And State Papers 675 



state of things in the Empire; but the foundation 

 for such development has at last been laid. 



I call your attention to the reduced cost in main- 

 taining the consular service for the fiscal year end- 

 ing June 30, 1903, as shown in the annual report 

 of the Auditor for the State and other Departments, 

 as compared with the year previous. For the year 

 under consideration the excess of expenditures over 

 receipts on account of the consular service amounted 

 to $26,125.12, as against $96,972.50 for the year 

 ending June 30, 1902, and $147,040.16 for the 

 year ending June 30, 1901. This is the best show- 

 ing in this respect for the consular service for the 

 past fourteen years, and the reduction in the cost 

 of the service to the Government has been made in 

 spite of the fact that the expenditures for the year 

 in question were more than $20,000 greater than 

 for the previous year. 



The rural free-delivery service has been steadily 

 extended. The attention of the Congress is asked 

 to the question of the compensation of the letter car- 

 riers and clerks engaged in the postal service, espe- 

 cially on the new rural free-delivery routes. More 

 routes have been installed since the first of July last 

 than in any like period in the Department's history. 

 While a due regard to economy must be kept in 

 mind in the establishment of new routes, yet the 

 extension of the rural free-delivery system must 

 be continued, for reasons of sound public policy. No 



