The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1905-12-14
MIR. CORTELYOU
MAKES REPORT
KING OF POSTOFTICE DE-
s'ARTMENT OUTLINED.
EFFICIENT ADMINISTRATION
More Attention Should be Paid to Per
fecting System Already Adopted
Than to Reduction in Postage Rates
Parcel, Post, Etc.

w aSHlngCOn.- General
Cortelyou In his annual report for the
past year says that while a self-sus-
tanning condition of the Postofice De-
partment would be gratifying, he is
less concerned about the deficit than
the efficiency of administration.
For the fiscal year 1905 the total
receipts from all sources were $751;
826,585 and total expenditures 1857
1898, leaving deficit Of $14,572,-
584. In connection with these figures
the Postmaster General directs atten-
ton to the increased amount of free
matter handled, which he says aver
aged 1888 per cent Of the entire
weight carried or loss In revenue
OF $19,822,0OO. "Manifestly," he
says, chad the matter now carried
free been required to have been pre-
paid, Notwithstanding the large ex-
penditures for the rural free delivery
service there would have been no de-
fcit."
Answering some of the criticisms
which he says have been directed
against the postal service, he says that
much of it overlooks the unusual con-
ditions existing In this country, its
great extent Of territory and its wide
ly scattered population. With the in
PRODUCTION of rural free delivery as
yet unfinished, and other details of
postal development incomplete, he
thinks it is the part Of wisdom to pro-
coed conservatively until the present
service IS more nearly perfected.
elm other words,'' he says, sit is
believed that for the time being at
tention can be more proftably devoted
to an improvement in the service al
ready adopted than to the immediate
consideration of such questions as the
reduction of the rates of postage, a
parcel post, postal savings deposito-
ries, postal telegraph and telephone,
and kindred subjects. AS remedy for
the franking evil Of which he COM
plains, the Postmaster General says
there are sound administrative rea-
sons why it should be business policy
for each department to pay postage
on its mail matter according to its
class than to return to the practice
of requiring government free mail
matter to be prepaid by postage
stamps in the same way as similar
matter mailed by the public.
The weight of opinion, he says, is
i'm favor of the plan suggested, so
modified as to eliminate the neces-
sity of affixing stamps, but main
tanning the principle that each depart
ment be charged with the total ex-
pense Of conducting its business.
From this change" he adds, "there
would come some great advantages;
the tendency to use the mails for mat
ter that ought to be otherwise trans
ported would be restrained; merchan-
disc, including heavy quantities of
printed matter not requiring expe-
ditious hauling, would be sent by
cheap modes of conveyance; matter
requiring expeditions delivery and on
which the postage can be properly
paid as government business would
be sent by mail, and the true relations
of the Postoffice Department to the
other departments as regards receipts
and expenditures would be more &C
curately determined.
Discussing the appointment of post
masters, the Postmaster General says
that under instructions recently is
sued a careful rating based on in
spectors' reports is given each post
office and that this rating carries its
weight in determining the question of
reappointments. He says that the
fourth-class postmasters will be re-
tanned during satisfactory service,
while In the case of presidential post
masters the appointment will be de-
termined by the rating given them.
The work of purifying the mails is
not confined to frauds and lotteries,
but includes as we'll the exclusion
therefrom of obscene, indecent and
scurrillous matters and the punish
ment of those who have deposited
such for transmission. He adds that
more strict enforcement of these stat
utes have recently brought about q
highly satisfactory result.
The work of the postofice inspec-
tors is praised and the opinion is CIV
en- that many Of them are underpald.
A similar view is expressed with res
yT.u1o1x Drrr,or NDoIorJ Tho