greatness of this magnificent arm of the postal service. Of the 14,369,582,- 586 pieces of mail matter distributed and re-distributed during the past year, 14,367,325,426 pieces, or 99.984 per cent, were handled correctly — a record which should be a matter of pride to every man who wears the badge of the R. M. S. The fifteen divisions in which the whole service is divided each complete in itself, but responsive to central control and direction in Washington, has brought the system to such a state of perfection that but little remains for further experiment. The Parcel Post and the Opposition to Its Establishment The splendid showing made in the recent reports of the Post- master General touching the growth and development of the Parcel Post in this administration must be of interest to the people of the country for whose benefit this measure has been so suc- cessfully conducted. Its admitted usefulness brings forcibly to mind the struggle through which this measure passed before the force of public opinion and the evident advantage it foreshadowed, secured its ultimate adoption. 50 The American Postal Service While in the American RepubUc history is rapidly made and startling changes are not of infrequent or uncommon occurrence, it is, however, true that subjects which provoke discussion because cherished interests are endangered or settled opinions of public policy liable to be overthrown, require time in which to adjust themselves to changing conditions. The student of political economy will be interested to note how these changes of time and condition affect the opinion and views of men identified with public affairs. What seems wisdom and good judgment in one generation is opposed and set aside in another, both acting for the general welfare and inspired by patri- otic purpose. The proper scope and purpose of government, in its relation to the people whom it serves, is always a matter of deep concern, not only as to the views held by those appointed to administer public affairs, but also in the opinions and ideas of the people themselves. While a great principle may remain in many minds the same, unchanged and reluctant to change, conditions may operate to produce views entirely dissimilar and completely at variance with those of another and previous period. Two greatly divergent and distinctive opinions have divided the thinkers and the statesmen of our country as to the proper func- tions of such a government as this. This difference arising from the educational environment of many leaders of public opinion, easily became a matter of accepted political or party belief between those who held to the limitations of delegated authority and those who inclined to wider power and greater privilege. Both have had earnest and strenuous advocates, but the tendencies of the times conclusively point to the growing acceptance of the latter as more suited to a great and growing nation whose needs may not be fettered by tradition or obstinate blindness to the march of progress, but must recognize the paramount interests of the people whose welfare should always be the chief concern. The Parcel Post is now a recognized benefit to the country. All classes and conditions profit by its mutual advantage. Its gigantic strides to popular favor cannot be measured or ade- quately described. The burdensome exactions of the high tariffs, which corporate enterprise so long interposed, have been lifted and closer relation established between buyer and seller, by which both are the gainer. As no compromise was possible where The American Postal Service 51 monopoly was concerned, it remained for the Government to set aside the question of limited powers and give the people of the country the benefit to which they were entitled, but which monop- oly denied, viz., the opportunity to profit by the use of the facili- ties which were at hand and which have proven so thoroughly effective. Two names stand out prominently in this connection, the statesman whose thorough knowledge of the subject and whose earnest and intelligent efforts shaped and directed this great pub- lic measure, and the public official whose hearty cooperation as- sured its success. Hon. David J. Lewis, of Maryland, and Hon. Albert S. Burleson, the Postmaster General, deserve the thanks of the country for their work in this beneficial enterprise and the meed of praise will not be withheld. The old-time belief in the necessity of curbing the ambitious designs of those who were striving to open the way to an enlarge- ment of government privilege is strikingly seen in the attitude of Postmaster General Jewell in his annual report to Congress in 1874. In referring to the activity then already seen to widen the scope of the Post Office Department and engage in enterprises held by many at that time and the Postmaster General in par- ticular, as foreign to the sphere of duties and intended purposes and powers of the Department, Mr. Jewell said: ** I would suggest that the time has come when a resolute effort should be made to determine how far the Post Office Department can properly go in its efforts to accommodate the public, without trespassing unwarrantably upon the sphere of private enterprise. There must be a limit to governmental interferency