The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-11-26

be devoted to trade, claiming bona
fide line of subscribers and nominally
conforming to other considerations of
second class matter
THE bogus trade paper not devoted
to the advertising of any particular
house is another Illustration Of the
same abuse of the mails.
of great moment in connection with
the abuse am discussing is the privi-
lege given to publishers of newspapers
and magazines-the first bestowal of
which was under the act of March 3,
1885, to mail sample copies thereof at
the pound rate Of postage
But for this liberal privilege I am
inclined to think the very few really
legitimate trade papers would ever
have been submitted TO the mails as
second class matter.
A Remedy Suggested
After commenting on the great in
crease in the mailing of fraternal in
surance publications, as second class
matter and showing the enormous in
crease OF them since the act of Con-
gress admitting them, Mr.. Bissel sug-
gests the remedy in the following:
If it be the policy of Congress to
continue the privileges of second-clasS
rates to benevolent or fraternal Soci-
cites. then the remedy ] would suggest
would be an amendment Of the law
limiting this rate To them and to le-
ultimate newspapers and legitimate
periodical magazines.
Il believe one years experience I'M
der such limitations would demon
strate all legitimate newspapers and
periodical magazines may be trans
mitted through our mails from publish
ers into the hands of subscribers free
of all COST
The acknowledgement does not IA
vor the postal telegraph, a system adj
vocated by his predecessor. The con-
ditions in this country, he says, are
such as would enormously increase the
large deficit He takes as example the
system in Great Britain, which is a
comparatively small territory. and
shows that the postal telegraph nets a
total annual loss of about $2000,000. He
points out that in a country where the
territory is SO large the cost of a postal
telegraph would far exceed any posi-
BILE receipts or benefits.
MIR. Bissell gives the following daily
average business of the department.
which shows the vastness of the postal
service.
Number of miles of post routes run.
l. 100, 600; number of stamps manufac-
tured. 100000; number of envelopes
manufactured, 100000; number of pos
tai cards manufactured, 100000; num-
Der of pieces mailed, 100000; number
of letters mailed, 100000; number of
pieces of mail matter distributed and
redistributed by railway postal clerks,
27,50O,000; number of pieces handled in
dead letter office, $4,000; daily trans
actions in money order business, ST.
100000; daily expenses, 1921, 100.
Civil Service,
The postmaster-g general believes in
civil service in the postoffice depart
ment. He says:
eff the system has produced such
good results in the clerical force Of the
department it is reasonable to inquire
whether something could not be ap-
piled with advantage to the lower
grades of pOStmaSterS. For more than
one generation the American people
have been trained to regard the post
office as inseparable from the varying
fortunes of the two great political par
ties and, in some instances, even as
legitimately following the vicissitudes
of mere factions within a party. This
fallacy is to be deplored The intelli-
gence of our people has long outgrown
the notion that any one political party
enjoys monopoly Of administrative
talent. The local postoffice is closely
connected with the everyday life of
the people who patronize it, and moth
ing is further from the principles of
home rule and majority rule than to
force a change. Yet this is what hap
pens and is bound to happen as long
as the poStoffices remain in the public
mind, and hence in the practice Of gov
eminent associated with politics The
postal service must either be taken
out of the political field altogether and
surrounded with the san-e conditions
which conduce to the health of "a private
business or be divided for administra-
tive purposes, into two sections. the
one political and the other non-po,itical
each under separate head so the
executive authority on the non-political
side shall not be required to give any
of his thought TO the improvement of
the postal system
Postoffice Appointments.
Mr.. Bissell refers to the bill now
pending in Congress to relieve the post
master general of the responsibility of
postof1ce appointments. Commenting
upon the bill, the postmaster general
says:
whether such plan is or is not
the best that can be devised, it is, at
least, the formulation of a plan which
is entitled to the most earnest, care
full and immediate consiGera ton and
may become foundation upon which
| to build. What is earnestly desired and
what daily appears that Of a necessity
! is legislation of some kind which will
/ insure an Improvement upon present
methods. "
| Mr.. Bissell closes his report with a
request that a new building be provided
for the postoffice department. He says
| interest on the cost of an adequate
building would be less than the amount
! of rent paid.