The indicator., 1894-12-01
POsTOFFICE REPORT.
elssELL URGES MANY REFORMS
-oes'nt Believe In Rural Deiivnre.-
-. Class Matter Curtnlled
~. .,, -sive Appiica-
tion of CIvil Service RuisA

wants seco.s Class Matter curtniied
lie Belisves In ths Exre.--
tion of Civil Service RuleA
Washington, Nov. 25.-Postmastet
General w. S. Bissell has submitted
TO the president his annual report for
the year ending June 80, 1894. He
briefly outlines the policy Of the de-
partment in the following:
"In general I would recommend that
the first and most important thing to
be done Is to revise the law as To SEE
ond class matter SO as to place the
postoflice department Immediately up
ON n self-sustaining basis.
"Second-Avoid expensive expert
ments like the postal telegraph, rural
free delivery, etc. .....
''Third-Develop the postal service on
existing lines of administration, viz:
Extend free delivery in cities that
now enjoy 1t.
accord it to towns already entitled
to it under the law.
"Quicken railroad transportation.
''Fonrth-Revise and reclassify or
ganzation of the railway mail service
and reclassify clerks in postotices.
"Fifth-Provide for district super
vision of all postal affairs by appoint
ment of expert postal officials from
classified service, as recommended in
my last annual report"
Mr.. Bisscll first discusses the cffe It
of the continued depression upon the
postal revenues, and says:
,i
prevail an ordinary business establish
mcnt may overcome them in part by
economies of management and re
trenchment in expenditures. Not So
however, with the postotlice estab-
lishment of the government. 1t can
not and should not stop to consider
little economies. Its duties and OBJ
legations to the public become ut once
intensified and enlarged"
The revenue for the year was S7l,-
0S0,4T0i expenditures, SS4,324 Al,
Leaving a deficit of S9,243,935 The es-
Inmates for the current year ending
June 30, 1895. are: Revenue, SS4 ,42T,-
7AS; expenditures, 500, O,399,4S5; de
ficiency S5,T01,T3T. Tile estimates sub
mitted to the secretary of the treasury
for the next fiscal year are: Revenue,
SS6907,407: expenditures, 01,059, ,2S3;
de1clency, S4,lol ,SIV.
This annual deficiency. the post
master general says, could be overcome
by the increase of postal rates, but he
docs not believe this advisable. Econ
on1y has been practiced, but never
theless graat care has been taken that
1t should not affect the efficiency of the
service
The economies have consisted main
ly in reletting contracts for mail trans
portaton, and in the cost and amount
of supplies, also in the abrogatiOn of
seven of the eleven steamship subsidy
contracts. which will mean total saw
ing in the ten years of the contracts
life of S14,431 ,325.
Ono of the most important and in
teresting features of Mr.. Bissel's re-
port is Its discussion of sccond-class
matter. In his last report he referred
to the great disproportion to the
growth of second-class mail matter. He
has made thorough Investigation dur
Ing tho year upon which he says:
"The effect of all this upon my mind
~ q conviction that the statutes and
the prcccdents upon which the bust
reDs now rests are defective; that they
embody the only great abuse ut pres
cnt existing in the postal service; and
the time, some remedy should be ap-
plled.'
lie gives figures for the past six
years showing that in 1855 the weight
of Sccond-clasS matter carried was l43,
100000 pounds and in 1893 it was
256,O0O,000 During the year 1891
there was carried 451 100000 pounds
of mail matter, OF which 900, 900, 900
pounds was second class matter, the
total cost being $3G.2O7 ,572. an aver
age of cents 4 pound. Returns from
postmasters show that the amount up
on which postage, at the rate of one
cent per pound was paid, was 5i,00O,-
600 pounds, the remaining 45,O00,0OO
pounds being matter carried free in
the county of publication. The cost of
carrying the second-class matter was
S20,320OOO, while at the rate of onr
cent pound the collections We're So
5i7,O0O and SSO0,000 special local
rates in carrier cues, leaving net
loss to the government of $16.973O00.
After giving these figures the post
master general continues:
"rhis calculation applies to trans
portation alone. The separate cost of
distribution and delivery l will not at
tempt to estimate, but any one can see
that those items of expenditure would
largely swell tile loss,
~ do not advocate II change Of rates
now upon legitimate newspapers and
periodical magazines. My purpose IS
to urge the Withdrawals of the postage
rates from the large cities and the
pretended periodicals that are now I'M
properly enjoying them.
'rhe most conspicuous class of these
periodicals are what are now general
ly known as serial paper covered books.
They are in no sense serial. however,
except In name. Being usually given
some such general designation as "Thc
Fires!dc Series" "The Detective Ii
brary," or some other title of like
character They are nothing but books
pare and simple and many of them
very trashy books at that, each one
distinct in itself, the series never be-
ing devoted to anything in particular
having few subscribers and with no
real subscription price.
"Another class OF publications now
enioyiug the low postage accorded to
srcond-class matter is what has got
to be known as the House Organ he
Ing simply paper or pamphlet devot-
ell mainly TO the advertising of some
mercantile, manufacturing or other cs-
thblishmcnt, but purportlns to be de-
voted to trade, claiming bona tide
line of subscribers, and nominally con-
forming to other conditions 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 l am discussing is the priv
ilcgc 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