and happily it better suits the genius of the American people to help themselves than to depend on the State. To communicate intelligence and disseminate information are the primary functions of this Depart- ment. Any divergence from the legitimate sphere of its opera- tions tends to disturb the just rule that, in the ordinary business of life, the recipient of a benefit is the proper party to pay for it, since there is no escape from the universal law that every service must in some way be paid for by some one. Moreover, in a country of vast extent like ours, where most of the operations of the Department are carried on remote from the controlling center, the disposition to engage in lateral enterprises, more or less foreign to the theory of the system, may lead to embarrassments whence extrication would be difficult." Although the advocates of the privileged rights of private enter- prise have ever resisted the entrance of government into the field 52 The American Postal Service of national endeavor, the triumphant progress of the Parcel Post under Departmental direction has silenced all captious objec- tion, for its admitted adaptation to the needs of the country and its growing popularity among the people, attests the fact that no limitations can be wisely set in public affairs which bars the progress of an intended benefit. An attempt was later made in 1901 to check the growth of pub- lic sentiment favorable to the establishment of the Parcel Post, for which a bill has been introduced into Congress, by a con- certed movement, by whom originated is not known, which aimed to arouse the merchants in rural sections in opposition thereto, a widespread propaganda, the object of which was to flood President McKinley with a stereotyped circular signed by these rural mer- chants all over the country, in order that such measure might not meet with his approval because of the wreck and ruin it would be sure to create. To what extent this movement was carried or what attention it received from President McKinley is not known, but the fears of Postmaster General Jewell or the alarm of the rural merchants were not borne out in the light of subsequent events, as the successful progress of the Parcel Post has abundantly demonstrated. This popular measure was, however, not to be secured for the public good without strenuous effort, even in these later days when its early adoption was so clearly foreseen. It still had to encounter opposition, the lingering echo of previous struggle. Its friends had to meet and combat resistance, w ithin and without the halls of legislation and it was only by determined purpose and a concert of effort that criticism was finally silenced and the measure written into the statutes of the nation. Congress passed the act, August 24, 1912, and the struggle of nearly half a century was at an end with the popular will triumphant. First recommended in 1892. Law passed by Congress August 2, 1912. Became operative January 1, 1913. It is in operation on 45,000 rural routes and a billion parcels are carried annually. Parcels may be sent C. O. D., may be insured, 3 cents for parcels valued up to $5 or less and a low graduated scale up to $100. Indemnity is paid for partial loss or damage. Rate is charged by weight in pounds and by zones. Books are now admitted and all classes of proper merchandise accepted. Weight is limited to 50 pounds for first and second zones (150 miles) The American Postal Service 53 and to 20 pounds beyond. Postmasters will give all necessary information. Interesting Facts about the Postmasters General Excluding the border States, the South, properly speaking, has had but two men in the office of Postmaster General since the days of Benjamin Franklin — ^Joseph Habersham, of Georgia, and Albert Sidney Burleson, of Texas. The more populous States of the east, with their political power and material advantages, have had the greatest number of such appointments, 23 of the 48 men who have held that office having come from that section. The border States have had 15 and the west only 8. It was not until 1866 that the west was at all recognized in the appointment of such cabinet officer, when Alexander W. Randall, of Wisconsin, was chosen by President Johnson. Subsequently that State fur- nished three more Postmasters General, viz., Howe, Vilas and Payne. In 1829 the Postmaster General became a member of the cabinet by the action of President Jackson, his first appointee to that posi- tion, Hon. William T. Barry, of Kentucky, receiving that honor. In considering the States of the Union which have been most fortunate in appointments to this office, it is found that Pennsyl- vania and New York have each had 6 to their credit; Connecti- cut, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Wisconsin, 4 each; Massachusetts, Maryland, and Ohio, 3 each, and the remainder scattered among the 18 States from which all the Postmasters General have been selected. The term of service was, it seems, much longer in the olden days than at present. From 1775 to 1850 — 75 years — ^there were only 17 men in that position, Gideon Granger, of Connecticut, having served 13 years and 8 months, and Return J. Meigs, of Ohio, 9 years and 3 months. From 1850 to 1913 — 63 years — there have been 31 men in that office. Whether the shifting currents of political life and expediency, or other causes, have operated to make changes in this office, it appears that many occurred in the administrations of some of our chief executives. Roosevelt, for instance, had four Postmasters General; Grant, Arthur, and Cleveland (in the latter 's two terms) also had 4 each; Washing- ton and Buchanan, 3; Jackson, Fillmore, Lincoln, Hayes, and McKinley, 2 each. The remainder of the Presidents evidently retained the men they had originally appointed. 