The American Postal Service: History of the Postal Service from the Earliest TimesMelius, Louis
History
The American Postal Service: History of the Postal Service from the Earliest Times
Melius, Louis
Postal service -- United States -- History
That fractions count in a great business organization such as the Post
Office Department, will be seen when it is stated that postmasters
during the year, 1916, accounted for a total of $131,625.90, arising
from gains in fractions of a cent where stamped envelopes and wrappers
were sold in odd quantities.
* * * * *
The annual per capita of expenditure for postage in the United States
has increased since 1912 from $2.58 to $3.04, and the gross postal
revenue from $246,744,015 to $312,057,688. In the fiscal year of 1857,
the first full year in which prepayment of postage by means of stamps
was compulsory under the Act of March 3, 1855, the per capita use of
stamps was but 19 cents. The increase of population in this period has
been 257 per cent. Of postage stamp consumption 4,968 per cent.
* * * * *
The sales of postage stamps and other stamped paper for the fiscal year
1916 aggregated $277,728,025.20, an increase of $21,521,481.49, the
greatest sales and the largest increase ever recorded, exceeding the
entire sales of the fiscal year 1873, which amounted to $20,324,817.50.
* * * * *
The Post Office Department was removed to Washington, D. C., first
Monday in December, 1800, the seat of Government being changed to the
District of Columbia at that time.
* * * * *
Over 100 years ago the question of patronage was already a disturbing
feature in the management of public affairs. Gideon Granger, of
Connecticut, Postmaster General in 1814, who had been an active and
efficient official in the administration of President Madison, lost his
place on account of some disagreement with the President, regarding the
appointment of postmasters. It is not clear whether he resigned or was
displaced, but the differences of opinion with President Madison led to
his retirement from the service.
* * * * *
Joseph Habersham, of Georgia, Postmaster General in the administration
of General Washington, 1795, was the first one of the long line of
Postmasters General to sit in the Capital of the Nation, he coming to
Washington when the seat of Government was established there in the
year 1800.
* * * * *
Post route and rural delivery maps made by the Government are on a
scale of 1 inch to the mile. These maps show all public roads, rural
routes, school houses, churches, streams, etc., and negative prints can
be purchased at 35 cents each by application to the Third Assistant
Postmaster General.
* * * * *
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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