Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1894-12-06
NINE MILLION SHORT.
LARGE DEFICIENCY IN THE
POSTAL REVENUES.
Report Of Mr.. Bissel1-How He Would
Decrease Expense and Increase Re-
ceipts-Readjustme of Regulations
and Other Reforms Urged.
Shows a Big Shortage.

port for the year ended June 3, 1894.
He briefly outlines the policy Of the de-
partment.
In general / would recommend that
the first and most important thing to be
done Is to revise the law as to the sec
ond-class matter so as to place the Post
Office Department Immediately upon a
self-sustaining basis.
z. Avoid expensive experiments like the
postal telegraph, rural free delivery, etc.
3. Develop the postal service on exist
Ing lines Of administration, viz:
Extend free delivery in cities that now
enjoy 1t.
Accord it to towns already entitled to
1t under the law.
Quicken railroad transportation.
Revise and reclassify organization of
the railway mail service, and reclassify
clerks in postoffices.
8. Provide for district supervision of
all postal affairs by appointment of
expert postal officials from classified serv-
Ice, as recommended in my last annual re-
port.
The revenue for the year was SIS, 5,0S0,-
479; expenditures, $84, 1924, Ala, leaving n
deficiency of $9,243,935. The estimates
for the current year ending June 80, 1895,
are: Revenue, $S4, ,427,748; expenditures,
500, 1893, ,4S5; deficiency, $5,971, ,737. The
estimates submitted to the Secretary of
the Treasury for the next fiscal year are
Revenue, $50 6,907, ,407; expenditures, $91,-
O59, ,2S3; deficiency, 81, 151 ,S76.
This annual deficiency, the Postmaster
General says, could be overcome by the
Increase In postal rates, but he does not
believe this Is advisable. Economy has
been practiced, but nevertheless great
care has been taken that it should not af
feet the efficiency Of the service. Mr.. Bis
sell recommends that the experimental
free-delivery projects should be discontin-
ued, and thinks that free delivery in rural
districts Is not needed or desired by the
people.
Too Much Second-CIass Matter.
One Of the most important and inter
esting features of Mr.. Bissell's report is
it's discussion Of class matter. In his last
report he referred to the great dispropor-
ton of growth of second-class mail mat
ter. He gives figures for the last six
years, showing that in 1888 the weight of
second-class mail matter carried was
143, 100000 pounds, and in 1893 it was
256,OOO,OOO. During the year 1894 there
was carried 451 900, 900 pounds of all mail
matter, of which 200, ,O00,0 900 pounds was
second-class matter, the total cost being
$36, ,2O7 ,5I2,, an average of 8 cents a
pound. Returns from postmasters show
that the amount upon which postage at
the rate of / cent per pound was paid
was 254 100000 pounds, the remaining
100000 pounds being matter carried
free in the county of publication. The
cost of carrying the second-class matter
was $20,320,0OO, while, at the rate of
cent pound, the collections were $2,-
1900, and 100000 special local rates
in carrier cities, leaving a net loss to the
Government of $16,973,O00. The Post
master General continues:
do not advocate a change of rates now
upon legitimate newspapers and periodi-
cal magazines. My purpose is to urge the
withdrawal Of low postage rates from the
large cities and the pretended periodicals
that are now improperly enjoying them.
Books and Bogus Trade Papers.
The most conspicuous class of these pre-
tended periodicals is what is now gener-
ally known as serial paper-covered books
They are in no sense serial, however, ex-
cept in name, being usually given some
general designation, as the "Fires.de Sc
ries, '"The Detective Library" or some
other title of like character. Another
class is what has got to be known as the
"house organ" being simply a pamphlet
devoted mainly to the advertising of some
mercantile establishment but purporting
to be devoted to trade. The bogus trade
devoted mainly to the advertising of some
any particular house. is another illustra-
ton.
After commenting on the great increase
In the mailing of fraternal insurance pub
lications as second-class matter, Mr.. Bis
sell suggests the remedy in the following:
If it be the policy of Congress to con-
tinue the privileges of second-class rates
to benevolent or fraternal societies, then
the remedy would suggest would be an
amendment of the law limiting this rate
to them and to legitimate newspapers and
legitimate periodical magazines.
The Postmaster General does not favor
the postal telegraph, a system advocated
by his predecessor. The conditions in this
country, he says, are such as would enor-
mously increase the large deficit. He
takes as example the system in Great
Britain, which is n comparatively small
territory, and shows that the postal tele-
graph entails total annual loss of about
try where the territory is so large the
cost of postal telegraph would far ex-
ceed any possible receipts or benefits.
Mr.. Bissell gives the following daily
average bushes of the department, which
shows the vastness of the postal service:
Number Of miles Of post route run. 1,1OOO 600
Number Of stamps manufactured. $500 900
Number Of envelopes manufactured 1,SOOOOO
Number OF postal cards manufac-
tured ....................... 1900 900
Number OF pieces mailed. ........ rs. 100000
Number Of letters mailed. ........ 7,4OO,OO0
Number Of pieces Of mall matter
distributed and redistributed by
railway postal clerks. ........, .27, 500, 900
letter Office. .:...........:.. 24,Ooo
Daily transactions in money order
business ................... .Sl, lOO,OOO
Daily expenses. ................ S231, 100
The Postmaster General believes in civil
service In the Postoffice Department. He
says:
IL the system has produced such good re-
suits In the clerical force OF the department
II is reasonable to inquire whether something
like could not he applied with advantage TO
the lower grades OF postmasters. For more
than one generation the American people
have been trained to regard the postoflice as
inseparable from the varying fortunes OF the
two great political parties. and in some In
even, as legitimately following the
of mere factions within a party.
This fallacy Is to be deplored. The lntelii-
gence OF our people has long outgrown the
notion that any one political party enjoys a
OF administrative talent.
The local postofIice Is closely connected
with the everyday life of the people who
pa tronize IL, and nothing Is further from the
principles OF home rule and majority rule
han to force any change whatever. Yet this
Is what happens and Is bound TO happen as