54 The American Postal Service Withdrawal of Letters from the Mail It may not be generally known that a letter once mailed can be withdrawn. Such is, however, the case. Letters may be with- drawn from the mails at the office of mailing by satisfactory identi- fication, a written address in the same handwriting, if address was written, or such other evidence as will satisfy the postmaster of the applicant's right to withdrawal. If letter has already been dispatched the postmaster may telegraph to the point of destina- tion for withholding such letter from delivery, or to a railway postal clerk in whose custody the letter is known to be, carefully describing the same and requesting its return. A sum must be deposited with the postmaster sufficient to defray all expenses incurred. Handling of the Mail Official mail comes to the Department addressed to the several Bureaus. It is then opened, assorted to the various divisions and redistributed to the clerks according to the subjects named or special duties assigned to each. The divisions are supervised by the official in charge, under whose direction the work is done and by whom the responsibility is assumed. He advises with and suggests methods of operation, and in important matters in- volving special correspondence, assumes direct charge himself. Letters written by clerks are submitted to the chief for examina- tion before being initialed for mailing, or for the signature of the Bureau heads where such signature is required. Letters are answered according to date of receipt all reasonable promptness being enjoined. Filing is done according to the nature and duties of the various bureaus and the character of correspondence and papers in use. Approved systems are followed and metal filing cases generally employed. In the Bureau of the Fourth Assistant where monthly reports are received in connection with the regular mail, during the month of January, 1917, the amount so received aggregated 72,000 pieces, and 46,000 pieces of mail were dispatched. Ordinary hand work could not dispose of such amounts with the force assigned, therefore mechanical devices for opening and sealing mail are employed for the purpose. Messengers gather the outgoing mail by regular rounds and it is dispatched as soon as brought to the mailing room. A work of considerable magnitude in this Bureau is now being conducted, viz., the purging of the ac- cumulated rural and star route files and correspondence which The American Postal Service 55 had so grown in bulk as to make both search and handling difficult. It was a much needed reform and will be found of especial value in filing operations. Cost Accounting By means of an accurate cost-keeping system devised for the equipment shops, but which can be adapted to any form of clerical expense, great improvements have been made and savings effected. All mail equipment is now supplied at a greatly reduced cost and in improved form. Supplies for post offices are judiciously and economically handled under the system now in operation, all dis- coverable waste checked and the service greatly benefited. The direct, the indirect and the overhead charges can now be clearly ascertained in any form of manufacturing enterprise and the cost in any direction definitely known. It was a long felt need in economical administration and its introduction in the Post Office Department has been of decided advantage. Cleansing Mail Bags The life of a mail bag is about six years and after being dragged about on railroad platforms and other places they accumulate an amount of dust and dirt which renders them unfit for handling when returned to the bag shop for repair. The old practice was to shake them out by hand, but in the hurry and haste of business this was but imperfectly done and there was constant complaint among the operators and clamor for a better system. After many experiments and various tests a method was at length devised which cleans them thoroughly and does away with the dis- comfort under which the work was done. The method finally adopted consists of large tumbling barrels or cages made of wood with slats and fashioned in the shape of a star, holding several hundred bags each. Driven rapidly by electric power the bags are thoroughly shaken, the escaping dust confined in a tightly constructed room and carried off by blowers into an immense can- vas bag resembling a dirigible balloon when inflated. At stated intervals the end of this bag is opened and the dirt and dust removed. Four thousand bags a day are now successfully treated by this process. The Farm-to-Table Movement As the farm-to-table movement is now attracting a great deal of public attention and is directly