Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-11-19
The Postal Service.
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Posi- MASTER GENER
AL.

| ANNUAL REPORT OF THE POST MASTER GENRR
| AL.
| WASHINGTON, Nov. l5.-Tbe annual report o.
Postmaster General Key has been made public
Considerable space has been devoted to the sub
iect of the present and prospective deficiencies il
the amounts appropriated by Congress for the sal
aries of postmasters and for railway tran sporta
ton. After describing the rates Of compensation
for post-msste and railway mail service, the Post
| master General says that the Appropriation made
by Congress at the last session was not sufficen,
to pay for the existing service on railroads thu:
prescribed In addition to this fact the weight
of the mails thus carried is constantly increasing
aud new railroads and paris Of railroads are being
| added to our postal routes. 1t became an embar
RAISING question to the department whether the
railway mail service should be reduced so as to
correspond with the appropriations. or whether il
should be continued as II then was until Congress.
should meet and the question be referred to il for
decision. 1t was believed by the department tina,
it would not do to withdraw the service from such
| q number of railroads as would reduce the cost OF
transportation within the amount appropriated
The only other method Of reducing the expenses
of this service would have been to discontinue the
service carried on and conducted by our postal
car system entirely, or to such an extent as to
bring the expenditures within the appropriation.
| To have adopted this course would have led to
great confusion and delay and to great diss
| ton and complaint on the part OF the public. 1t
would have carried US back to the system in
vogue before the postal cars were used. Should
40 additional appropriation be made for this SER
vice, shall feel it my duty, under the law, SO to
curts the service as to fall within the appropria
ton, however much l might consider the public
interests injured thereby. l am satisfied that it
would lead, justly, to much complaint. The
mails would be detsined at the offices Of separa
ton hardly less than ~ hours and generally "a.
Books, papers and packages. passing over great
distances OF circutous routes, would be detained II
more than one such office in very many cases, and
there would be delay in the immense number Of
transactions which initiated, conducted and
completed through the mails.
Another interesting portion of the report j. A.
follows ''If the revenues of the postal service
were equal to its expenditures, no severe system
of economy would be so necessary for its admin
stration Many OF my predecessors have urged
the establishment Of higher rates of postage OF
the exclusion from the mails of such matter as
did not pay the expense of transmission in order
TO make the department selt-sustaining. 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 appropriate
Congress and the results shown. IL was not ex-
pected the department would be self-sustaining
but that the Deficiencies IN its revenues should be
| met by appropriations from the general Treasury.
Ii this be true, and II this policy shall be contin.
ued 1t necessarily follows that the deficiepcie,
must increase in proportion to the increase of mai
matter of these classes, and if sums Inadequate to
meet these deficiencies be appropriated by Con
gress, the efficiency of the service must be Grip.
Piled. The amount of matter sent free through
the mails is very large, adding greatly to our ex-
penditures and giving us no revenue. The frank.
ing privilege has been restored to the members
and chief officers of Congress, so as to allow them
to send free almost every thing that they were al
lowed to send through the mails free, except let
tiers. Tons upon tons OF books, documents, seeds
shrubs and the like are placed in the mails free of
charge on this score official letters of the execu-
tive departments of the general government their
documents, ETC., 60 free through the mails
Newspapers sent to Subscribers residing in the
county in which newspapers are printed and pub
lished, go free through the mails. 1t costs Just
much, per pound, to send this free matter through
the mails that on which the postage is paid
Now, must respectfully, but earnestly, suggest
that it would be better policy to reduce the def
ciencies of the revenues of the department by
curtailing or abolshing the list of free matter
| and by increasing rates Of postage on merchan-
disc, than by approprlatlng sums inadequate to
efficient, prompt and fast transmission Of the
mails.
The Postmaster General recommends that q
suitable provision be made, by law, for delivery To
addresses in this county free OF customs duty, oil
all newspapers aud other articles of printed mat.
ter received 10 the mails from foreign countries
General Key SAYS, with reference to the free de
livery system, that there is an urgent need OF
greater frequency in the deliveries and collection,
IN several of the larger cities and remarks that in
view of the large excess of postage on local mat.
ter over the cost of the service, due mainly to car
riers' delivery, a wise policy would seem to justify
more liberal appropriations for the purpose sug.
gested, and also for the extension of the service &c
other cities having population of 80, 000 emitting
them to it under The law. 10 regard to tle pay o
| the carriers, the Postmaster General, without re
peatng the argument, renews his recommendation
| Of last year for material increase in their com
pensation.
Attention is again called to the insuffciencv O.
| the compensation allowed under the law for the
| service on many short routes. During the las
session of Congress bills were presented to amend
the law regulating the compensation to railroaC
Companies for carrying mails, so as to base tn,
rates OF pay upon the items of "space, speed ane
frequency" 1t is suggested that the space to b,
| paid for on each route should be limited TO ,
| specified amount or certain weight OF mails
otherwise, the compensation OF all railroads and
consequently, the expenditure of more than 80
003,00O apnualy, would be left to the discretion
of the Postmaster General, and be thinks it i
| clear that this should not be done.
| The other recommendations of general interes
made by the Postmaster General are in brief
| that Congress should authorize temporary con
| tracts for the "star mail service to be made 70
one year, in case of need. without advertisement
instead of six months, the period to which, b
the amended law, the department is limited, an
that be be authorized to prescribe the uniform t
be worn by all employees of the postal service
with the view OF preventing their PRESERVATION b.