The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-28

IL the postal cars OF the Government
- carried nothing but prepaid mail the pcs
tai service would cost hardly more than
half of what it now does. The S5,OUO,VoO
deficit could be wiped out and letter pos
tage reduced 10 / cent. The abuses OF the
postal system produce that annual deficit.
These include the franking OF enormous
quantities of matter. much of which
should go by freight and not by post; and
much of which should not go at all; the
abuse of the second class mail privilege,
by which thousands of tons of books are
sent through the mails as periodicals
The Postmaster General has called the
attention of Congress to the second abuse
every year since the. present law went
into effect. The first. is an abuse about
which very few persons know anything
In fact. comprehensive statistics were not
easily obtained until the Government re-
Gently undertook a systematic weighing
of the mail of the entire country. Usual
ly only a fourth of the countrys mail
routes have weighing each year, and
this is confined to certain geographic
section.
One of the startling facts brought TO
light by this mail weighing is that one
half of the weight handled by the Pest
Office Department in Transporting mail in
railroad cars, electric ears, wagons, etc,
is equipmert-sacks pouches etc. These
sacks 90 out from certain centres full,
but many of them return empty. Often
the pouch contains so few letters that
the wrapping weighs more than the con-
tents.
Shippe6 Cow by Express Frank.
Where enormous quantities of ''periodi-
calls" are sent out from Offices which re-
ceive a comparatively small quantity Of
mail almost all the sacks used must be
sent 10 the postofTice from other parts
of the country empty one Office in Maine
uses I, goo OF these sacks daily, and they
average in weight three and one-third
pounds each The Postoffice Department
has been paying full mail rates for haul
ing these sacks from Boston or New YORK
until this year. Nov a freight carload Of
sacks is sent each week TO the Maine
postoffiCe at fraction Of the former cost
Governor ScofeId shipped a COW by eN-
press under an annual frank from his
home. in Wisconsin, TO the capital Of the
State when he assumed ONCE four years
ago. Recently the COW returned by freight,
charges prepaid
Governor ScuheId's abuse of his ex
press frank was no worse than the abuse
of postal franks became some years ago,
when the story that Congressman were
using their official privilege to send laun-
dering through the mails in large guam
titles created such a scandal that the
ranking privilege was revoked. few
years ago 1t was granted again under re-
strictions, and recently another Congress
man was accused Of using the Postofice
Department as an express company.
But Congressmen are not the only per-
sons who abuse the mails. officers Of
the departments use the mails to ship
all sorts of junk. Postoffice supplies are
sent in large quantities through the mails.
The stamped envelope agency alone sends
more than ten million pounds Of enve-
lopes through the mail each year.
Other departments send other matter
which is an even less legitimate subject
Of transportation. Some Weather Bureau
explorers some time ago sent their sad
dies, brides. tents. cooking equipage, bed
ding, and scientific instruments from a
point in Nevada to Washington as Gov
eminent mail matter. Their object was
to lessen the outlay from their appropria
tion by saving the freight, but their
economy cost the Postoffice Department
a pretty penny. On another occasion the
Geological Survey shipped several tons OF
mineral specimens and some heavy tools
from a western point to Washington as
mail. 1t is estimated that this trick cost
the Government $500. The quadTennisl
weighing of mail was being done on some
OF the lines over which the mineral speci-
mems Travelled. The average OF the weight
thus taken determines the compensation
of the railroads for the ensuing four
years unless a special weighing is order
ed. The Government had to pay for those
mineral specimens every day until the
weighing was done again.
An Omce Desk Sent.
The latest abuse of the mail service
was the shipment of big Office desk from
indianapolis to Manila in a mail car. 1t
was described as of the size of a large
dining table and Weighing as much as a
piano. II was wrapped in jute by the
manufacturers, an official envelope of the
Postoffice Department pasted on top ard
loaded on postal car in INDIANAPOLIS
The postal clerks had to handle it all the
way to San Francisco.
Abuse of the FranLinR Privilege.
Everyone takes a hack at the Postofi e
Department. II is fair game for the
member Of Congress, especially when an
election is on. The most notorious abuse
of the franking privilege was the publ
cation OF one of Henry Georges books as
part Of the speeches Of two members OF
the House and its circulation later as a
campaign document under the frank Of a
member OF Congress. Clerks at the head
quarters OF both the great national par
ties are provided with rubber fac-similes
of the signatures of Congressman. and
no of
stamps in sending millions of political ar
guments through the mails to doub sul
voters. Uncle Sam foots the bills 1t
costs the United States nearly $780, coo
a year for the transportation Of mail In
the thirtyfve days during which all mail
matter originating in the United States
was weighed the actual weight Of the
mail alone, exclusive OF the pouches End
sacks, was about 20 300. eco pounds the
weight Of Government free matter was
about 100000 pounds; or little more
than one-eighth OF the whole The weight
of first-class matter was 9l00 coo pounds:
that is. the Government free mail weigh Ell
more than all the letter mail sent by all
the letter writer's in the United States.
The Washington City postofIice has 7o9
employees. not counting the higher Officials
The Importance OF the city postcfice In
Washington is due largely to the enor-
nous free mail handled for the Govern
ment. 1t is one OF the I75 irst-cIass
Offices in the country, and occupies quar-
tiers as commodious as any ether In the
past year II handled more mail than a.:
the Postoffces in the States OF Maine Coz
necticut. New Jersey, North Carolina
Michigan Georgia Wisconsin. Minnesota
Iowa. Texas, Californian fact the only
States which exceeded the District OF c.
lumbia IN mail business were New York
Pennsylvania. Massachusetts. Ohio mi