Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1894-1895, 1894-11-30
NINE MILLION SHORT.
LARGE DEFICIENCY I'M THE
POSTAL REVENUES.
Report of Mr.. Bisse11-How He Would
Decrease Expense and Increase Re-
ceipts-Readjustm of Regulations
and Other Reforms Urged.
Shows a Big Shortage.

postmaster General BlSSeH has sub
mitted to the President his annual re-
port for the year ended June 3, 1891.
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.
2. 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 it.
Accord it to towns already entitled to
it under the law.
Quicken railroad transportation.
Revise and reclassfy organization of
the railway mail service, and reclassify
clerks in postoffices.
3. 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 S15. 0S0,-
40; expenditures. SS4 .324. Al, leaving
deficiency of S9243,935. The estimates
for the current year ending June 80. 1895.
are: Revenue. Ssh. 4211iS; expenditures.
S90,399, 1So; deficiency, S3,9I1.I3l. The
estimates submitted to the Secretary of
the Treasury for the next fiscal year are:
Revenue, $S6.90T ,401; expenditures, $751;,
/ go, 2S3; deficiency. $4,151.SI6.
! 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 Glass Matter.
One of the most important and inter
esting features of Mr.. Bisselrs report is
its 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 1883 the weight of
secOnd-class mail matter carried was
143, 900. 900 pounds, and in 1893 it was
256,OOO,000. During the year 1894 there
was carried 451 00O. 900 pounds of all mail
matter, of which 10000. 900 pounds was
secOnd-class matter. the total cost bein z
SGT, 20I ,0i2, an average of : cents q
pound. Returns from postmasters show
that the amount upon which postage at
the rate of l cent per pound was paid
was 254. 100000 pounds, the remaining
$4,000, 900 pounds being matter carried
free in the county of publication. The
cost of carrying the second-claSs matter
was S20,3 Goo while. at the rate of l
cent a pound, the collections were So
$4,000, and $S00.000 special local rates
in carrier cities, leaving a net loss to the
Government of S16973. 900. The Post
master General continues:
/ do not advocate q 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 serial paper-cOvered books.
They are in no sense serial, however, OK
| Ntpl III Hdlut, DcIiS uSutllN given SOulC
general designation. as the "Fireside Sc
ries," 1.-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 purportina
to be devoted to trade. The bogus trade
devoted mainly to the advertising of some
ne rtie ic
ton.
After commenting on the great increase
In the mailing of fraternal insurance pub
LEGATIONS as second-class matter, Mr.. Ris
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, ther
the remedy would suggest would be M
amendment of the law limiting this rate
to them and to legitimate newspapers ant
legitimate periodical magazines.
The Postmaster General does not favor
the postal telegraph, system advocated
by his predecessor. The conditions in thi.
country, he says, are such as would enor
mOusly increase the large deficit III,
takes as example the system in Grea
Britain, which is n comparatively small
territory, and shows that he postal tele
graph entails total annual loss of abou
S2.OO0,0OO. He points out that in a coun
try where the territory is so large tn,
cost of postal telegraph would far ex
coed any possible receipts benefits.
Mr.. Bissell gives the following DALI
average bushes Of the department, which
shows the vastness of the postal service
Number Of miles of post route run. 11OO. OO(
Number OF stamps manufactured. g. 300 OOt
Number of envelopes manufactured i 800 OO(
Number OF postal cards manufac-
tured Observation-Disclosures. 1.5OO OO(
Number OF pieces mailed ........ IL, 700 O0t
Number OF letters mailed. 400, OUt
Number of pieces of mail matter
distributed and redStributed by
railway postal clerks. ......... 81, 500 0O(
Number of pieces handled in dead
letter office. .................... 2i,OO(
Daily transactions In money order
business 81 100 O0f
Daily expenses. ................ 1921 Ion
The Postmaster General believes in ciyi
service in the Postofiice Department. IL
says:
If 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 be applied with advantage L
the lower grades of postmasters. For NOR,
than one generation the American peopl,