The Washington times., 1901-11-26
CORRECTIVE RULES INEFFECTIVE.
Remedies for Mail Abuses D~scntcd
by Those who Profit.

by Those who Profit.
The Third Assistant Postmaster General
Edwin c, Madden, has submitted his an
nual report to the Postmaster General.
Referring to the financial transactions
of the Department. he says that the to-
tai receipts from all sources in the last
fiscal year amounted to Sill, 6S1. 1883 the
expenditures aggregated. Sll5,554, ,s2OS',
resulting in an excess of expenditures over
receipts amounting to S3,923,r274s. As
compared with the fiscal year 1901, the
increase of receipts during the past year
amounted to per cent. and expenditures
increased - per cent. There is a de
crease Of deficiency for 1901 amounting
to 27.1 per cent. as compared with the
deficiency for 1900.
The dead letter fund-the money taken
from dead letters, for which no owners
could be found. and that realized from the
auction sale of unclaimed articles ac-
cumulated in the Dead Letter Office
amounted to SIS, ,6G5.69, which has been de-
posted in the United States Treasury.
Mr.. Madden says that the demand for
postage stamps in book form has been
satisfactory, and has abundantly justified
their issue. THE issue of the stamps in
this form" says General Madden. is of
decided advantage to the Department, and
is recognized convenience to the public. :"
Altogether there were 324 065, 600 Pan
American postage stamps sold
The greater part of the report is de-
+bo dferucniDy, Of tho cprpnh pIaes
mail matter problem, and. referring to the
loss which the Government is sustaining
through this source, General Madden says:
1T is evident that since the mailings of
second class matter are Increasing at
a higher per cent of increase than are
the revenues of the postal service, and
the revenue derived from the mailing of
second class matter by publishers and
news agents being inadequate fer handling
this class of mail matter, the transient
second class matter and the other classes
of mail matter must help to bear the bur-
den imposed upon the Government by tue
pound rate of postage. This showing is
sufficient to demonstrate that it appears
but q question of time when second class
mail matter will increase in volume
enough to consume most, if not all, of
the revenue derived from the other class
es of mail matter"
In defending the course which the Post
office Department has taken to remedy
the abuse, General Madden says:
1T is the DUTY of the Department to
make such regulations as are necessary
to execute the postal laws, and under
many regulations have been made but
the privilege to those publications hon
estly entitled to it. Abuses have null
tiplied Those who profit by them have
in the past been as well able to defeat
corrective regulations as corrective laws.
Even now" says the general, when the
magnitude of the abuses is fairly appall-
ing, and corrective regulations are pro-
posed, there is strenuous resistance"
Following this Mr.. Madden describes
the abuses in connection with sample
copy privilege" which has been correct
ed, as also the abuses committed by pub
fishers in connection with book serials
and libraries"
This is the king of abuses" By this
MIR. Madden refers to premiums to sub
scribers. By means of others it
continues Mr.. Madden. 'Ali de-
mand correction. but none so much as
his. Not one has attracted so little at
tention; yet it is the most fragrant. the
most vicious. It nulIifes the vital prin-
ciples of law, it destroys every safe
guard, it is the means OF defeat of the
Department regulations at every point,
and through it the public treasury is open
10 the inscriptions.
The premium business assumes many
phases. Some of them have the appear
1nce OF eminent respectability. In one
instance, some article of merchandise
IS given as the inducement; in another it
may be a chance to win a large sum of
money, or perhaps fortune in a guess
ng contest, in another. the premium
is concealed in a combina-
ion with some other article which is l
offered for less than its regular market /
'alue, if the two are purchased together, /
II the periodical is itself given as q pre-
mum for the purchase of the other ar
icle. The purpose of all is the same;
[ is to secure subscriptions, which, on /
he bare merit, or the desire for the pub
ication, would or might not be made /
Whether the publication be regarded as
rood or bad is not a question. Such in
Iucement TO subscription violates the /
aw.
The whole purpose of the statute is to /
rant the pound rate only to those pc |
iodicals which command subscribers on 1
heir own account"
Mr.. Madden says that by proper rulings |
nd vigilance these abuses are being cor
ected.
He indorses the recommendation of the |
superintendent Of the Registry Division
hat the limit of indemnity for the loss
f registered matter be increased from
10 to 800 and that provision be made to
lake postmasters and others in the
ostal service liable for the value of reg
stored matter lost through their care
essuess. Mr.. Madden has estimated for
n increase of $4,000 to meet the antici-
ated change in legislation in this re-
Dect
General Madden says he has estimated
II a number of additional clerks and en-
loyes to properly perform the work re-
uired of his bureau. and in conclusion
the officers. clerks, and 10Th
RS of this bureau who have contributed
, the results accomplished during the
asst year"
To REPRODUCE a BATTLE.
'apture of Trenton to BE shown at