Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1894-12-06
PosToFFicE DEPARTMENT.
Tho Chronic Deficiency IL Unnecessary
some Impositions.

Tho Chronic Deficiency IL Unneceasary-
Some Tmpositions.
The report Of the postmaster general pre-
vents o comprehensive statement of the
o arations Of the postoffice department for
the last fiscal year. The receipts of the
department during the year amounted to
e15,0SO 419,04 and expenditures to $s4, 324,-
414. 10. The transactions Of the postal SER
vice indicate with baromctric certainty
the f~iuctuation In the business OF the
country. In as much therefore as
business complications continue to exist
the last year to an unforeseen extent it is
not surprising that there was a deficiency
Of revenue to meet the expenditures of the
POSSIBILITIES department, which was esti-
mated in advance at about Is, 0O0, 900. The
ascertained revenue of the last year,
which were the basis Of calculation for the
current rear, being less than estimated,
the deficiency for the current year will be
cOrresp0ndingly greater, though the post
master general states that the latest ind :
cations are so favorable that he conf
IDENTIFY predicts nm increase of at least 8
per cent in the revenues of the current
year over those of the last year.
The expenditures increase steadily and
necessarily with the growth and needs of
or less In any year, depending upon the
volume OF receipts. The postmaster gen
eral states that this deficiency is unneces-
sxry and might be obyiate1 Mt once if the
law regulating rates upon mail matter of
the second class was modified. The rate
received for the transmission of this sec
ond class matter Is ! cent per pound, while
the cost OF such transmission to the gov
'ment Is eight times that amount. In
general terms of the law this rate
covers newspapers and periodicals. The
extensions of the meaning nf the
terms from time TO time have admitted to
the privileges intended for legitimate news
papers and periodicals a surprising range
Of publications, and created abuses the
cost Of which amount In the aggregate to
the total deficiency of the postotIice de-
partment. Pretended are
started by business houses for the mere
purpose Of advertising goods, complying
with the law in form only and discontining
the publication as soon as the period Of
advertising IS over. sample copies of
pretended newspapers are issued In great
numbers for a like purpose only. The re-
suit Is q great loss of revenue to the
government, besides its humiliating
use rs III agency to aid in carrying out
the scheme OF a business house to adver-
tiss its goods by NEAR of a trick upon
both its rival houses the regular and
legitimate newspapers. Paper covered lit
e~rature, consisting mainly of trashy nov
els, to the extent of many thousands Of
tons is sent through the mails at / cent
per pound. while the publishers Of stan
dard works are required to pay eight times
that amount i n sending their publications.
Another abuse consists in the free carriage
through the mails of hundreds Of tons Of
seeds and grain uselessly distributed
1ugh the department Of a%griculture.
postmaster general predicts that il
the law be SO amended as to eradicate
these abuses not only will
the p~ostofice department show no def
cheney, but he believed that in the near
future all legitimate newspapers and per-
iotica! magazines might be properly trans
mitted through the mails to the subscrib-
erS free of cost.