Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-11-28

washington, NOV. ZS.--lle annual
report of the postofiice department
submitted to President Roosevelt by
the postmaster general shows, in
brief, the financial operations of the
department for the year as follows:
Revenues and Expenditures.
Ordinary postal reve-
nue. -. -. .$109,531, 1857
Receipts from money
order business 80. ;. l,66S,659.29
Receipts from unpaid
| money orders more
| than one year old. 430,75543
Total receipts from
/ all sources 80. -. Ill ,631 1889
Total expenditures for
the year ............ lis, 554 ,92O.S7
| Excess of eXpendi-
lures over receipts. 3.923,727.4S
| While the expenditures in the or
binary development and through va
rious extensions of the service are
| S7,S14,6 52.SS greater than for the pre-
ceding year, the deficit is 81, 461, 961.2 %
less. Under present prosperous con-
ditions the annual increase of receipts
is fortunately larger than the inevi-
table increase of outlay, and for sew
eral years the deficit has been stead
I lily growing smaller.
| The OBSTINATE of the revenues and eX-
penditures of this department for the
fiscal year ending June go 1903, which
! has been transmitted to the secretary
of the treasury, is given below, to-
/ gether with such other items as may
be necessary to show more clearly the
bases upon which the calculations are
made:
Total postal revenue for
l9Ol 49,. -. Sill ,63l ,l93
4 Add 9 per cent for estimat-
/ ed increase year ending
June 80, 1902 .... 10,046,S07
/ Estimated revenue for
1902 -. .............. 121,67S,O
Appropriation for postal
service for 1902. .... 123,7S2,6SS
Estimated deficit for
1902 -. .......... 2,l04,6S
Estimated revenue for 1902 121 ,67S, 200
/ Add 81. per cent ........ 10,342 $3.50
Estimated revenue for
Estimated expenditures
Estimated deficit for
1903 80. ............ 2,7l0,94G
4 This estimate is based upon the or
binary course of operations, and with.
out considering the possible effect OF
special measures, the results Oh
which are not yet determinable.
4 The postmaster general enters al
length into a discussion OF the abuses
of second class mail matter, with a
statement of the reforms recently at
tempted by the department. In ask
ing for needed legislation on this sub
ject the postmaster general says:
'.If the mail thus carried at heavy
loss were limited to what the law in
, tended, there would be nothing more
to be said. In that case it would be g
deliberate and rational public expen
diture for well-defned, justifiable
and worthy public object and taking
the service as a whole there would be
mo loss at all. Our free institutions
rest on popular intelligence, and il
; has from the beginning been our fixed
and enlightened policy to foster anC
promote the general diffusion of pub
lie information. Congress has wisely
framed the postal laws with this JUS
and liberal conception. 1t has uni
: formly sought to encourage intercom
Fmunication and the exchange of intel
ligence. AS facilities have cheapeneG
: it has gradually lowered all postage
rates. 1t has never aimed to make
the postal service a source of profit
but simply to make it pay it's owl
way and to give the people the bene
fit of all possible advancement. Ii
harmony with this sound and judi
, cious policy it has deliberately estab
| lished low rate Of postage for gen
| uine newspapers and periodicals, will
, the express design of encouraging ant
, aiding the distribution of the recog
nized means and agencies of public in
formation. 1t is not matter of favor
!, but of approved judgment. 1t is no
for the publishers, but for the people
| But in adopting this special rate fol-
, a legitimate public end congress ha.
, sought to restrict it's privileges to lie
Ultimate publications with NANTES
public aim and clear public demand
1t never meant to open the flood gates
for an inordinate stream of purely pri
vate enterprises which have no public
object whatever within the contem
, plation of the law, and which have
seized upon the low rate of postage
solely for private profit at the public
expense"
In this work of reform the legiti
{ mate newspapers and magazines have
. an interest as immediate and vital as
| that of the government and people
themselves. No criticism falls on then
and no laying of the ak at rooted evil:
| menaces their position. They ask nj
. favors. They stand on their rights
With their fixed place, their public OBJ
ject, and their regular body of read
ers, they are the direct objects of tina
deliberate and enlightened public pol
icy which in the interest of the people
fosters the recognized sources of pub
lie intelligence They observe and full
fill the requirements of the law. Ant
because they do they have the NOR,
concern in eliminating those which d,
not.
.