The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-12-09
POSTAL AFFAIRS.
Annual Report of Mr.. Wilson's De-
partment.

master General Wilson, He quotes
figures which show an excess -of cXpen1i.
lures over receipts OF 50, l21, 0SS for the
past fiscal year which, however, is IL de.
crease III deficiency rs compared with the
previous fiscal year of 81 .G91, 9Jj. This
satisfactory exhibit for the past year has
been made possible the Postmaster Gen
cral says, by Il vigorous policy of bringing
suit or pushin" collection en- bonds inn
mcdittely after default, which is the only
safe practice for the interests OF the Gov
ernment and those of the obligors The
Postmaster General says that he thinks
ConSi css might properly grant relief in
cases of hardship and injustice following
collection after the lapse OF years by II
general bill or otherwise.
The report says:
Notwithstanding the gratifying in
crease i'll the earnings of the Departments
which would have been fully up to it, if
not in excess of my estimate for the fiscal
year, but for the hating of business ac-
tivity i'll it's closing months. due to the
uncertainties of the political campaign
about to begin. the total deficiency
even after emitting the amount credited
to the Pacific railroads, was IS, 1871 0SS. IA
which was Il charge on the general Treas
ury. There is no necessity for this annual
deficit. The Department is powerlcss to
prevent it, but II few lines of amendment
by Congress to the present laws will wipe
it ont and give in its place Il steady sur
plus. /. has its chief source in the trans
mission Mt second-class rates of large
and rapidly increasing volume of matter
never III the contemplation of the law,
which gives the. nominal rate Of one cent
Il pound on such matter, and assurcdy
outside of the policy of the laws to news
papers and periodicals. -
The report recites the strenuous efforts os
the past to secure LEGISLATION designed To
protect the postal service from this waste
OF its earnings and the taxpayers from
the ar"e burden imposed upon them bv
the regular deficits. But it says. ''up
to now the combinations and active
efforts Of the bcneiiciarics of this abuse
have parried all appeals OF the Depart
mcnt.h
The Postmaster General says he would
''havc taken the responsibility to modify
ana reverse the SUGGEST We rulings through
which this inroad on the service has been
affected and to exclude from the benefits
of second. class rates the serial libraries
and other publications. not in the policy
OF the law, but for the hope of the enact
mcnt OF what is known rs the Loud bill
now pending in the House. This would
have imposed upon those whoproiit the
public expense by pNisting p.ac tice s the
necessity oil seeking through the courts,
or otherwise, the restoration of their
special PRIVILEGES.
AS to second class matter the report
says:
The increase in the weight of second
class matter for the year was $1,000, 600
pounds. us against l3, 600, 900 pounds last
year. The mere cost OF transportation of
this matter is estimated at eight cents
per pound. The postage revenue received
from it was eight and one.h half mills per
pound. Thus $4,000, 600 pounds in
round numbers, ut s cents for transport
ton, cost $27 100000; postal revenue re-
ceived ut s l-2 mills per pound, 1906
403, loss on transportation alone of
nearly $50, 100000.
but this does not cover the full loss
to the Government on secondclnss mat
ter. Setting OIL the cost of mail services
on public and official matter as above
stated by the Use and rental OF public
buildings provided for the postoiiice De.
partment, we have rs the great weight of
all NON governmental matter handled b.
the mails during the last fiscal year an
aggregate of DIP, 991, jal3 pounds. The
gross money expenditures OF the Depart
mcnt were, ms already stated 500, 62G,-
296. 81, AMI including the earnings of the
Pacific railroads to-wit. 81 Dos, SJS. 60 an
expenditure of 500, 1856, 1857 TO hnndc
this matter. 1t thus appears that from
two thirds Of the matter handled during
the last fiscal year the revenue was less
than one tlrticth of the cost of the mail
service.
The average cost of receiving, trans
porting and delivering each pound of
mail mutter of all classes was about Is
cents. Matter of the third and fourth
class probably paid for it's handling
with POSSIBLY n slight profit on fourth.
class matter. 1t is clear that at the
average postage revenue OF SO cents n
pound great profit accrues to the govern
ment cn first class matter; and granting
likewise that the cost of receiving trans
porting and delivering second class mat
ter is considerably lsS than this average
of Is cents II pound, it is equally clear
that ut the postage revenue of 1.2
mills FOUND there is still greater loss
on second class matter, which not only
swallows up all this profit but throws IL
heavy deficit on the general Treasury
Postmaster General Wilson discusses
the proposed one-cent letter rate, the
cheapest postage in the world. He saws
it would yield IL great profit, but il is
idle talk of such Il reduction while two.
thirds of our mail matter is handled at Il
small fraction of its cost. and the deficits
OF the Department in consequence aggre-
gated i'll eleven years since the act of
March >, 1880, zone cent II pound rate)
the enormous sum of 81 81, $50 This is
made up from the avais of general taxa
tion, and there is the further sum of SIS
6l0, 9G2 earned by the Pacific railroad for
transporting the mail which was certified
to the Secretary of the Treasury for
credit upon their Indebtedness to the Gov,