The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-12-10
Glass.

seeds, etc,
cents
pound :. :. 1901, 14S l0,324OG9
| Class i, par
cells, etc, 16
pound .. 19,95o,1s7 3,129321
Totals -. 512,977,326 S7T,O44, 257
/ The remainder of our postal revenue,
amounting to something more than $780,
COO was derived from rents, registry
fees, money order business and other
! similar items. The entire expenditures
of the department, including pay for
transportation credited to the Paclhc
railroad, was S92, 1856, 1871, which may
be considered as the cost of receiving,
CARRYING and delivering the above mail
matter. 1t thus appears that though the
second class matter constituted more than
two-thirds of the total that was carried,
the revenue derived from it was less
than one-thirtieth of the total expense.
| The average revenue from each pound OF
frst-ciass matter was 90 cents. From
each pound of second-class matter IL
mills (of the second-class 52,34S,291 was
country free matter); from each pound
of third-class, 13.1 cents. From each
pound of fourth class 1876 cents. The
growth in weight of second-class matter
has been from 100000 pounds in
1894 to 313.0OO,O00 in 1895, and to al
most $40 100000 in 1896 and it is quite
evident this increasing drawback is far
outstripping any possible growth of
postal revenues.
Our mail service should, of course, be
such as to meet the wants and even me
conyeniences of our people at direct
charge upon them so light as, perhaps,
to exclude the idea of our postotfice de-
partment being money making concern,
but in the face of a constantly recurring
deficiency in its revenues and In view
of the fact that we supply the best mail
service in the world, it seems it is quite
time to correct the abuses that swell
enormously our annual deficit If we con-
cede the public policy of carrying weekly
newspapers in the county of publication
and even the policy of carrying at less
than onetenth of their cost other bona
tide newspapers and periodicals., there
can be no excuse for subjecting the SER
vice to the further immense and in
creasing loss involved in carrying ut he
nominal rate of l cent n pound, the Sc
rial libraries, sometimes including trashy
and even harmful literature and other
matter. which, under the loose interprc-
tation of loose statute, has been grad
ually given second-class rates, thus alb
sorbing all profitable returns derived
from tirst-class matter, which pays three
or four times more than its cost, and
producing large annual loss to be paid
by general taxation. If such second
class matter paid merely the cost of its
| handling, our deficit would disappear
and surplus result which might be
used to give the people still better mail
| facilities or cheaper rates of letter post
age. l recommend that legislation be at
once enacted to correct these abuses and
introduce better business ideas in the
regulation of our postal rates. Expert
cnce and observation have demonstrated
that certain improvements in the organ
izatop of the postoffice department must
be secured before we can gain rhe full
benefit of the immense sums expended
in it's administration. This involves the
following reforms, which l earnestly rec
ommend:
There should be small addition to
the existing inspector service 10 be en-
ploycd in the supervision of the carriers
force, which now number 1900 men,
and performs its service practically with
out the surveillance exercised over all
other branches of the postal or public
service. OF course such a lack Of super
vision and freedom from wholesome dis
ciplinary restraints must inevitably lead
to imperfect service There should
also be appointed a few inspec-
tors who would assist the CEN
trail Office in necessary Investigation
concerning matters of postottice leases,
postoffice sites, allowance for rent, fuel
and lights and in organizing and secur-
ing the best results from the work of the
1900 clerks now employed i'll tirst-class
and second-class offices.
am convinced that the small expense
attending the Inauguration OF these re-
forms would actually be a profitable in
vestment. l especially recommend such
Il recasting of the appropriations by con-
gress for the postotfce department as
will permit the Postmaster General to
proceed with the work of consolidating
postoffices. This work has already been
entered upon sufficiently. to fully demon
strate by experiment and experience that
such consolidation is productive of bet
ter service, larger revenues and less eX-
pensive Expenditures, to say nothing of
the further advantage Of gradually with
drawing postofiices from the spoils sys-
TEN.
The Universal Postal Union, which
now embraces all of the civilized world
and whose delegates will represent 1000
100000 people, will hold its fifth con-
gress in the city of Washington IN May,
1897 The United States may be said
to have taken the initiative which led to
the first meeting of this congress at
Berne in 1874 and the formation of the
Universal Postal Union, which brings
the postal service of all countries to
every mans neighborhood and has
wrought marvels in cheapening postal
rates and securing absolutely safe mail
communication throughout the world.
Previous congresses have met IN Berne,
Lisbon and Vienna, and the respective
countries in which they assembled nave
made generous provision for their ac-
commodation and for the reception and
entertainment of the delegates. In view
of the Importance of this assemblage and
its deliberations and of the honors and
inequalities accorded to our representa-,
! tives by other countries on similar oc-
casior" earnestly hope that such an
oppropriation will be made for the ex-