connected with the postal service 56 The American Postal Service by its afforded means of communication, some observations upon the subject may be worthy of mention. There are four fundamental facts connected with the subject, viz., the points of production, places of consumption, methods of operation and means of communication. Production is upon the farm, consumption in the cities and towns, methods, to be deter- mined by experience, and the mode and means of conveyance, a government function. Regarding the first of these divisions, certain facts are apparent. The balance of trade, eight to one is against the farmer at the point of production; he receives very much more than he sends. Why this disproportion? It is caused either by lack of interest in the subject, or because of lack of practical experience in the successful management of such business enterprise. The remedy in either case is in his hands. If interest is wanting he should culti- vate it; if he has made experiments and they have failed of proper results, he should not become discouraged but try again. High prices in the cities lead the residents there to seek relief by direct dealings with the producer. The consumer will reach him if he puts himself in touch with the man who is seeking, and the desire to sell his goods and do business, should lead the producer to inquire how best it can be done The postmaster can help him by advice and counsel and it should be a pleasurable duty for the post- master to advise and confer with, and put the producer (who is his patron), in the way of profitable business intercourse with the man in the city who needs him and is only too anxious to find who he is, where he lives, and what he has to sell. While the country postmaster at the point of production has a duty to perform in advising with the producer (for the post- master is to all intents and purposes the "middleman" in this con- nection) the city postmaster has also a duty to perform in assisting the resident there to find the most convenient places of produc- tion and how such places can be easily reached and what can be procured there that the city resident wants and needs. Many postmasters are now paying especial attention to this matter on account of the urgent necessity which the high prices, and dimin- ished quantities of provision that come to the cities, render so necessary, but conditions require that many more should be engaged in that direction to afford all the benefit this great measure of the Government was intended to give. The American Postal Service 57 The methods, the best methods to obtain the end desired, both at the point of production, where the supply is found, and at the point of consumption to which this supply is to be transported, must be discovered by the actual results which the various methods that have been tried have produced, or were found to be most advantageous and most successful. Many plans have been suggested and tried out, but it must remain for experience to demonstrate and determine which of these is best and most likely to secure advantageous benefits. The remaining question is the part the Government is called upon to perform to reap the most possible results and make the farm- to- table movement popular and profitable. The Government is more ready to act than either producer or consumer seem to be; to extend every privilege and afford every accommodation which postal enterprise or the public purse can provide, that this, in some sense paternal relation of government to people in benevolent provision for their welfare, may secure all that its most sanguine projectors ever hoped to accomplish. It has the support of Con- gress, and the Postmaster General has omitted no word or act which could in any manner contribute to its success and stands ready to do the utmost that his great office and his great opportu- nity afford, to make this measure a benefit and a boon to all the people. The readjustment of prices will come, and the remedy appear, when the elimination of so much handling, packing, repacking and distributing with its consequent loss and its increased cost, de- creases the cost which the consumer has to meet for all this added labor, and for which he pays the price, and from which burden the parcel post by its direct and better system of exchange aims to free and relieve him. Postal Service in Alaska Alaska is so far off that its interests do not commonly concern the people to any great extent. The Government, however, takes a more paternal view of its only territorial possession in North America, and has paid particular attention to its progress and development, especially in postal affairs and the means of com- munication among the people. Alaska has now 170 post offices of which 45 have money order facilities. It has 21 star routes with an aggregate length of 4,544 miles and an annual travel of 58 The American Postal Service 249,33 1.10 miles. Annual rate of expenditure, $260,518.50. Aver- age rate of cost per mile traveled, $1.04. Average number of trips per week, 52. Standardization in Post OffiiCe Methods During this administration a very important change was made in the management and conduct of the larger post offices of the country. It was found that the delivery