er the preceding year. Of
these, 3,360 were Presidential, an increase in that class of 204 over
the preceding year.

Forty-two free-delivery offices were added during the year to those
already existing, making a total of 610 cities and towns provided with
free delivery on June 30, 1893. Ninety-three other cities and towns are
now entitled to this service under the law, but it has not been accorded
them on account of insufficient funds to meet the expenses of its
establishment.

I am decidedly of the opinion that the provisions of the present law
permit as general an introduction of this feature of mail service as
is necessary or justifiable, and that it ought not to be extended to
smaller communities than are now designated.

The expenses of free delivery for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1894,
will be more than $11,000,000, and under legislation now existing there
must be a constant increase in this item of expenditure.

There were 6,401 additions to the domestic money-order offices during
the last fiscal year, being the largest increase in any year since the
inauguration of the system. The total number of these offices at the
close of the year was 18,434. There were 13,309,735 money orders issued
from these offices, being an increase over the preceding year of
1,240,293, and the value of these orders amounted to $127,576,433.65, an
increase of $7,509,632.58. There were also issued during the year postal
notes amounting to $12,903,076.73.

During the year 195 international money-order offices were added to
those already provided, making a total of 2,407 in operation on June 30,
1893. The number of international money orders issued during the year
was 1,055,999, an increase over the preceding year of 72,525, and their
value was $16,341,837.86, an increase of $1,221,506.31. The number of
orders paid was 300,917, an increase over the preceding year of 13,503,
and their value was $5,283,375.70, an increase of $94,094.83.

From the foregoing statements it appears that the total issue of money
orders and postal notes for the year amounted to $156,821,348.24.

The number of letters and packages mailed during the year for special
delivery was 3,375,693, an increase over the preceding year of nearly
22 per cent. The special-delivery stamps used upon these letters and
packages amounted to $337,569.30, and the messengers' fees paid for
their delivery amounted to $256,592.71, leaving a profit to the
Government of $80,976