Omaha daily bee., 1896-12-08

suited In prompter auditing OF their ac-
I counts and much lees default to the gov
! ernment than heretofore.
The years report shows large extensions
/ OF both star route service and railway mail
service. with Increased postal facilities
much higher accuracy In handling mails has
also been reached. as appears by the de-
crease OF errors In the railway mail service
and the reduction OF mail matter returned
to the dead letter office.
Cause of the Deficit.
Tho deficit for the last year. although
much less than that OF the last and prcccd-
ing years emphasizes the necessity for leg
tslation to correct the growing abuse Of
second-clasS rates, TO which the deficiency
is mainly attributable. The transmission at
the rate OF cent a pound Of serial Ii
braries advertising sheets, House organs"
periodicals advertising some particular
house or Institution. sample copies. and
the like ought certainly to be discontinued.
glance at the revenues received for the
work done last year will show more plainly
than any other statement the gross abuse
Of the postal service and the growing waste
of its earnings. The free matter carried In
the mails for the department Offices etc,
OF the government, and for congress, In
pounds, amounted to A,lSO,lS9. II this Is
Offset against buildings for postoAices and
stations. the rental of which would more
than compensate for such free postal serv-
ice, we have this exhibit: Weight Of mail
matter (other than abuyC), transmitted
through the mails for the year ended June
80, 1896
Weight in Pounds Revenue
First Class-Domestic ana
foreign letters and postal
second-Newspapcrs and
periodicals, l cent per
TRrd"BooEs seeds, etc. ''''' -''''''
cents per pouud............ 7S7Ol1iS 1884 O6a
fourtl-parCes, etc, l6
cents pound. .........,.... l99JO,lNI S,l2OS2l
Totals ....................5i .5i295I326 $77oit25i
The remainder of our postal revenue
amounting to something more than $4,000
900, was derived from box rents registry fees,
money order business and other similar
items The entire expenditures of the de-
partment, including pay FOR transportation
credited to the Pacific railroads was $92 1885,
1911, whic, 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 II was
less than one-thiifieth of the total expense.
The average revenue from each pound of
hrSt-claSs matter was 80 cents. from each
pound of sccond-class matter Sib mills (of
the second-class 52,3iS2 297 was county free
matter), from each pound of third-class 131
cents, from each pound of fourth-class 1916
cents.
Second-CIass Matter Abuses.
The growth of weight of second-class mat
ter has been from $4,000 900 pounds in 1894
to 312 coo in 1895, and to almost 3ia-
OOD,OOO in 1896, and 1t 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 the conveniences
OF our people. at a direct charge upon them
so light as perhaps to exclude the idea OF
our Postoiice department being a money
making concefn, but in the face of a CON
1Ffn
and in view of the fact that we supply the
best mail service in the world il seems to
me 1t is quite time to correct the abuses that
swell enormously cur annual deficit If we
concode the public policy of carrying weekly
newspapers free in the county of publication
and even the policy of carrying at less
than one-tenth of their cost other bona fde
newspapers and periodicals, there can be no |
excuse for subjectlng the service to the |
further immense and increasing lCSs involved |
In carrying at the nominal rate of | cent a |
pound the serial libraries, sometimes includ- |
ing trashy and even harmful literature and |
other matter which, under the loose inter |
probation of a loose statute has been gradu-
ally given second-clasS rates thus absorbing |
all profitable returns derived from first-clgss |
matter which Fays three or four times |
more than its cost, and producing a large !
annual less to be paid by general taxation. I
II such second-class matter paid merely the
cost of It's handling our deficit would dis
appear and surplus result which might be
used to give the people still better mail
facilities or cheaper rate OF letter postage
recommend that legislation be at once |
enacted to correct these abuses and introduce |
better business ideas in the regulation of
our postal rates.
Some Reforms Needed.
Experience end observation have demon
strated that certain improvements in the
OF the Pcstofice department
must be secured before we can gain the full ,
benefit of the immense sums expended in its
This involves the following |
which i earnestly recommend:
There should be a small addition to the
existing Inspector service. to be employed
in the supervision of the carrier force
which now numbers 1900 men, and per
forms its service practically without the
surveillance exercised over all other branches
Of the postal or public service. OF course,
such lack Of supervision and freedom from
wholesome disciplinary restraints must in
evitably lead to imperfect service. There
should also be appointed few inspectors
who could assist the central office in neces- |
Sary investigation concerning matters of
Dostoflice leases postofice sites. allowances
Tor rent, fuel and lights and in organiz-
ing and securing the best results from the
work of the 14,0OO clerks now employed
IN first and second -class offices. / am CON
5inced that the small expense attending |
he Inauguration of these reforms would
actually be a profitable Investment.
| especially recommend such a recasting d
" the appropriations by congress for the
'ostoftice department as will permit the
general to proceed with the Q
work of consolidating postofIices. This work a
lGs already been entered upon sufficiently 4
o fully DEMONSTRATE, by experiment and ex-
,erience that such consolidation is produc- a
i've Of better service. larger revenues and d
ess expenditures, to say nothing of the y
urther advantage of gradually withdraw 0
ng pcstoflices from the spols system.
Postal Union Congress.
The Universal Postal Union, which now x
all the civilized world and whose q
elegatos viii represent 1000 100000 people : !,
vii hold its fifth congress in the city of "
Washington iE May, 1897. The United i
tates may be said to have taken the initia.
i've which led to the first meeting of this L
ongress at Berne in 1874 and the forma
ion of the Universal Postal Union, which
rings the postal service Of all countries u
0 every mans neighhorhood and has o
,rought marvels in cheapenng postal rates :
nd securing absolutely safe mail commu-