of parcel post matter by vehicle was costing from 1 to 6 cents each. Investigation showed that this varying cost was largely due to lack of uniformity in methods and equipment and that the need of standardization extended to every branch of post office service. Postal experts were accordingly sent to all sections of the country to study existing methods and recommend necessary changes. As a result, unnecessary independent divisions in post offices were eliminated and two divisions established, one in charge of records, accounts and financial services, the other to have charge of the mail handling operations. The personnel of the offices also received attention, that as far as possible, clerks could be assigned to the duties for which they were best fitted. Subsequent investigation con- firmed the advantage of such standardization, and the large post offices which handle 75 per cent of the nation's mail, have now been brought under such improved control that the benefit which such intelligent methods, properly carried out, should naturally develop, has been abundantly shown. Postal Savings Circulars in Foreign Tongues The Government has for years been anxious to reach citizens of foreign birth residing in the United States for the purpose of in- forming them relative to our Postal Savings System. Circulars have now been issued in the mother tongue to Bohemian, Bul- garian, Chinese, Croatian, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Magyar, Italian, Japanese, Lithu- anian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Ruthenian, Serbian, Slovak, Sloverian, Spanish, Swedish, and Yiddish people here which have been widely distributed and are expected to be of con- siderable service. The foreign born population in this country, according to the census of 1910, numbers over 13,000,000 and it is believed that the business of the Postal Savings System would be greatly increased if the attention of these people could be The American Postal Service 50 properly directed to its advantages, and these circulars in their own language are intended for that purpose. Postal Enterprise of a Patriotic Maryland Editor It seems from old records on the subject as mentioned in the Washington Evening Star, that some of the editors of the colonial period of our history had quite a good deal to say and took a very active part in shaping political events, particularly in postal affairs. One Maryland editor, Goddard by name, when his papers were refused in the mails on account of his outspoken views, set about establishing what he called "A Constitutional American Post Office." He issued a circular, July 2, 1774, announcing his plan, and went about the colonies soliciting support. Committees were appointed and subscriptions of money secured, postmasters designated, riders secured and service established, which was instantly patronized. Crown post riders found the roads unsafe and resigned. Goddard was printer of the Maryland Journal, printed at Baltimore, and by the early part of 1775 he had thirty offices and nine post riders, covering the territory from Massa- chusetts to Virginia, including Georgetown-on-the-Potomac. It was a private service, operated in opposition to the still existing British service. Goddard had declared his desire to have the Continental Congress assume charge and administer this service for all the peple. The Continental Congress took up the matter and appointed a committee composed of Mr. Franklin, Mr. Lynch, Mr. Lee, Mr. Willing, Mr. Adams, and Mr. P. Livingston, who brought in their report July 25, 1775. The report was taken up and considered the next day, July 26, 1775, when it was resolved, that a Postmaster General be appointed for the United Colonies. The record of the Continental Congress on that day (postal independence day), then closes with the unanimous election of Benjamin Franklin to be Postmaster General. Damage in Handling Parcel Post Mail A study of 4,219 reports received at the headquarters of the various Railway Mail Service Divisions during a thirty-day inves- tigation, held recently to discover the amount of damage in hand- ling parcel post mail and the causes of such damage, it was found that in 52.31 per cent of the cases damage was caused by improper do The American Postal Service preparation of the parcels by senders. The result of this investiga- tion may be summarized as follows : Cases of damage caused by improper prepara- tion of sender 2,207 Cases of damage caused by improper handling by postmaster 107 Cases of damage caused by improper handling by Railway Mail Service employes 43 Cases of damage caused by improper handling by railroad employes 54 Cases of damage from miscellaneous causes.. . 188 Cases of damage from unknown causes 1,620 Total 4,219 Cases of damage to — Eggs 355 8.41 Butter 99 2.35 Hats 119 2.82 Paint 20 .47 Powders 59 1.40 Preserves 129 3.06 Liquids 925 21.92 Foodstuffs 575 13.63 Merchandise 1,002 23.75 China and glass 368 8.72 Liquids 925 21.92 Fruit 194 4.60 Poultry 51 1.21 Flowers 53 1..26 Other articles 270 6.40 4,219 100.00 Damage cases insured 137 3 . 25 Damage cases on star routes 304 7. 