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

Washington, Nov. 20.-Postmaster
General Bissell has submitted to the
president his annual report for the
year ending June 80. 1894. He briefly
outlines the policy of the department
in the following:
in general I would recommend that
the first and most important thing to
he done is to revise the law as to second
class matter, SO as to place the post
office department Immediately upon a
self-sustaining basis.
Second, avoid expensive experiments
like the postal telegraph, rural free de-
livery, etc.
Third, develop the postal service on
existing lines of administration, viz:
Extend free delivery to cities that
now enjoy it.
Accord it to towns already entitled
to it under The law.
Quicken railroad transportation.
Revise and re-classify organization
of the railway mail service and re-
classify clerks in postoffices.
Fifth. provide for district supervision
of al postal affairs by appointment of
expert postal officials from classified
service, as recommended in my last an
nual report.
Postal Revenues.
Mr.. Bissell first discusses the effect
Of the continued depression upon the
postal revenues, and says:
w hen adverse business conditions
prevail an ordinary business establish
ment may overcome them in part by
economies OF management and retrench-
lnen- in expenditures. No So however.
with the postoffice department of the
government 1t cannot and should not
stop to consider little economies It's
duties and obligations to the public
become at once intensified and en-
larged"
The revenue for the year was SIS, OSo.-
479; expenditures SS4, 1924, Ala. leaving a
deficit of $9,249,935 The estimates for
the current year ending June 80, 1895,
are: Revenue. $S4, 427, 74S: expenditures.
$50 $780, S5; deficiency. So, 791, 737. The es-
Inmates submitted to the secretary of
the treasury for the next fiscal year
are: Revenue, $50 go, 4O7: expenditures,
S9l ,059, 2S3; deficiency, $4151S76
This annual deficiency, the postmaster
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 it should not
affect the efficiency of the service.
The economies have consisted mainly
in re-letting contracts for mail trans
porta'tion and in the cost and amount
of supplies; also in the abrogation of
seven OF the eleven steamship subsidy
contracts, which viii mean a total say
ing in the ten years of the contracts
life of S14, 49,, 325.
Experimental Free Delivery.
Mr.. BlsseIl recommends the expert
mental free delivery project should be
discontinued, and thinks that free de-
livery in rural districts is not needed
or desired by the people Both of these
projects We're originated by his pre-
decessor.
He refers to the war made by the
department on lottery schemes passing
under the name of Bond Investment
companies and says 1T has been
.waged successfully. He recommends
the enactment 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:
"In my last report, l called attention
to The necessity for legislation such as
then was, and is now, recommended by
the superintendent Of the railway mail
service for the punishment of train
.wrecking and for legislative determin-
alton of the definition of a mail train.
Such legislation would be Of great ad-
vantage to the postal service"
Class Matter.
One of the most important and in
teresting features of Mr.. Bissell's re-
port is its discussion of class matter.
In his last report he referred to the
great disproportion TO the growth of
secOnd-cldss mail matter. He has made
"a thorough investigation during the
year. upon which he says:
1.-THE effect of all this upon my mind
is conviction shat the statutes and
the precedents upon which the bust
ness now rests are defective; thai they
embody the only great abuse at pres
ent existing in the postal service, ana
that as this business is growing all the
time. some remedy should be applied"
He gives figures for the past six
years. showing that in 1888 the weight
of second class matter carried was 49,
600 600 pounds and in 1898 it was 256,-
600. 600. During the year 1894 there was
carried 451, 10000 pounds of all mail
matter, of which 299.000000 pounds was
second class matter, the total cost being
S36. 2O7, 572. an average OF cents a
pound Returns from postmasters show
that the amount upon which postage, al
the rate of ] cent per pound was paid
was 600 pounds, the remaining
IS, 900, 900 pounds being matter carried
free in the county of publication. The
cost of carrying the second class mat
ter was $40, 800. 900, while at the rate OF
cent a pound, the collections We're
81. 547, 900, and 100000 special local rates
in carriers cities, leaving a net loss to
the government of 6.S73, 000.''
After giving those figures the post
master general continues:
This calculation applies to trans
portation alone. The separate cost of
distribution and delivery / will not at
tempt to estimate, but any one can see
that those items of expenditure would
largely swell the loss.
81 do not advocate change of rates
now upon legitimate newspapers and
periodical magazines. My purpose is to
urge the withdrawal of the postal rates
from the large cities and the pretended
periodicals that are now improperly en-
joying them.
bogus Publications.
ssThe most conspicuous class of these
3 periodicals are what are now generally
known as social paper covered books.
They are in no sense serial, however,
except in name. Being usually given
some such general designation as The
Fireside Series The Detective Library,
or some other title of like character.
They are nothing but books pure and
simple any many of them very trashy
books at that, each one distinct in it.
self, the series never being devoted
to anything in particular. having few
subscribers and with no real subscrip-
tion price.
Another class OF publications now
largely enjoying the low postage ac-
corded to second class matter is what
has got to be known as the House
4 Organ being simply a paper or pamph-
let devoted mainly to the advertising
Of some mercantile manufacturing or