Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-12-05
POSTAL
ABUSES
Fully Exposed by POST
master General in
Annual Report
Over S24,ooo,Ooo Loss to
the Government
Annually
And the Outrage InCreas-
ing at a Disas=
frOus Rate

master general was tudL lSSuSu SSoNSA-
day by Mr. Smith. 1t embraces
sweeping and unansWerable expose Of
the vase abuses of second class mail
privileges and the following recon-
mendations for legislation, some of
which have heretofore been made, are
submitted for the consideration of
congress:
That the maximum fee for money
order be fixed at Is instead of 80
cents.
That a fund be created out of the
salaries of railway mail clerks to
provide for the retirement of such
clerks as have, after long periods of
service, become incapacitated for
active duty.
That publishers be required to make
preliminary separation of news
papers, under the direction Of the de-
partment, as condition under which
they shall enjoy the exceedingly
liberal rates provided for carrying
second-class matter through the mails.
That building be provided in
Washington TO be used wholly or in
part by the mail bag and mail lock
repair shop and as depository for
mail bags.
That section of the act Of June
l3, 1898, chapter 446, providing that
assistant postmasters, cashiers, and
other employees in postoffices of the
first, second, and third classes shall
give bond direct to the United States
be repealed, and that statute be
enacted requiring such officers to give
bond directly to the postmasters and
holding postmasters responsible I'M
der their own bonds for any and all
acts and defaults occurring at their
Offices
That provision be made for the pay
ment of incidental expenses incurred
by local officers or others in the ar
rest, detention, and keeping of prison
ers charged with violations of the
postal laws until such prisoners can
be transferred to the custody of
United States marshal.
That a statute be enacted authori2
ing postoffice inspectors to take out
search warrants whenever the same
may be necessary in the prosecution
of their official duties.
That an appropriation be made for
che purpose of constructing lOokouts
wherever, in the opinion of the post
master-general, they may be needed.
That the interstate-commerce law
be amended to prohibit, telegraph
and express companies, or any of
their employees from aiding and abet-
ting in the green-goods or lottery
swindles, or any other scheme car
ried on partly by mail and partly by
common carrier and which is in viola
ton of the postal laws.
Seccnd-Cass Matter,
In his annual report for 1899 Secre-
cary Smith said THE most urgent
need of the postal service is the recti-
sication of the enormous wrongs
which have grown up in the perver-
sion and abuse of the privilege &C
corded by law to secondclass matter y
Time and experience only emphasize
this statement. 1t is the most urgent
need, because it aims at the one great
0vershadowing evil of the service, and
because it underlies and overtops all
other reform and advance. 1t would
relieve the department from the one
oppressive burden which cripples and
weighs it down, and which stands as a
constant and formidable barrier
against Improvement and progress
Sor the benefit of all the people in
many directions. Deeply impressed
with this conviction, the department
has taken positive steps, in orders is
sued on July IT, to correct the abuses
and accomplish substantial reform, SO
far as it is possible by administrative
action.
Before explaining these steps it will
be useful to understand more clearly
just the extent of the evil and the i'm
perative need of an effective remedy.
in dividing mail matter into four
classes the law provides that newspa-
pers and periodicals coming within
the conditions it prescribes shall con,
stitute the second class with a post
age rate of l cent per pound. All other
printed matter, including books, cir.
culars, and advertising sheets, con,
stitutes the third class, with postage
rate of / cent for two ounces. The
law defines the characteristics which
shall distinguish and determine sec
ond-class matter, and it intends to
limit the privilege and benefit of the
pound rate to legitimate newspapers
and periodicals which fulfill these
statutory requirements. But, in fact
thousands of publications which are in
reality books or purely advertising
sheets or gift enterprises, and which
the law never meant to include within
the second class, have crept in
through evasions and loose construc
tons until this abuse has grown tc
colossal proportions and imposes a bur
den of many millions Of dollars year
on the government and the people.
The second-class matter constitutes
nearly SO per cent. of the weight o.
the entire mail of the country, an6
yet, while the postal revenue for the
last fiscal year was Sill, 631 1913, the