Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1896-12-10
THE MESSAGE.
Continued from page ~


in letting those contracts for. post Office
supplies and star service, which are nos
regulated by statute.
An effective cooperation between the al
diior's office and the post Office department
and the making and enforcement Of orders
By the department requiring immediate
notification to their sireties of any de-
linquencies on the part of postmasters and
compelling such postmasters to make more
frequent deposits of postal funds have re-
suited in a prompter auditing Of their ac-
counts and much less default to the gov
eTn4asnt than heretofore
large Extensions.
The years report shows large extensions
of both star route service ard railway
mail service, with increased postal facilf-
mails has also been reached as appears
by the decrease of errors in the railway
mail service and the reduction OF mail mat
ter returned to the dead letter Office.
Abuse of Seeond-Ciass Rates.
The deficit for the last year, although
much less than that OF the last and pre-
ceding years, emphasizes the necessity fer
legislation to correct the growing abuse
Of sec0nd-class rates, to which the de-
ficiency is mainly attributable. IAe trans
mission at the rate Of one cent a pound
house organs periodicals advertising
some particular house or institution)
sample copies and the like ought certainly
to be discontinued.
A 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 50. $50, ls9
If this is offset against buildings for post
offices and stations, the rentals 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
ended June 30. 1896:
/. Domestic and foreign
letters and postal
2. Newspapers and y
G BooFs s Sc 2sr etc, Sc '-.-''S $780,
per - -, 7S, 20 1s 1e g s ss9
Totals ................. 5l2,9 ,826 $77.O44.257
Expenditures.
The remainder of our postal revenue,
amounting to something more than IS 000,-
O00, was derived from box rents, registry
fees money-order business and other SINH
lar items. The entire expenditures of this
department, including pay for Transports
ton credited to the Pacific railroads, was
1872, 1856 1871, which may be considered as
the cost of receiving, carrying and dellv-
ering the above mail matter. 1t thus APP
pears that though the second-class mat
ter constituted more than two-thirds Of
the total that was carried, the revenue
derived from it was less than one-thirtleth
of the total expense. The average revenue
from each pound Of first-class matter was
90 cents. From each pound OF second
class, So mills. (Of the second class 81, S4S.-
297 was county-free mattel). From each
pound of third class, 13.1 cents From each
pound of fourth class, 1876 cents. The
growth of weight OF second-class matter
has been from 900 pounds IN 1874 TO
312.0000o0 pounds in 1928, ana 70 aiil 3,5
$40, $1,000 ii 1895, and il is quite evident this
increasing drawback is far outstripping any
possible growth of postal revenues
Abuses Must BE Corrected.
Our mail service should of course be
such as to meet the wants and even the
conveniences of our people, at direct
charge upon them SO light as perhaps 10
exclude the idea of our post ONCE Depart
ment being a money-making concern; but
in the face of a constantly recurring de-
ficiency in its 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 enor-
mously our annual deficit. II we concede
the public policy OF carving weekly news
paperS free in the county of publication.
and even the policy OF carrying at less
than one-teRth of their cost other bona
fide newspapers and periodicals, there can
be no excuse for subjecIng the service TO
the further immense and increasing loss
involved III carrying at the nominal ate
of one cent pound the serial llbrarleS,
sometimes including trashy and even
harmful literature, ana other matter
which, under the loose Interpretation OF
a loose statute, has been gradually given
profitable returns derived from flrst-class
matter, which pays three or four times
more than it's cost, and producing large
annual loss to be paid by general taxation.
If such secOpd-claSS matter paid merely
the cost Of it's 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
postage. l recommend that legislation be
at once enacted to correct these abuses and
introduce better business ideas in the reg
ulation of our postal rates. Experience
and observation have demonstrated that
certain Improvements in the organization
of the post Office department must be Sc
cured before We can gain the full benefit
of the immense sums expended in its ad-
ministration. This involves the following
reforms which l earnestly recommend:
Reforms Suggested.
TT. ere 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 a lack of supervision and
freedom from wholeSome ulsclptnaIy re-
straints must inevitably lead to Imperfect
service. There should also be appointed
few inspectors who could assist the CEN
trail office in necessary investigation con-
corning matters of post office leases, post
office sites, allowances for rent, fuel ana
lights and in organizing and securing the
best results from the work OF the l4uUU
clerks now employed in first ana second
class Offices / am convinced that the small
expense attending the Inauguration OF these
reforms would actually be profitable in
I esDeciallv recommend that such a re-
casting of the appropriations by congress
for the post Office department as VIII per
nit the postmaster general to proceed WITH
the work of consolidating post offices. rms
work has already been entered upon sum
GENTLY to fully demonstrate, by expert
rnent and experience, that such consollda-
ton is productive of better service, larger
revenues and less expenditures, TO say
nothing of the further advantage of gradu-
ally Withdrawing post offices from the
spoils system.
The Postal Union.
The universal postal union, which now
embra ces all the civil zed world and whose
delegates will represent LOCO, 100000 people:
will hold its fifth congress in the city of
washington in May, 1897. The United
States may be said to have taken the in.
itiative 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 coun-
tries to every mans neighborhood ard has
wrought marvels in cheapening posta!
rates and securing absolutely safe mail
communication throughout the world.
Previous congresses have met in Berne,
Paris, Lisbon and Vienna, and the re-