The times., 1899-12-04
HANDLING OF THE MAILS
The President Receives the Report
of the Postmaster General.
Abuses of Second-CIass Matter Held
Responsible for the Great Deficit
ShOwn-POstaI Departments i'm the
New Island Possessions Another
Money Order system Wanted.

The annual report Of the Postmaster
| General has been submitted to the Presi-
dent. It is particularly strong in the con-
demnation Of abuses in second class mail
| matter. which it holds responsible for the
| deficit in receipts over expenditures; it
| shows that the postal service in our new
| island possessions is in good shape. and
| that the postal department is in a general
/ ly healthy condition. The total receipts
| last year from all sources were s95,02l,-
S8417; total expenditures. $1O1, 632, 1902;
| excess of expenditures over receipts, So
! 610, 1876. The first fact connected with
| this statement which commands attention
is the large decrease in the annual def
cheney. AS compared with the deficit for
| the fiscal year ending June 80, 1898. which
was 5000, ,905.06, it shows a reduction Of,
81, ,422, TAG. Sc, or 26.7 per cent. This results
] from the fact that, while the expenditures
are necessarily growing with the expanding
! service, the receipts are growing still
/ faster
! The estimated revenue for 1901 is st07,
! 7I3, 253.92: estimated expenditures, $il0,-
! T77.S00; estimated deficiency, $S.0045 546.08.
/ OF the abuses in second-class mail mat
! ter the report says:
/ The most urgent need of the postal SER
vice is the rectifcation of the enormous
wrongs which have grown up in the per
/ version and abuse of the privilege accord
! ed by law to second class matter Ths re-
! form is paramount to all others. There
are many improvements and advances
waiting development and application;
! there are opportunities for speedier trans
mission and delivery; there are fields for
| broadening the scope of the mail service
and bringing it closer home to the people;
/ there are possibilities of reduced postage,
! but above and beneath and beyond all of
! these measures of progress which expe-
TienCe and intelligence are working out, is
! the redemption of the special concession
which Congress granted for a distinct and
/ justifable public object from the fungous
! growths and the fragrant evils that have
! fastened upon 1t.
For this costly abuse, which d-ags on
! the department and weighs down the se.
! vice trammels its power and means OF
/ effective advancement in every direction.
! 1t involves a sheer wanton waste OF S20,-
| 000, Geo or upward a year. The postal def
! cit for the current year is $6,6l0,G6. But
! for this wrongful application Of the second
| class rate, instead OF a deficit there would
| be a clear surplus OF many mi liens. Vita
such an ample margin the possibilities of
/ practical improvements are apparent. II
! this deadly burden upon the mails were
removed the department cou,d hopefu u
! enter upon a systematic policy o. enlarg
! ed and progressive service with the assur-
ance that sound business management and
/ increasing facilities would bTiGg cOmmen-
! surate returns which would not be sSsl
! lowed up in the NAV of private interests
without any public advantage. This mis-
/ application Of a legitimate public object
to strictly personal ends not only entails
/ a large loss and taxes all the p ople fer
/ the benefit of a few. but it e1ipples the de-
! partment and obstructs needed improve
ments.
'.The wrongs which have proved so inju
rious were never contemplated by Congress. /
They are wholly outside the intent Of the
( law. They are directly in cOutravantion of
its spirit and have become possible only
/ through the evasion and distortion Of its
letter 1t has always been the purpose OF
/ Congress to ordatn low rates of postage
for legitimate newspapers and periodicals.
This was in accordance with the deliberate
and settled public policy which encourages
the dissemination OF public intelligence and
fayors the promotion OF enlightening in
auencas In the reform which is sug-
gested and sought, it is not proposed &c
restrict the privileges of legitimate publ
!
but only to bring back it's application to
its original and just scope. The aim is not
TO change what Congress meant to estab-
lish but only 10 Iop of the eXcrescences
which have grown upon it. These alien and
illegitimate additions have come TO equal,
If not to exceed, the proportions Of the in
tended and rightful recipients of the priv
ilege."
Not second Class Matter.
Careful enquiry has been made through
experienced postmasters and by an ex-
animation of the records Of the Iepart-
ment, and it is believed that fully one
ualf of all the matter mailed as second
class and paid for at the pound rate, is
not properly second class within the in
tent OF the law. and ought Justly to be
paid for at the third class rate. This gives
the enormous quantity of 176 ,351 613 pounds
from which the department derives only a {
fraction of the revenue to which it is
fairly entitled. The third class rate of
postage is / cent for each two ounces or I
fraction thereof, nominally s cents a
pound but in reality, through the opera
tigu Of the fractional provision the late
is higher division OF the amount of
postage received for third class matter by
the number of pounds of such matter
mailed shows that the department actually
derives a revenue of 14.75 cents pound
from this class. If therefore, there had
been paid as there should have been paid /
the average third class rate on the 49, |
25l 6l3 pounds which was wrongfulIy /
transmitted at the pound rate, the de-
partment would have received S25.011- /
86292. instead OF Sl.763,51j.13, which it
actually received, and the postal revenues
would have been increased by the hand /
some sum Of S24, PAS ,34G.Ig
1T appears that more than one-fourth !
of the entire volume and ,Isnt OF matter
carried through the mails is rated and pays
as second class matter when, under the
spirit and intent of the law. it ought TO be |
While this wrongly classed matter amounts /
to more than One-quaTter Of the whole
volume Of mail transmitted, it furnishes
only one-ffty-f fifth part Of the postal
revenue The expense of transportation !
being rsckoned at S cents a pound the
mere carrying of this matter cost $l4,l0S,- /
l2904, while the revenue from it was only
81. .763 .5l613. involving a loss to the Gov
ernment Of $12,344, ,612.91.
These statements convey their own
moral 1t is a gross and manifest wrong
that a particular and limited group of pri-
vate interests using the mails solely for
their own business ends and with no pub
lie object. direct or incidental, should first
succeed in eluding the plain purpose of /
the law and should then and thus carry
on their mail transactions. not at their !
own expense, but at the expense of others !
II there is to be d favored class let it en-
brace all the people. Penny postage is |
-,,.,,t,oI, I,i,, Do+ vet urartjc9b bIp and NAV ba