The Saint Paul globe., 1896-12-08

tion and credited on their debt to the govern
ment. There was an increase sof Teceipts over
the previous year Of s5,516, ,Os0.2l, or III per
1886, f24.02, or 4.42 per cent
1.-The deficit was $1s679 956.194 less than that
OF the preceding year. The chief expendi-
lures of the postal service are regulated by
law and are not in thesfcontroi Of the post
master general. All-that he can accomplish
by the most -watchful administration and
collection and accounting for public moneys
and such minor savings in small expenditures
and in letting thoseo contracts for postoflce
Supplies ana staf. ase1vicR5 which are not reg,
An. effective co-opeFation between the au-
ditors office and the postoffice department
and the making and enlargement of orders by
the department requiring immediate notifca-
ton-- 10 their sureuesgof any delinquencies on
the part OF postmasters, and compelling such
poslmasIers TO make more frequent deposits
Oh postai Iunds have resulted in a prompter
auoiting OF their ACCOUNTS and much less de-
fault TO the government than heretofore.
Inc year s report shows large extensions of
both star route service and railway mail serv-
1ce with increased postal facilities. Much
hlgher accuracy In handling mails has also
Deen reached, as appears by the decrease Of
errors IN the railway mail service and the
reduction of mail matter returned to the dead
letter office.
The deficit for the last year although much
less than that of the last preceding years
emphasizes the necessity for legislation to
correct the growing abuse of second-class
rates, to which the deficiency Is mainly at
The transmission at the rate OF / cent a
pound of serial libraries, advertising sheets
mouse organs" periodicals advertising some
pa1tac partacular nousen or institution, sample
COPIES, ana the like, ought certainly to be
oIsconIlnueo glance at the revenues re-
celved Tor the work done last year will show
more more plalnly than any other statement, the
gross abuse Of the postal service and the
growing waste of it's earnings The free mat
ter carried in the mails for the department
omces' etc, OF the government, and for con-
gress, In pounds, amounted to "a 480, ,1S9 If
this is offset against buildings for postoffice
and stations, the rental of which would more
than compensate for such free postal service,
we have this exhibit Weight of mail matter
(other than above. transmitted through the
mails for the year ending June 1896:
Pounds. Revenue.
First-class-
Domestic and foreign let
ters and postal cards, $50
etc .:.............. 65.Sa7, ,a4s $50, ,s24. 4s4
Newspapers and periodic
ais: l cent per lb....... .34S, ,9SS 64S 1896, ,403
Third-class-
Books, seeds, etc., cts
per pound .............- 7S 701 148 10 1924 069
Fourth class
Parcels, etc, 16 cents a
pound 49,. ............ 19, $50. 1877 S,12s, ,321
Totals .......... .512, ,977 1926 ST., ,044 257
The remainder Of our postal revenue,
amounting to- something more than $5,OOO0 coo,
was derived from box receipts registry fees
money order business, and other similar
items.
The entire expenditures of the department.
including pay for TRANSPORTATION credited to
the Pacific railroads was 1872 1856 1876 II. which
may be considered as the cost of receiving
carrying and delivering the above mail mat
ter.lt thus appears that though the second
class matter constituted more than two-thirds
OF the total that was carried the revenue
derived from 1t was less than one-thrtieth
of the total expense.
The average revenue from each pound of
hrst-class matter was SO cents. From each
pound Of secend-class 81 mills. (Of the Sec
ond-class So 297 was county free matter)
From each pound of sthird-class 13.1 cents.
From each potnd of fourth-clas 1876 cents.
The growth Of weight of second-class matter
has been from 299, ,000,0 600 pounds in 1894. to
S12 100000 in 1895, and4to almost 349, 900, 900
In 1896. and it is quite evident this increasing
drawback is far outstripping any possible
growth Of postal revenues.
SECOND GLASS MATTER.
Our mail service should, Of course, be such
as to meet the wants and even the conven-
fences OF. our people, at a direct charge upon
them, so light as perhaps to exclude the idea
of our postofice department being a money
making concern: but in the face of a con-
stantly recurring deficiency in it's revenues
and in view OF the fact that we supply the
best mail service in the world it seems to me
it is quite time to correct the abuses that
swell enormously our annual deficit. If we
concede 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. fide news
papers and periodicals, there can be no ex-
cuse for subjecting the service to the further
immense and increasing loss involved in car
rying at the nominal rate, of one cent pound
the serial Libraries sometimes including
matters which, under the loose interpreta-
ton of loose statute, has been gradually
given second-class rates, thus absorbing all
profitable returns derived from f1rst-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 DIS
appear and the surplus result which might be
used to give the people still more mail facil
tiles or cheaper rates, of letter postage.
/ recommend that legislation be at once en-
acted to correct these abuses and Introduce
better business ideas in the regulation of our
postal rates Experience and observation have
demonstrated that certain improvements in
the organization of the postoffice department
must be secured before we can gain the full
benefit of the immense sums expended in its
administration. This involves the following
reforms which l earnestly recommend:
There should be small addition to the ex
1sting inspector service to be employed in
the supervision of the carrier force, which
now numbers 13, 900 men, and performs it's
service practically without the surveillance
exercised over all other branches of the
postal CT puDnc service. VI course SuCl a
lack of supervision and freedom from whole
some disciplinary restraints must inevitably
lead to imperfect SeFvlce.. There should also
be appointed a few inspectors who could as
slst the central office in necessary investiga-
tion concerning matters OF postofice leases,
postof6ce sites, allowances for rent, fuel and
lights, and in organizing and securing the best
results from the work of the IA 600 clerks now
employed in first and second class offices.
I am convinced that the small expense at
tending the inauguTation of these reforms
would actually be profitable investment.
especially recommend such recasting of the
appropriations by congress for the postofice
department, as will permit the postmaster
general to proceed with the work of consoli-
dating postoffces. i This work has already
been entered upon sufficiently to fully demon
strate, by experiment and experience, that
such consolidation is productive of better
service, larger revenues and less expenditures,
to say nothing of the further advantage Of
gradually Withdrawing postof1ces from the
spoils system.
The universal postal union, which now en-
braces all the civilized world and whose
delegates will represent 1000, 000, 600 people,
will hold its fifth congress 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 uni
Versal postal union, which brings the postal
service OF all countries to every mans neigh
berho0d, and has wrought marvels in cheap
ening postal rates and securing absolutely
safe mail communication throughout the
world.
Previous congresses have met in Berne,
Paris, Lisbon and Vienna, and the respective
countries in which they have assembled have
made generous provisions for their accommo-
dation and for the reception and entertain
ment of the delegates In view of the i'm
portance of this assemblage and of its delib-
erations, and of the honors and hospita1ities
accorded to our representatives by other coun-
tries on similar occasions, l earnestly hope
that such an appropriation will be made for
the expenses necessarily attendant upon the
coming meeting in our capital city, as will
be worthy of our national hospitality and in
dicative of our appreciation of the event.