21 An Opinion by Daniel Webster on Mail Extension In this period of unprecedented postal growth and activity when history is rapidly made and great achievements are born in a day, it is interesting to recall that in 1835, during the discussion of a measure in the United States Senate to establish a post route from Independence, Mo., to the mouth of the Colorado River, the learned Daniel Webster closed his speech in opposition with the following language: The American Postal Service 61 "What do we want with this vast worthless area; this region of savages and wild beasts, of deserts, shifting sands, and whirl- winds of dust; of cactus and prairie dogs? To what use can we hope to put these great deserts or those endless mountain ranges, imposing and covered to their very base with eternal snow? What use have we for such country? Mr. President, I will never vote 1 cent from the Public Treasury to place the Pacific Coast 1 inch nearer to Boston than it now is." "I can safely venture," said Hon. D. C. Roper, late First Assist- ant Postmaster General in his speech at the Denver, Colo., Con- vention of the National Association of Postmasters, in July, 1913, from which this extract is made, "that were Mr. Webster to return to earth and accompany me on this western trip he would confess in chagrin that in no expression made during his long career as a public speaker was he wider of the mark." A Blind Woman on the Pay Roll It is wonderful how the blind, those who have been denied by nature or accident of the most priceless of all human faculties, can adapt themselves to conditions whereby the means of sup- port may be obtained. All communities and great centers of population have doubtless such cases, especially where opportuni- ties are afforded by private munificence or public appropriation, but there are perhaps few cases where, in Government service, it is possible for a blind person to find an opportunity to earn a living. The Mail Bag Repair Shop at Washington furnishes such a case and it is worthy of notice. Twenty-six years ago a blind girl. Miss Hattie Maddox, called to see Postmaster General Wanamaker and asked for a place in the bag shop. She said, "You give seeing people a two months* trial at the work, will you give me that much time to prove that I can do it?" She then went to Colonel Whitfield, Second Assistant Postmaster General, who had charge of such work, and showed him some crocheting she had done and the opportunity she sought was given her. She is there today busy with a pile of mail bags, stringing them with new cords, finding weak spots and repairing them with needle and thread and does the work as well as any of those around her. An attendant from her home brings her to her daily task and calls for her, and she is one of the most contented and happy women on Uncle Sam's pay roll. 62 The American Postal Service Mr. Wanamaker's Four Great Postal Reforms Marshall Gushing, private secretary to Postmaster General Wanamaker, says in his book "The Story of Our Post Office," published some years ago, that Mr. Wanamaker had in mind and frequently discussed with public men, four great postal proposi- tions, one of which this administration is now vigorously pushing forward, while the other three are still in abeyance. These propo- sitions were the postal telegraph, the postal telephone, rural free delivery and house-to-house collections of mail. He regarded them as simple and easy business propositions. The first proposed that the thousands of letter carriers of the Department should help the telegraph companies collect and de- liver messages, and that a few clerks in a central bureau at Wash- ington could manage the stamp department and do the book- keeping for this part of the business of the companies. Tele- grams were to be written on stamped paper, sold by the Depart- ment, or upon any sort of paper provided with stamps sold by the Department, and be deposited as in the case of letters whether on the streets or attached for collection and delivery purposes at house doors. These postal telegrams were to be collected by carriers on their regular tours of collection and telegraphed to the destinations and taken out and delivered in the first delivery. Answer to be sent off exactly in the same way. Telegraphic business was thus to be cheapened to the public be- cause of the lessened cost to the companies by this Government aid, commonly estimated at about one third of their whole operating expenses. The gain to the Government would be not only the 2 cents for postage rates proposed for telegrams under this scheme but also the impetus given by general correspondence. The gain to the companies would be the additional patronage which lower rates and regular collection and delivery would give, also the saving of this expense and the office use, clerk hire, etc., and other expenses incidental thereto. This scheme was in no wise to interfere with the use of the quicker form of telegraphing for those who preferred it. It was simply intended to bring together in concerted action the two great machines for conveying intelli- gence, the telegraph plant of the companies and the free delivery operating forces of the Department. This, in brief, was his idea, but much more extensively elaborated in further supporting The American Postal Service 63 arguments in its favor and in meeting objections where doubts