Arizona republican., 1905-12-11
OFFICE
 SUGGESTIONS
Annual Report of the Post
 master General
He Favors an Improvement of the Present Service Rather than an Ex- tension of It.

Washington, Dec. 10.-Postmaster General Cortelyou in his annual report for the past fiscal year says that while self sustaining condition of the post office department will be gratifying, he is less concerned about the deficit than the efficiency of the administration. For the fiscal year, 1905, the total receipts from all sources were $152,- S26.5S5 and the total expenditures s167. 1S1 ,959, leaving a deficit of $14,- 572,5S4 In connection with these figures, the postmaster general directs attention to the increased amount of free matter handled. which he says averaged I2.5S per cent Of the entire weight carried or a loss of revenue of $19. .S22, 900. 'Manifestly," he says, had the matter carried free been re- quired to have been prepaid, notwith- standing the large expenditures for the rural free delivery service there would have been no deficit
 Answering some of the criticism, which he says has been directed against the postal service. he says that most of it overlooks the unusual condi- tions existing in this country, it's great extent of territory and its widely scat tered population.
 | NllH llle Ol lIlc al | free delivery as yet unfinished and other details of postal development in- complete, he thinks it the part of wis dom to proceed conservatively until the present service is more nearly perfect ed. In other words. says he, 'it is be- lieved for the time being attention can be more profitably devoted to an inn provement of the service already estab- lished than to an immediate consider ation of such questions as the reduc- tion of the rates of postage. a parcel post, postal saving Repositories, postal | telegraph and telephone and kindred | subjects"
 Governmental control of the pneu- matic tube service and the mail wa gon service is recommended. An ap- propriation of $10000 for sending three experienced postal officials abroad to study foreign postal systems is asked. | Interest in the enactment of legislation looking to the upbuilding and encour- agement of the American merchant marine is set forth as a reason for inn proving the transportation of malls to foreign countries.
 The present method of determining the rates of pay to the transportation companies for carrying the mails is not regarded by the postmaster general as altogether satisfactory. The post master general says an effective do-
 mestic parcels post system could, it is believed, be organized on the same
 lines substantially as express compan- ies conduct their service and as the
 parcels post service is conducted in
 other countries. While he does not
 deem it wise at this time to ask con-
 gress for such a system, he earnestly
 recommends that third and fourth
 class mail matter be merged al
 the rate of one cent for two ounces
 In this way, he says, all merchandise
 parcels not exceeding four pounds ir
 weight would continue to be carried
 at one half the rate now charged and
 afford a great opportunity for distri- outing light packages to a multitude of places not reached by express com panies.
 At the end of the fiscal year June 30. there were in operation 60,131 post
 offices. The number of employees in the service at large is stated to be 2S0,O0t of whom 1,169 are in the department a
 Washington.