The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1894-11-26
PLENTY OF ROOM FOR REFORM
Many Defects in Our Postal
Service. 60
Suggestions for Improvement OF the
System.
Postm sstsr.General Bisselrs Annual
Report Exyerim Begun by
Wanamsker Found to Be
Impracticsble.

WASHINGTON, No's Nos u oosu"oso
General Bissell has submitted to the
president his annual report for the year
ending June so, 1894. He briefly out.
lines the policy OF the department in
the following:
.In general would recommend that
the first and most important thing to DO
done lie to revise the law as to second
class matter 80 as to place the postoffics
department Immediately upon a 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 it; accord it to towns already en-
titled to it under the law; quicken rail-
road transportation.
Fourth, revise and reclsssify the or
ganization of the railway mail service
and reciassiiy clerks in postoiiices.
Fifth, provide for district supervise
ion of all postal affairs by appointment
OF expert postal officials from the classi-
fed service, as recommended in my last
annual report"
Mr.. Bisseli fret discusses the effect OF
the continued depression upon the pos
tai revenues, and Gays;
when adverse business conditions
prevail an ordinary business establish.
ment may overcome them in part by
economic management and retrench'
ment in expenditures. Not so. how.
ever, with the postotfice establishment
of the government. 1t cannot and
should not stop to consider little econo.
mics. Its duties and obligations to the
public become intensified and en-
larged."
The revenue for the yese was $751;
$50, 479 expenditures. $S4, 324. Ala, leav.
ing deficit of SO, 243, 935.
The estimates submitted for the cur
rent year ending June 80. 1895. are
Revenue. sS4, ,74S; expenditures.
800, 399, 4S5; deficiency, $5.79l,737.
The estimates submitted to the secre.
tary OF the treasury for the next fiscal
year are Revenue, $S6,907 ,407; ex>
penditnres, s9l,059,2S3 deficiency,
"a, ISL, S76.
This annual deficiency. the postmas-
ter general says. could be overcome by
the increase OF postal rates, but he does
not believe this advisable. Economy
has been practiced, but nevertheless
great care has been taken that 1t should
not affect the efficiency of the service.
The economies have consisted mainly
in reletting contracts for mail transpor.
tation and in the cost and amount OF
supplies, so, also, in the abrogstion oil
seven OF the IL steamship subsidy con.
tracts, which will mean~a total saving
in the years OF the contracts life OIL
$l4, 43l, 1926.
MIR. Bissell recon- mends that the ex-
pertinent with the free delivery projec
should be discontinued, and thinks thai
free delivery in rural districts is no,
needed or desired by the people. Both
OF these projects were originated by hii
predecessor.
He refera to the war made by the
department on lottery schemes passing
under the name Of Bond Investment
companies" and says it has been w0ged
successfully. He recommends the en-
actment of laws covered in bills now
pending before congress for the further
suppression of lotteries.
OF the obstruction OF mails by strikes
the postmaster general says:
I'm my last report called attention
to the necessity for legislation such al
then was, or ie now recommended by
the superintendent of the railway mail
service, for the punishment of train
wreekers, and for legislative determine
tion of the definition of mail train
Such legislation would be OF great ad
| vantage to the postal SERVICE"
! One Of the most important and inter-
esting features OF Mr. Biesel's report il
! Its discussion of class matter. In hi
! last report lis referred to the great dis
! proportion to the growth OF second elias:
mail matter. He has made thorough
! investigation during the year upon
! which he eays:
"The effect OF all this upon my mind
is conviction that the statutes and the
! precedents upon which the business now
rests are defective; that they embody
the only great abuse at present existing
in the postal service; ana that "a this
business is growing ell the time some
/ remedy should be applied"
He gives figures for the past six years
showing that in 1888 the weight o.
second>class matter carried was 49,.
100000 pounds, and in 1898 it wa,
| 256 900, GOO. During the year 1894 there
was carried 45l 900, 600 pounds of all
mail matter, OF which 99,000,00l
pounds was second. class matter
the total cost being $36, 207 ,572
| an average OF cents a pound. Returns
! from post masters show that the amount
upon which postage at the rate OF cen,
per pound was paid was 254 ,000,0 0t
pounds, the remaining 40, 900, 900 pounds
being matter carried free in the
county of publication. The cost o.
carrying the second class matter wat
/ 500, 800 600, while at the rate Of cent
a pound the collections were S2,547.'
000 and 100000 special local rates IL
carriers cities. leaving a net loss to
the government of $l6,573,000.
After giving these figures the post
inaster-general continues.
This calculation applies to transport
ing alone. The separate cost OF distri'
button and delivery | will not attemp
| to estimate. but any one can see tina
those items OF expenditures woulC
largely swell the loss.
Il do not advocate change Of rates
now upon legitimate newspapers anC
periodical magazines. My purpose is te
urge the Withdrawals OF the postagt
rates from the large cities, and the pre-
tended periodicals that are now improp-
erly enjoying them.
1.-The most conspicuous class OF these
periodicals are what are now generally
known as social paper covered books
They are in no sense social, however
except in name. being usually given
some such general designation as THE
Freside Series.' The Detective Library
or some other title of like character. They