of its practicability might be supposed to exist. This proposition has been widely mentioned, has had many advocates, and it is interesting to note in this connection that Postmaster General Burleson entertains a somewhat similar idea, and has in three annual reports to Congress urged the mat- ter, however, with this difference. Wanamaker's plan did not contemplate taking over the telegraph companies, simply entering into a mutual business arrangement with them, while Postmaster General Burleson goes a step farther by the incorporation of the telephone and telegraph into the postal establishment. The opposition to the postal telegraph was as strong then as now, its constitutionality being questioned by those who oppose it. Mr. Wanamaker held that the powers granted to Congress by the Constitution were not merely confined to the facilities known at the time, but were to keep pace with the progress of the country, and Mr. Burleson says, operation of these facilities inherently as well as constitutionally, belongs to the postal service. Both are thus in accord, differing only in method. The question is one of interest and its future development will be watched with consider- able concern by all who wish to see further progress in this direction. As the second of Mr. Wanamaker's propositions, the postal telephone, with its tremendous opportunities and possibilities, especially in connection with rural delivery and parcel post advantages, the magnitude and success of which even the enthusi- astic and optimistic Pennsylvanian did not then foresee, is bound up in General Burleson's plan, and the third, the rural free delivery, is making such strides towards country-wide extension that it is only a matter of time when it may be brought near, the fourth of Mr. Wanamaker's propositions remains only to be mentioned. This is the use of letter boxes for the collection as well as the delivery of mail from and to everybody's door in every city, town, village and farming community of the country. This means such an immense convenience to everybody that he does not argue the case, but simply points out its admitted advantages as a suffi- cient reason for its early adoption. A disk at the door-box when mail was to be collected would summon the carrier on his daily rounds, even if no mail was to be delivered; trips to the letter box on the corner would then be no longer necessary, and the ease and certainty with which collection would be made, would in Mr. 64 The American Postal Service Wanamaker's opinion, give an impulse to letter writing and increase the public revenue to a very considerable extent. It would mean two great conveniences to the family, the safe delivery of letters at their door and the equally safe collection of mail therefrom. Of course to obtain this service, letter boxes would have to be provided by the householders, but Mr. Wanamaker believed that this complete accommodation would induce people to go to that trifling expense in order to gain such an evident advantage. It was tried in St. Louis in his time, and worked exceedingly well. Postmaster General Wanamaker was an official with a far-seeing vision and actively alive to all postal possibilities, and the present Postmaster General is fully abreast of him in every form of public enterprise which makes for the utmost in postal accomplishment (See page 83, for Postmaster General Burleson's views regarding Postal Telegraphs and Telephones. ^ The Rural Carrier as a Weather Man It is said that the most common topic among mankind every- where is the weather. It follows nearly every greeting and salu- tation, introduces conversation, is always a subject of interest and affords opportunities of discussion' upon which people can agree and disagree without exciting the least disturbance whatever. It has so much to do with the temper, the disposition the pleasures and the material affairs of life that its compelling interest is admitted and the winds and clouds are ever objects of our daily attention. The Government recognizes this fact and has brought scientific knowledge to bear upon the subject for the benefit of the man who tills the soil, for the mariner upon the sea and they who dwell in the cities, and for whom wind and weather has also its peculiar interest and concern. Weather maps are common in the crowded cities and commer- cial centers, but are not as convenient of access in the country districts, and aside from the reports in the morning papers, the farmer has no particular way of acquainting himself with the provision the Government has made in this respect. It has been suggested that an easy and simple way of inter- esting and informing the rural residents of the daily weather forecasts would be for the carriers on rural routes who can obtain this information to make it known by means of little flags attached to their vehicles, for example, a white flag when The American Postal Service 65 the weather will be clear, a red flag when rain is indicated, a yellow flag for snow and a blue flag when a cold wave is coming. This would be a daily guide, a matter of but little trouble to the carrier, and give his daily visits an additional interest to all the patrons whom he serves. New Box Numbering System for Rural Routes In