The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1895-11-28
POSTMASTER GENERAL
Makes His Annual Report Of the
Operation Of His Department.
Two-Thirds In Weight of the Matter Car.
fiod in the Malls 10 Carried ~ Sc cond-
Class Matter-The Postmaster Gen.
eral Makes Several suggestions.

Class Matter-The Postmaster Gen.
eral Makes Several suggestions.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 25.-Postmaster
General Wilson, in his annual report
OF the operation of the post Office de-
partment, remarks that the financial
and industrial depression which has so
seriously affected the revenues of the
postal service for the past two years,
and disappointed the estimates of the
predecessors, extended far enough into
the fiscal year 1895 to make an
unusually wide gap between reve
nues and expenditures. 1t is graft.
flying, however, to report that
large part of this deficiency occurred
in the first quarter of the year, and
that since then the revenues of the de.
partment have reflected the general
returning prosperity of the country.
He ascribes the gross abuse of second
class rates of postage as the chief
cause of the yearly deficit in postal
revenues. He repeats and endorses
the recommendation of his predeces.
sors, for an amendment of the law in
regard to the transportation of second
class matter, and says:
1T is the estimate of the department
that two-thirds in weight of all the
matter carried in the mails is, under
existing laws and classifications, car.
ried as second-class matter, at the rate
OF one cent per pound"
The aggregate weight of second.
class matter in the year 1894 was $780,.
600, 900 pounds. During last year it in.
creased to over 312, 600, 900, a growth OF
over 100000 pounds. Deducting
the weight of that which is known as
county free, being the matter which
is circulated among subscribers free in
the respective counties of publication
estimated to be As, $50, 1s5 pounds, there
remained 265, 314, 3s2 pounds, which re.
turned at the rate of one cent per
pound revenue of So, 653 143. SO. The
average cost to the department of
transporting and handling this matter
is eight cents per pound. Speaking OF
the extension of civil service rules to
letter carriers, he says:
"An indispensable basis of good service has
been laid by placing the carrier force under
the civil service system, and no effort should
be spared by the department to insure high
er moral in this force than to familiarize
the service by merit system alone so likewise
they remain in it by no tenure but by faithful
and efficient discharge Of duty, which demands
self respect and honorable living 1t is newt
able that few individuals here and there
should interpret his stability of employment
as personal privilege, encouraging slovenly
service and tnsubordination to superior off,
GERS rather than reform based on considera-
t1ons OF better public service; and such in |
stances have occurred and will doubtless con-
t1nue to occur, even after the full meaning Of
the civil service system is understood and ac-
cepted. But 1t is gratifying to report that, as
whole, and by such overwhelming predom-
nance as to make the exceptions more prom
inent, the army of letter carriers is alert, |
faithful, efficient and honorable"
The postmaster general desires civil service |
methods to be carried still further and higher
in the post office department He says: Two
or my assistants are charged, each with the
expenditure of S40OOO,OOO annually, together !
with the management and the discipline |
OF thousands OF employees. The duties |
or the other two are not less onorous |
and multiplex. If such officials are to be the |
real heads Of their bureaus. intimately ac- |
qualnted with all the machinery and working |
Of them. competent to direct and able to in |
fuse their own intelligence through subordin- |
ates, they should have tenure at least as as |
surance from the mutations and chances of po- |
lltical contest as those subordinates. The |
continuity OF the department should be pre-
served in changes of administration not only |
along the line Of it's subordinate and |
separate service, but in that larger
grasp of it's history, it's daily |
work, and its healthful progress, which is |
70 und alone with those who direct and control |
Its chief bureaus. concur therefore, in the |
judgment of one of my predecessors, that at |
least three OF the assistant postmaster gener- |
ais should hold their Offices by civil service or |
merit tenure and not by political tenure. re-
frain from offering like opinion as to the |
fourth assistant postmaster general because |
fourth class postmasters. whose appointment |
is primarily allotted to him, are yet outside Of |
that tenure.
The question Of extending civil service meth
ods to the selection of fourth-class postmas- |
ters has naturally received my attention since |
l have been at the head of this department 1t |
is beset with difficulties which my experience |
as representative in congress OF |
large country district during three changes
OF administration, brought home to me more
clearly than they might appear to theoret.
ical reformer or to the re preventative of n city
have studied various bills in
troduced in both branches of congress in re-
cent years and welcomed suggestions from
other quarters, but do not find myself able to
make, as yet, any specific recommendations |
on this important subject in the line of legisla-
tion which has been proposed.
The order which you have recently approved,
that when the postmaster general |
shall consolidate with a free delivery office
any other post office, such consolidation shall
carry into the classified service at the free
delivery office the post office roster of en-
ployes of the office consolidated. including the
postmaster may be accepted as the beginning
and foundation not only Of better postal serv-
ice of the public, a better and more
business-like according to this department,
but also a wise extension of the civil service
system to postmasters. 1t is my purpose to
proceed under the authority of this order as
as can, and in the long run as far
as experience will justify, so as to secure
these commendable results
Severe Earthquake Shock in Mexico.
CITY OF MEXICO, Nov. 25-Quite a
severe earthquake shock visited this