The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1905-12-12
FOR MORE POSTAL REFORMS
Postmaster-Ge General Cortelyou Issues
His FIRST Annual Report.
HIS PLANS FOR NEW YORK CITY

The Placing Of the Operating scheme OF
the Entire Department Upon a Firp,er
Business Basis is The Keynote Of the
Message = Advocates Governmental
Control OF the MnsI Tubes.
Washington, d. C.-The ruling pur-
pose Of Postmaster General Cortelyou
to centralize the control of the great
department over which he presideg APP
pears in his first annual report. Hav-
ing organized the Department of Com
merce and Labor from the ground up
| on4this principle the task which he has
during the last eight months essayed
hassbeen easier for him than it would
have been for any Of his predecessors.
The Ppstofiice Department, embrac-
ing nearly 100000 employees, had for
many years been managed under het-.
erOgenous and accretive process of adj
illustrative growth until by its I'M
wieldliness and manifold repetition Of
routine forms Of business the condi-
tons were absolutely intolerable to a
clean cut business man like Mr.. Cor
telyou.
With the first Of the present month
the department, under general order
from the Postmaster General, realigned
itself on logical distribution OF the
various bureaus. The divisions and
bureaus that were akin in their func-
tons and subject matter were assem-
bled together under the control of the
Pogfmaster-G General and his four as
sistants.
Mr.. Cortelyou outlines in his report
the acute need now of comprehensive
organization SO that there shall be
simple and direct control from Wash
ington of the whole postal service of
the country. He proposes that there
shall bea sharp field supervision from
here of the whole service. The plan
under which he hopes to accomplish
this is not perfected, and he says it is
still under consideration.
He says that while a self sustaining
condition of the Postoffice Department
would be gratifying, he is less CON
cerned about the deficit than the eff
fciency of administration.
For the fiscal year 1905 the total re-
ceipts from all sources We're 1852 $780,
585, and total expenditures $107, 49,
$50, leaving deficit Of $14,572, 584.
In connection with these figures the
Postmaster eneral directs attention
to the increased amount Of free matter
handled, which he says averaged 1858
per cent Of the entire weight carried,
or loss in revenue of $19,S22 600.
AS a remedy for the ranking evil Of
which he complains, the Postmaster
General suggests that there are sound
administrative reasons why it would
be better business policy for each de-
partment to pay postage upon its mail
matter according to its class than to
return to the practice of requiring Gov
eminent free matter to be prepaid by
| postage stamps in the same way as
similar matter mailed by the public.
Mr.. Cortelyou speaks Of New York
City as the metropolis Of the country
and the great distributing point for the
international mail service.
With it's rapid increase in popula-
ton and extension of business, he
says, eit makes unusual demands upon
the postal service, furnishing at the
same time a proportionately large
share of receipts.
Several months ago there was sub
mitted to me for approval draft of a
| proposed deed for the acquisition by
the Government for Postoffice pur.
poses, in accordance with the recon-.
mendation of IA commission appointed
by Congress, Of certain ground adjoin-
ing the site Of the terminal station
to be erected by the Pennsylvania Rail
road Company in New York City.
II have thus far withheld my ap
prevail of the proposed deed for this
| property, for the acquisition of which
an appropriation was made. wishing tc
familiarize myself more fully with the
| postal problem presented and to con
slider the ACCESSIBILITY of certain modi
fications of the original plan with the
object of providing in the best possible
manner for the future needs of New
| York's postal service. A definite plaI
is now being devised for the solution
Of this problem, and it is hoped that
the matter can be satisfactorily settled
| in the near future"
Mr. Cortelyou takes ground against
| putting Postoffices in Federal build
ings.
The work Of purifying the mails is
not confined to the suppression OF
! frauds and lotteries, but includes as
well the exclusion therefrom of OBJ
scene, indecent, and scurrilous matter
and the punishment of those found tC
| have deposited such matter for trans
| mission
The work of the Postoffice inspectors
is praised.
Government control of the pneumatic
tube service and mail wagon service IL
recommended.
He thinks worthy of serious consid
GRAFTON suggestion that a substantial
saving would be effected in railway
mail transportation by forwarding
bulky periodicals and mailable mer
e.ln q -. -. L.. fn..A f.oie.laA