The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-12-12
THE POSTOFFICE REPORT.
NOVEL RECOMMENDATIONS
BY MR.. ,BISSELL.

The Postmaster-Ge General Has Plan
by Which Newspapers and Period
icals May Be Carried Free-The
Revenues for the Fiscal Year and
Other Statistics.
Postmaster-GeneralW W. 8. Bissell has sub
mitted to the President his annual report for
the year ending June 80, 1894. He brleay
outlines the policy OF the department in the
following g..
SIN general would recommend that the
first and most important thing to be done Is
TO revise the law as to second class matter,
so as to place the Postoff1ce Department I'M
mediately upon self-sustaining basis.
"Second-Avoid expensive experiments,
like thepostaI telegraph, rural free delivery,
etc.
"Third-Develop the postal service by eS-
istin2 lines of the Administration, viz. Ex-
tend free delivery in cities that now enloyit.
Accord It to towns already entitled 1t to un-
der the law. Quicken railroad transporta-
tion.
HFourth-Revlse and reclassIfy organize
ton for railway mail service, and reclasslty
clerks in postofaces.
.tFifth-Provide for district supervision
of all postal affairs by appointment OF expert
postal officials from classified service, as
recommended In my last annual report.
ernendituras n ss4.s24, ,4i4, leaving de-
fciency of SO, ,234, 1886. The estimates for the
current year ending June so. 1895. are:
Revenue $S4, ,427.74S, expenditures $so,S9S,-
1856. deficiency S5.971 ,7SI
This annual deficiency, the Postmaster
General says, could be overcome by an IN
crease of postal rates, but he does not be-
lieye this advisable. It could be Cancelled
by readjustment Of rates on second-class
matter. =,
MIR. Bissell refers to the war made by the
department on lottery schemes passing under
the name Of "bond Investment companies.
and says It has been waged successfully. he
recommends the enactment of laws covered
In bills now pending before Congress 1or
the further suppression OF lotteries.
OF the obstruction of mails by strikes, the
Postmastsr-G General says:
'.In my last annual report called atten-
ton to the necessity for legislation such as
then was and is now recommended BY the
Superintendent of Railway Mail Service for
the punishment OF train wrecking and for
legislative determination and definition OF
mail train. Such legislation would be OF
great advantage to the postal service, ana
during the past year wsuld most nkeiy nave
prevented the embargo placed upon the mail
trains OF the Great Northern Railway by the
strike which practically tied up that system
from April 1Sto May l.
'sIt would also have lessened the loss OF
life. destruction to property, loss OF revenue
tothe department and other great evils Incl.
dent TO the greater strikes that paralyzed all
business to a greater or less extent from
June az until July "a OF this year
One OF the most important and interesting
features OF Mr.. Bissell's report Is Its discus
sion of class matter. In his last report ne
referred to the great disproportion ofgrowth
of second class matter ana ntlmateo tnat
he did not believe 1t was due to the growth
of genuine newspapers and periodicals 80
mueh az the enterprise Of merchants, manu-
facturers and others taking advantage OF
the law to secure entry Of advertising matter
into this favored class.
ar do not" he says, "advocate change
NJ rates now upon legitimate newspapers and
periodical magazines. Mypurpose is to urge
the withdrawal Of low postage rates from the
large cities and the pretended periodicals
that are now improperly enjoying them NOT
only on account OF the inherent propriety OF
that course. but because am almost nope
less of ever seeing the financial condition
of the department properly established
until such withdrawal is brought about.
sThe most conspicuous class OF these pre-
tended periodicals are what are now gener-
ally known as serial paper covered booKs'
They are nothing but books, pure and sim.
Die. and many of them very trashy books at
thar. each one distinct In itself. the series
never being devoted to ANYTHING In particu-
lar, having few subscribers, and vita no
real subscription price, except nomlnal
one. for not one man in hundred ever
dreams of buying the books except as ne
would buy any other book.
"This state Of things is nor ms3ely q
wrong to the Government and to the senders
OF other classes OF mail matter, which, pro-
ducIng surplus of revenue, arethus unduly
taxed. but It is a wrong to the publishers oi
other books. and, believe, sort Of debase'
ment of the Nations literature"
MIR. Bissell commends the International
Postal Union. The Postmaster-Generai does
not favor the postal telegraph, system ad-
yocated by his predecessor. The conditions
in this country, he says, are such as would
enormously increase the large deficit. he
takes as example the system IN Great Britain,
which Is a comparatively small territory,
and shows that the postal telegraph entails
AM annual loss of about S2,0OO,000. DE
points out that In country where the TER
ritory Is 80 large and where the star routes
exceed In length the railroad and steam
boat routes 10000. miles, although tht
former are 1000 miles In length, snat the
cost of postal telegraph would Tar exceed
.no noooihla rocainfS