The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1878-11-21
The postmaster.Generars Report.

The POstmaster.GeneraP Report.
The annual report Of Postmaster General
Key is made public. Considerable space
is devoted to the subject of present and
prospective deficiencies in amounts appro-
priated by Congress for salaries of Post
masters and for railway mail transportation.
In regard to Postmasters' salaries, he says
deficiencies or prevention of them, so far
as salaries and compensation of Post
masters are concerned, are not and can not
be controlled by the department. If the
purpose be not equal to the amount of com
pensation established by law, there must be
a deficiency.
After describing the rates of compensa-
ton prescribed by law for railway mail
service. the Postmaster General says the ap-
preparation made by Congress at its last
session was not sufficient to pay for exist
ing service on railroads, and should no ad-
ditional appropriation be made for this SER
vice, he shall feel it his duty under the law
so to curtail the service as to fall within
the appropriation, however much he might
consider public Interests injured thereby.
He is satisfied it would lead Justly to much
complaint; mails would be detained at
Offices of separation hardly less than twelve
hours, and generally twenty-four hours.
Books, papers, and packages passing over
great distances or circuitous routes would
be detained at more than one such office, in
very many cases, and there would be delay
in an immense number of transactions
which are initiated, conducted, and COM
pleted by communications through the
mails.
In his opinion it would cause a shock to
our postal system from which it would not
soon recover. The railway companies
which have been at the expense of furnish
ing postal cars might be slow to furnish us
such conveniences a second time, and there
is no law to compel them to do so.
In relation to the revenues of the service,
the report says: "Time and again it has
been shown that matter of second and third
class does not pay its way through the mails,
and Congress has been urged to increase
the rates of postage thereon. The question
has been considered time and again by ap-
propriate committees, and discussed by
both branches of Congress, and results have
shown that it was not expected
that the department should be self
sustaining, but that deficiencies
in its revenues should be met by a%ppropria-
tions from the general Treasury. The
amount of matter sent through the mails
free is very large, adding greatly to our ex-
pendltures, and giving us no revenue. The
branking privilege has been restored to
members and chief officers of Congress so as
to allow them to send free almost every
thing which they were ever allowed to trans
NIT through the mails free, except letters.
Tons upon tons of books, documents, seeds,
shrubs, and the like, are placedin our mails,
free of charge, on this score. Now, / most
respectfully, but earnestly, suggest that it
would be better policy to reduce the
deficiencies of the revenues of the depart.
ment by curtailing or abolishing the bulk
of free matter, and by increasing the rates
of postage on merchandise, than by appro-
priating sums inadequate to an efficient,
prompt, and fast transmission of mails"
The Postmaster General recommends that
Equitable provision be made by law for de-
livery to addresses in this country, free
from customs duty, of all newspapers and
other articles of printed matter received in
the mails from foreign countries, when dis
patched in accordance with the conditions
prescribed by the International Postal
Union"
The following reference is made to the free
delivery system. There is an urgent need
of greater frequency in deliveries and col.
lections, in several of the larger cities, and
in view of the large excess of postage on
local matter over the cost of service, due
mainly to carriers delivery, a wise policy
would seem to justify more liberal ap.
| pIOpIldtlOuS W. buC Jul 6uSRCctCu
above, and also for the extension Of the
service to other cities having a population
of thirty thousand, emitting them to il
under the law.
In regard to the pay of carriers, the Post
master General, without repeating the argu
ment, renews his recommendation of las
year for a material increase in their compen
sation. He again invites attention tt
the subject of the service rendered
by railway companies in carrying
mails between stations and postofices
and says it should either be mad,
an element of the basis of compensation, tt
be paid for according to the work lone OF
each route, or railway companies should b.
relieved from this duty. Attention is agail
called to the insufficency of compensation
allowed under the law for service on man,
short routes. During the last session o
Congress bills were presented to amend tn
: law regulating compensation to railwa,
companies fol; carrying mails, so as to bas
rates of pay upon items of space, speed an
I frequency. 1t is suggested that space to b
, paid for on each route should be limited t
a specified amount or certain weight o
, mails, otherwise compensation of all raj
roads, and consequently expenditure Q
l more than 81, 900, 900 annually would be lei
to the discretion Of the Postmaster Ger
l eral, and he thinks it is clear this shoul
. not be done.
!. The other recommendations of genera
; interest made, are, in brief, that Congress
should authorize temporary contracts flo
J Star mail service to be made for one year, i
case of need, without advertisement, instea
of a six months period, to which, by tn
r amended law, the department is Limited
!, and that he be authorized to prescribe a un
form to be worn by all employees of the Pc
tai service with a view to preventing the
!, PRESERVATION by unauthorized individual
:, He also recommends the erection of a ne
r Postofice building for San Francisco, an
Z urges that recommendations be provided fl
). the Washington City Postofice outside
! the department building, where all space:
e greatly needed for general purposes, inclu'
S ing storage of valuable records which al
now exposed to danger from fire,