Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1899-12-07
SECOND-CLASS MAIL.
Its Privileges Abused and Congress
sional Action Wanted.
POSTMASTER GENERALS REPORT.
The Postal Deficit for the Current Year
S6,61O,776-Man Facilities in Our New
Island POssessiOns-OId Local
Postal System Obliterated.

Washington. Dec. 4.-The annual re-
port of Postmaster General Charles
Emory Smith was made public last
night. It's chief feature is a plea for
congressional action to stop the abuse
of second-class mail privileges, which
he says results in an annual waste of
upwards of $50, 600. 600. The financial
exhibit for the fiscal year shows total
expenditures of SOL, 639. 16l and total
receipts of sos. OBJ, 1874, the deficiency
being 50, 1872, TAT less than last year.
The postmaster general says:
The most urgent need of the postal service is
the rectihcation OF the enormous wrongs which
nave grown up IN the perverS1on and abuse OF
the privileges accorded by law to second-class
matter. There are many improvements and ad-
vaneeS waiting development and application;
opportunities for Speedier transmission and de-
livery; fields for broadening the scope OF the
mail service and bringing it closer home to the
people; possibilities of reduced postage; but
above and beneath and beyond ali of these
measures of progress, which experience
and intelligence are working out, is the re-
demption OF the special concession which con-
gress granted fora distinct and justifable pub
lie object from the fungus growth and the fla
grant evils that have fastened upon it
For this costly abuse which drags the de-
partment and weighs down the service, ira m
mels its power and means of effective advance
ment in every direction, involves a sheer
The postal deficit for the current year is $780,,
ZIG, But for this wrongful application of the
Second-claSS rate, instead of a deficit there
would be a clear surplus of many millions. 1t
is not now proposed to restrict the privileges of
legitimate publications to modify the design
of the law, but only to bring back it's app1ica-
ton to its original and just scope. 1t is believed
that fully one-half of all the matter mailed as
Second-class and paid for at the pound rate is
not properly second-class within the intent 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 department. actually
derives a revenue of 14.75 cents a pound for the
third-class matter mail last year. and on this
basis the department would have received for
this wrongly-classed second-rate matter $685.
OIL 1858, instead of 81, 763, SIC which it actually
received and the postal revenues would have
been increased by the handsome sum of So, 248,-
347.
Mr.. Smith concludes that over one
fourth of the entire volume and weight
of the mails pays as second-closs mat
ter when it should pay third-class and
that this furnishes only one-ffty-ffth
part of the postal revenue and it's car
rying, reckoning at. eight cents a
pound, costs $I4, 1OS, 1919 while revenue
from it was ST., 1858, SIG, thus causing
loss of over $l2 600, 600. Mr.. Smith
says:
If there is to be favored class let it embrace
all the people. With this class paying proper
ly even penny postage, with reasonable limita-
tions, could be applied to letters without entail
ing deficit larger than that of the last few
years, and possibly with none at all.
Regarding our new possessions the
postmaster general says:
The presence of United States troops in the
new island possessions and Cuba in constant
communication with home constrained the
tablishment of mail facilities for their needs
and the practical obliteration of the old local
postal system with extinguiShrnent of parish
authority compelled "a reconstruction of the
whole service for the requirements of the
tive pOnuatiOn.