Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-09-10


ms result has been accomplished in face
Of the fact that last year there was an ex-
penditure of $3,5oo.@p0 for rural free deliy-
cry, which upon its installation could not
make return equivalent to the expendi
ture Incurred The appropriation for the
present fiscal year for the rDral free deli,,-
cry Is S'.JS,tst, which will also be an in
lueHce 10 prevent the growth of an excess
N receipts over expenditures
The Importance OF having all mail matter
properly classified is readily shown h, its
erect on the receipts of the Post Office De-
partment. In dividing mail matter into four
GLASSES lhe law provides that newspapers
ana periodicals. coming within the condf-
uons 1t prescribes shall constitute the sec
ohd class with Il postage rate of / cent
per pound. All other printed matters in
ciuulhS Docks, circulars and advertising
sheets. constitutes the third class with a
postage rate of l cent for two ounces The
law defines the chara cteristics which shall
DISTINGUISH and determine second-class mat
yer ana II intends to limit the privilege and
peIIenL OF the pound rate to legitimate
newspapers and periodicals which fulfill
theSe statutory requirements But in fact
thousands OF publications which are in real
ny DOCKS or purely advertising sheets or
sitt enterprises, and which the law never
meant to include within the second-class
nave crept in through evasions and loose
constructions. until this abuse grew to CO.
iossal proportions
- Inc second-ciass matter constituted in
1911 nearly Gu per cent OF the weight of the
entire mail of the country and vet while
the postal revenue for the last fiscal wear
was $it163l 1913. the second-class matter
paul only 40 of that amount That
Is, while making three-fifths of the mail
IN weight, 1T furnished only one TWENTY
elsnlh part OF the revenue. The transpor-
tation OF the mails is paid for chiefly by
weight. ~
How the Result Was Attained.
The change in the fiscal condition of the
department was brought about by requir-
ing publications that the law intended
should pay third-class rates, or / cent for
each TWO ounces, TO do so instead of being
handled at the rate of / cent per pound.
Mr. Madden's efforts to bring about these
changes in the method Of classifying mail
matter were at first opposed. He showed,
however, that the carrying of mail at a
price less than the cost Of the service to
the government was in effect a subsidy
which was being given for classes of pub
lications that the law did not contemplate
should receive it, and that the burden SO
imposed on the mails was paid for by the
people at large who pay postage not only
sufffcient 10 meet the expense of the service |
they get, but also to give profit which Is
applied to classes of the mail which do
not bear the entire cost Of handling 1t by
the postage required. 1t is considered that
the results secured up to the present time |
1ully verify the predictions that were made
in regard to an increase in the revenue. |
Increase in Postal Receipts.
A net increase of per cent in the re-
ceipts at the fifty largest post offices in
the United States is shown in the state
ment of receipts for August, as compared /
with August 1901. The total receipts at |
these fifty offices aggregated s4,321. 444 a |
net increase. OF $357,s1O. The largest in |
crease was 1880 per cent at Des Moines |
Iowa, closely followed by 1920 per cent at
Toledo, Ohio. Five of the offices showed /
decreased receipts the largest decrease be- |
ing almost 10 per cent at Buffalo New
York's receipts for August were SSS0.O7s. |
an increase of almost IL per cent: and |
Chicasos $62s,52S, an increase of per /
cent. ~