The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-03-19
ABUSE OF FRANK PRIVILEGE

y. Main St, and G. Gehring's, corner
Topeka and Douglas avenue.
ABUSE OF FRANK PRIVILEGE
Immense Increase in the Number of Free
Packages Sent Out.
Washington, March 1S.-Much aston
ishment has been expressed in the atti-
tude taken by the railroad companies
in OPPOSITION to the bin now before the
house of represen tativeS 'to regulate
the transmission of certain free matter
through the mails" The bill had been
on the desk Of Chairman Loud Of the
postoff1ce committee for six weeks, and
every railroad man in Washington, 1t
was supposed, had conversed with him
about it, and they had all, when asked
If they desired to BE- heard concerning
It. answered in the negative; but as
soon as the committee voted to report
the bill a delay of a week vas asked
for in order that the railroad men
might be heard The theory commonly
entertained Is that the railroads will
favor any diversion of trade from the
mails to their own freight departments;
but those who hold It fail to reflect
that, although the government under
takes the conveyance Of great variety
Of articles at an abSurGly low IA be, Il
IS obliged to pay the railroad compan-
les q very handsome rate for doing the
work, and the companies naturally pre-
fer carrying these things at govern
ment prices TO carrying them at ordin-
4 airy freight rates, and to them IL makes
no difference what the government re-
ceiveS for the service or whether it re-
ceives anything at all In justice TO
the corporations ii should be said that
!. - 10
transfer of great weight and bulk from
the mails to freight traffic, but they
draw the line OF concession at books
and other printed matter sent under
government frank. Senator Woicott
has a bill before the other chamber in
which this distinction lis recognized,
and that measure the companies seem
willing 10 accept
What kind Of articles the govern
ment franks for department purposes
IS shown by the statement Of the post
master at Washington; "At times
desks have been sent by mail, but rare
L. From the Interior department many
/ typewriters with stands are sent, The
| stationery divisions of the treasury and
interior departments send all their sup
plies Of ink, mucilage, etc, for all out
side office attached to those DEPART
| thing to have cases delivered by the
the treasury department to this office
Weighing as much as 1,200 or 1,400
| pounds, and some have had to be re-
turned for the reason that they could
not be gotten through the doors OF a
l railway postal car, The treasury des-
| patches all its Internal revenue stamps
through this office. Their weight is es-
! tmated al about $50 tons year. The
carpets shipped from the treasury are
not in the ordinary rolls as they come
| from the factory, but are cut and made
! here for the rooms of the public build
! ings throughout the country. Con-
! g:-essmen send many chests, weighing,
! say $50 pounds, paying on each the
! registry fee Of 8 cents. All the matter
1 have mentioned is despatched by
registered mail, for the reason that re-
! ceipts can be obtained only by that
! system For transmission in the oriin-
/ airy mail this Office continues TO receive
! from some Of the executive depart
ments sacks containing flags for Gus
! tom houses and observers at signal
stations, occasionally bedding and tent
| equipments for surveying parties. and
| boxes containing locks for internal rev.
| enue collectors The postmaster add
/ ed that more than 1000, 900 pounds of
! stationery a year are sent out by the
! government departments IN the same
/ way.
The postmaster at New Orleans ad-
| dressed the department Il few days ago
as follows: 4 have the honor to inform
| you that there was received in the reg
! istered mail at this Office, in trans,.
! from Cheneyyilla % Baton Rogue. four
/ parcels. each under penalty label: one
] a. a urNi 1r
| weighing 200 pounds. one trunk weigh
| ing IS pounds and one set Of three poles
/ weighing 81 pounds, all addressed 10
4 the United States Coast and Geodetic
! Survey, Baton Rouge, La. In this con-
/ nection ! wish - state that when this
/ same party several months ago offered
/ their trunks, boxes, TENS, etc, for
/ mailing At this Office and were refused.
/ they volunteered the information that
! chss was the first and only office, large
/ or small, in the country, at which they
( had met with such q refusal"
! IN the fiscal year ending June 50, 1895,
/ the amount Of mail matter carried alb
/ solutely free weighed 96I5S.542 pounds.
/ This vast mass may he divided into
/ four parts Tor purposes OF classlfica-
/ ton: 90 Local 0ewsps pers. distributed
/ free in the county Of publics ton. ana
| weighing 4s.S2o,lS5 pounds, or about
/ half Of the whole amount; On letters IN
penalty envelopes, amounting 10 .
| o62,2S0; 81 supplies, blanks. twlne and
/ all other matter mailed under .pan-
atty labels. and sZgreSa ding So SIS. $50
/ pounds; and ca books. pamphlets. re-
! ports. seeds, etc. The Loud bill -euui--
/ IS the postmaster general 20 transmit
} by freight, express. or such other
means as re may direct. such govern
/ rlert books, maps. postal cards. stamp
+ e1 envelopes. and other supplies OF any
/ and every description as are now trans
I United ~ mail free. as in his opinion
! can be transmitted without serious in
/ jury - the government. the party %
I whom said matter i addressed. cv the
! sender; provided that in no case the
! cost u transportation by the regular
mail -aciGUes-h The Wolcott bill pro-
J poses 20 get rid of the free carriage of
I office supplies as lar as possible. bug
would not NEEDLE with the books. PAM
QaletS. and seeds except in the case
say. o. seeds where the packages 'xs;-l
more than four pounds. TIE local
. newSpape ana the penalty-euvelop
cor-esp5ajence. neither the Loud nor
/ the Woicoti bill would disturb.
The need Of some revision = The free
lisc IS no NV discovery. Successive
( postmaster generals have been ham
me-inE 81 the subject Tor years IN their
reports: and as long ago as 1883 The