the cities of the country the streets are named and the houses are numbered by the authorities. The Department uses these numbers and street names in its mail deliveries. A letter to be properly addressed to a person or a firm needs only the num- ber of the house or building and the name of the street. This method is very simple and the mail is speedily and successfully handled. In the country districts there are four systems in use by the Department, the railroads, and the express companies. The first system is where patrons erect boxes at their places of residence for the collection and delivery of mail. The letter or parcel is simply addressed to the post oflSce, to the patron and the rural route is given. The second is where a letter or parcel is addressed to the patron at a post office, with the number of the route, the box number, the side of the road, and the miles from the office being embodied in the box number. The third is where a letter or parcel is addressed to a patron at a post office giving the route number and the number of the patron's box. The fourth system is where mail is addressed to the patron at an office giving the sec- tion and township where the patron lives. This latter system is used by the railroads relative to freight and express matter and definitely locates a person in any part of the United States. The addition of the rural route number and box makes the most complete designation possible. There has been an ingenious plan suggested (if it can be practi- cally employed), a newer and more complete method of numbering the boxes along rural delivery routes indicating and locating the pa- trons thereon which will identify the patron with his place of resi- dence, simplify assorting, and afford in many ways advantages not offered or included in the old method. ae 2 10. n 8. a 6. n The American Postal Service The Present Method o o a; m u 11. n 12 D .9 2 D .7 n .5 4. n 1 2. n endents of the regular carrier devolves, without regard to civil service requirements, if the substitute is found competent. The first appointment under the order is that of Miss Edith Strand, of Princeton, 111., whose brother was called into the military service, leaving her to care for the family. Notice In a pamphlet giving a brief history of the postal service, com- piled by Mr. Stanley I. Slack during the administration of Post- master General Charles Emory Smith from which a few general facts are taken relating to our early postal history, appears a state- ment that use had been made of the following works — ^Journal 112 The American Postal Service kept by Hugh Finlay, 1773-74, Brooklyn, 1867. Joyce "History of the British Post Office; The Early History of the Colonial Post Office by Mary E. Wooley; Leech and Nicholson's History of the Post Office Department, Washington, 1879, and the contributions of the Postal History of the United States by C. W. Ernst of Bos- ton in Vols. XX, 1895, and XXI, 1896; Journal of the Postal Union." As none of these authorities have been consulted in the publication of this work, or access had to any of them for such purpose, this explanation is made so that if anything from the above mentioned publications appears herein, drawn from Mr. Slack's pamphlet, the necessary acknowledgment might hereby be made and due credit given. INDEX TO ITEMS OF INTEREST Annual readjustment salaries, 93 Claims for stamps lost by bur- glary, 95 Credit marks for rural carriers, 97 Cost, country-wide extension rural delivery, 97 Difference in dispatch parcel post matter, 93 Department force at Washington reduced, 97 Eligibles, fourth-class postmast- ers, 93 Expenditure rural delivery by pe- riods, 98 First Postmaster General to sit at Capital, 94 Gain to Department in fractions of a cent, 94 Increase rural carriers' pay, 96 Longest mail route, 93 Longest star route, 93 Loss to Government by low money order rate, 95 Mails first carried on steamboats, 98 Number of counties having rural ser- vice, 93 Names of postmasters mentioned in 1857. 95 Number of postmasters affected by order of President, 96 Per capita expenditure for post- age, 94 Patronage 100 years ago, 94 Period of greatest activity, rural service 99 Post routes, rural delivery maps, 95 Postal employes in public serv- ice, 97 Paper baling machines, 99 Postal curiosities in National Mu- seum, 99 Postmasters by classes, 93 Postage stamp sale, 1916, 94 Railroads declared post routes, 98 Rural carriers separated from serv- ice, 1915-1916, 96 Rates of postage, 1816 to 1853, 96 Revision of rural service, 98 Shortest postal route, 93 Salary increases, rural carriers 99 Saving money by motor repairs, 98 Sale postage stamps, 1916, 94 Total railroad mileage, 1830, 96 Window delivery service, 97 When the Department was moved to Washington, 94 I RETURN CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT TO— ^^ 202 Main Library LOAN PERIOD 1 HOME USE 2 : 4 5 (. 5 ALL BOOKS MAY BE RECALLED AFTER 7 DAYS 1 -month loans moy be renewed by colling 642-3405 6-month loans may be recharged by bringing books to Circulation Desk Renewals and recharges may be made 4 days prior to due dote DUE AS STAMPED BELOW APR 31 19R^ KET'D APR 2 19 11 S^f^TONfLL rrn 7 IQQC; FEB L ' ™^ U. 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