The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1894-11-29
OUR NATIONAL CAPITAL.

N, evlnced. Now see! Mr.. Reed. bayin
'N Iuil power to arrange his election com
Hllttee as he may see fit, how easy il will
De Tor him to pick out men to whom h,
Will say: If the Republican contestant,
want seats in the Fifty-fourth congress,
ana want them badly they should be will
a. lng 10 90 something for those who are
Wiling to seat them. Now what they
nuust promise to do is, in
case they are seated to pull
on t9elr coats and 60 to work for me
lhee0 and when their delegations to the
national convention of 1896 are selected
naVe tnem instructed for me Reed) for
y See. What can be more simple? It
is simply case of tit for tat. McKin-
ley's reciprocity applied in a way he had
not counted on. No wonder that the
Ohio statesman and Harrison are hoping
tnat the car will miss his connection
with the .speakership. VIII he do it?
Inc outlook most certainly points to the
belief that he will not.
POSTMASTER GENERALS RE-
PORT.
Washington, Nov. 25.-Postmaster
General w. S. Bissell has submitted to
the president his annual report for the
year ending June 30, 1894. He briefly
outlines the policy of the department in
the following:
"Flrst-ln general l would recommend
that the first and most important thing
to be done is to revise the law as to sec
ond 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.
existing lines of administration, viz:
Extend free delivery in cities that now
enjoy it.
accord it to towns already entitled to
it under the law.
Quicken railroad transportation.
"Fourth-Revise and reclassify organ
ization of the railway mail service and
reclassify clerks in postottices.
"Fifth-Provide for district super
vision of all postal affairs by appoint
ment of expert postal officials from clas-
sitied service as recommended in my last
annual report"
Mr.. Bissell discussed the effects of the
continuing depression upon the postal
revenues, and says:
when adverse business conditions pre-
vail ordinary business establishments
may overcome them in part by economies
of management and retrenchment in eX-
penditures. Not so, however, with the
postofice establishment of the govern
ment. 1t cannot and should not stop to
consider little economies where its du-
ties and obligations to the public became
at once intensified and enlarged"
The revenue for the year was S75, 0S0-
40; expenditures, SS4 1924 ,414 leaving a
deficiency of $9,243,935. The estimates
for the current year ending June 80, 1895,
are: Revenue, $S4 ,427, 74S; expenditures,
500, $780, S5; deficiency, $5,971,7 1871.
The estimate submitted to the secre-
tary of the treasury for the next fiscal
year are: Revenues, SS6,9O7 ,4O1; eX-
penditures, $91, 095, 2S3; deficiency, 3d.
151, S76. This annual deficiency, the post
master general says, could be overcome
by the increase of postal rates, but he
does not believe this advisable. Economy
has been practised, but nevertheless
great care has been taken that it should
not affect the efficiency of the service.
The economies have consisted only in
reletting contracts for mail transpOrta-
ton and in the cost and amount of sup
plies also in the abrogatiOn of seven OF
the eleven steamship subsidy contracts
which will mean total saving in the ten
years of the contracts life of S14, 431 3d.
Mr.. Bissell recommends that the eX-
detrimental free delivery projects be dis
continued and thinks that free delivery
in rural districts is not needed or desired
by the people. Both of these projects
were originated by his predecessor. He
refers to the war made by the depart
ment on lottery schemes passing under
the name of l"Bond Investment COM
panies," and says it has been waged sue
cessfully. He recommends the enactment
of laws covering bills now pending be-
fore congress for the further suppression
of lotteries. OF the obstruction of mails
by strikes, the postmaster general says:
"In my last report | 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 wreck.
ing, and for legislative determination of
the detention of a mail train. Such leg
islation will be of great advantage to the
mail service.
One of the most important and inter
esting features of Mr.. BisselPs report IS
its discussion of class matter. In ms last
report he referred to the great dlspro-
norton of the growth of second-class mail
matter. He has made a thorough lnVes-
tigation during the year, in which ne
says: 10,
1.-THE effect of all this upon my mnd
is n firm conviction that the statutes
and the precedents upon which the Dus-
mess now rests are defective; that they
do not embody the only great abuse at
nresent existing in the postal service,
and that as this abuse is growing al the
time, some remedy should be applied.
He gives figures for the past SIX years
showing that in 1888 the weight OF second ad
class matter carried was l43 ,O0o,UUno
mounds. and in 1893 it was 2o6,Ouo,ooo;
during the wear 1894 there was carried
All OOO. 600 pounds of all mail matter, OF
which 300, 100000 pounds was second Sde
class matter, the total cost being poo,-
2O7, 40, an average of 8 cents a pouhu,
Returns from postmasters snow tial
tha amount upon which postage at the
rote of / cent per pound was palu was
Oh O0O 600 pounds, the remaining 40,
900 00O being matter that was carried
free in the county of publication. me
cost If CARRYING the second-class matteT
was 500 100000, while at the rate o. DO
cont nor mound the collections were o.
~ 600 and 100000 special Local rates
in carrier cities, leaving net loss 10 the
government of $16,9l3,OOo. .a4r,o,-
fter giving these figures the postliias-
fer general continues: ,o,,
s"This calculation applies to- transpol1l
totion alone. The cost of distribution anu
delivery | will not attempt TO estllllat e
b,t anyone can see that those items OF
evnenditure would largely swell the loss.
II do not advocate a change OF ra oJ
unon legitimate newspapers ana pellou,
ri rooGozines Nv purpose is 10 urge