Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1894-12-07
THE POSTOFFICE REPORT.
NOVEL RECOMMENDATIONS
BY MR.. BISSELL.

The Postmaster-Gen G eneral Has n Plan
by Which Newspapers and Period
fcals May BE Carried Free-The
Revenues for the Fiscal Year and
Other Statistics.
Postmaster-Generll W. s. 3 'sseil has sub
mitted to the President his annual report for
the year ending June 80, 1891. He briefly
outlines the policy o. tae department in the
following
"In general would reconn9n1 that the
first and most important thing TO be done is
to revise the law az to second class matter,
so as to place the Postoffica Department I'M
ne1iatefy upon a self-sustaining basis.
"Second-Avoid exDer eiva experiments,
like the postal telegraph, rural free delivery,
etc.
''Thiri-Develop the postal servic9 by eX-
isting lines of the Administration, viz. Ex-
tend frea delivery in cities that now enjoyH.
Accord il to towns already entitled it to uu-
der the law Quicken railroad transporta-
ticn.
"Fourth-Ravise AMI reclassiFy orSanizl-
tion for railway mail serv'ce, ana rec!aSslIy
clerks in postOffices
''Fifth-Provide for district supervision
of all postal affairs by appointment Of expert
postal officials from CLASSIFIED service, as
recommended in my last annual report.
The revenue for the year was SIS, ,OSO, 479,
expenditures Ala, leaving de-
fciency of 50, ,234, 935 The estimates for the
current year ending June &c. 1895. are
Revenue $94 4.427.743, expenditures $50, 399.-
485, deficiency $5.971, ,737.
This annual deficiency, the Postmaster
General says, couid be overcome by an IN
crease of postal rates, but he does not be-
lteve this advisable. 1t could be cancelei
by a readjustment OF rates on second-class
matter.
Mr.. Bissell refers to the war made by the
department on lottery schemes passing under
the name of "bond investment conp1nles.
and says it has been waged successfully. lie
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, tho
Postmaster-General says:
''In nv last annual report I called atten-
tion to the necessity for legislation such as
then was and IS now recommended by the
Superintendent of Railway Mail Service for
the punishment of tram wreck1ng and for
legislative determination and definition OF
mail train. Such legislation would be OF
great advantage to the postal service, an
during the past year would most likely have
prevented the embargo placed upon the mail
trains of the Great Northern Railway by the
strike which practically tied up that system
from April 13t May l.
'It would also have Iessene1 the loss OF
life. destruction to property, loss of revenus
to the department and other great evils 1nc-
dent to the greater strikes that paralyz4 all
business to a greater or less extent from
June 27 until July 2f o. this year.
One of the most important and interesting
features of Mr.. Bssell's report is its discus
sion of class matter. In his last report he
referred to the great disproportIon OF growth
OF second class matter and 1nt!mated that
he did not believe it was due to the groWt2
Of genuine newspapers and periodicals &c
49, riSo0 0e nArPlantS
facturers and others taking, advantage OF
the law to secure entry OF advertising matter
iuto this favored cass.
IL do not" he says, ''advocate change
of rates now upon Legitimate newspapers and
periodical magazines. My purpose is to urge
the withdrawal of low postage rates from the
large cities and the pretended perio ltcals
that are now Improperly enjoying them not
only on account Of the Inherent proprlety OF
that course. but because l am almost hope
less of ever seeing the financial condltton
of the department properly established
until such withdrawal is brought about.
THE most conspicuous class OF these pre-
tended periodicals are wnat are now gen9r-
ally known as serial paper covered booS5.
They are nothing but books, pure and SIM
DIe. and many of them very trashy books at
that. each one distinct in itself. tho series
never being devoted to anything in particu-
lar having few subscribers, and with no
real subscription price, except a nominal
one, for not one man In NUM- ever
dreams Of buying the books except as Nc
would buy any other book.
''This state Of things is nor merely a
wrong to the Government and to the sender5
of other classes of mail matter, which, pro-
ducing surplus of revenue, arethus unduiy
taxed, but it is a wrong to the publishers OF
other books, and, believe, sort OF de'as9-
ment of the Nations literature.
Mr.. Bissell commends the lntern2tionai
Postal Union The Postmaster-General does
not favor the postal telegraph. system /
yocated by his predecessor. The con1lttonS
in this country, he says, are suc! as Wouit
enormously increase the large deac1t. ~
takes as example the system in Great Britain
which is a comparatively small territory,
and shows that the postal teIesrap6 d 6,e ental4s M
an annual loss of about S2,Ooo,ooo' 1t
points out that in a country wnere the ter
ritory is so large and where the star routes
exceed in length the railroad ana IS steam In,
| torroer are 10 900 miles in length. shat thf
cost Of a postal telegraph would far ezceo
any possible receipts.