Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1891-02-14
rur N Posi-.

THE PENNY POST.
A Uuslue,s Mans View sa 90 What Woula
Constitute True Reform In the fos'A'
Service,
A writer on the subject Of the postal
service Of the country in recent ART.
Gle advances the following ideas, when
arr. perhaps, worthy Of considerations
The annual report of the Postmaster
General has provoked considerable IN
ouiry as to the necessity for reform IN
pnstal rates. The ideas advanced ny
the different articles that have appeared
on the subject as TO the most desiraoie
changes that could be made are gener-
ally prompted by the personal or
business interests of the writer OF the
theory. We believe that the public gen
erally Will take the view that the Postai
Department was established forthes SAFE
and rapid transmission Of letters of a
business or personal nature, n for the
prompt dissemination of news matter,
and that all other undertakings OF the
Postal Department should be secondary
to this. The public demand not only
the rapid and safe transmission OF let
tiers and news matter, but that me
rates on this legitimate class of mail
matter shall be placed at the lowest hg-
ure consistent with its cost. Inc an.
nual report of the Postmaster-Generai
shows that the present &c per ounce
rate on letters yielded the Government
during the last year sSS,ooo,O Oo' and
that the actual cost Of carrying II de-
liyering such letters for the same period
was but IS, 900, 900, leaving a clear profit
Of $50, 900, 900. But the final balance
shown in the report shows that, instead
of there being a profit of $50, 600, 600,
there was an actual deficiency or loss
of ST. o. 800. Inquiry into the causes
of this deficiency diseloses the fact that
it is due,
First. To carrying through the mails
at rates largely under cost tons OF adj
vertising matter and schemes OF every
character and merchandise packages OF
every nature, overburdening the al
ready over-taxed facilities of the mails
to such an extent as to render the
prompt transmission and delivery OF
legitimate mail matter almost an i'm
possibility.
Second. To the shipment through the
mails of Government freight that could
and should be forwarded through other
channels at much lower cost.
In the face of this report, a bill has
been introduced in Congress for the es
Establishment of Il Parcels Post, which
proposes still lower postal rates thar
arc now in effect on a class Of business
that has been largely instrumental ii
reducing a profit of $50, oOO, 900 to ar
actual loss of So 6S, 800. We conclude
that it is not of as much Importance t.
the average citizen that the cost for the
Transmission Of a package OF merchan
disc or other articles of like charactel
through the mails shall be less than the
' Government pays for transporting 1t, a
that the rates of postage on newspa
pers and personal and business letters
NHlcl are INC PIo'lHee anu Ph'PNies Y
D all shall be placed within the reach o
all. The rcvenue Of the Postal De
I partment, if properly applied, fully
justifes the reduction of rate
G on letter postage, and it
undoubtedly the duty Of every voter t.
urge upon their Representatives in Con
= = gress to legislate for penny postage o.
letters and for the continuance of tn
U present reasonable rates that are al
:orded the newspaper interests of tn
country. The surplus revenues of TIN
Postal Department should be used TO
this purpose, and for the improvement
of the facilities for local delivery of LEI
, tiers and newspapers, and for the e>
tension of mail routes to regions of tn
country not already favored with az
eeptable postal communications, rattle
than that they should be used to bull
up a branch of public service that
not required by the public, and whic
experience has demonstrated will e,
haust the revenues and absorb the faci
. tiles needed for other and more impo
tant branches of the postal service.