Los Angeles herald., 1906-12-11
POSTAL SALARIES
SHOULD Be RAISED
POSTMASTER GENERAL SUB
MlTS ANNUAL REPORT
Believes Increase In Efficiency Of Ser
vice ls More Important Than De-
crease of xpendltures-Ree-
ommends Deputy
snaoin1 70 The Herald

Special to The Herald.
WASHINGTON Dec. 10.-The annual
reort of the postmaster general reviews
the work of the department for the
past year, gives in detail the postal
revenue and expenditures. discusses i'm
portant changes that have been made
in departmental organization ana
makes such suggestions and recon-
mendations as appear to be warranted.
The receipts for the year were $751;
932, ,7S2. .95; the expenditures, $17S,449,-
1889; excess of expenditures over re-
ceipts, $10,516,995.94
After discussing various reforms in
the organization of the department, the
postmaster general says:
II repeat what L stated a year ago,
that while 1t would be a gratifying cir
cumstance If the postoffice department
were self-sustaining, L am less con-
cerned about the deficit than about eff
ficiency of administration. The pubic
demand for postal facilities is constant
ly growing. If the installation of the
rural service had depended upon the
existence of surplus in the postal
revenues under the existing system of
accounting. that service could not have
been given The same considerations
apply to a number of other branches.
The financial returns from certain
branches are so interviewer with ana
dependent upon others that there is
much force in the contention that it is
unreasonable to charge any one of
them with the responsibility for the de-
felt.
1.-THE rural delivery has undoubtedly
increased the bulk of first-class mail
matter. The circulation of the second
class mail also very largely affects the
bulk of the higher class, to what de-
gree it is practically impossible to de-
termine. OF course, a rapidly increas-
ing deficit for a period of years may
be matter of some concern, but
think present conditions warrant us in
turning our attention, rather, to an in
vestigation and improvement of every
branch of the departments work. We
must have an increasing recognition of
merit, both in position and in compen-
sation; we must have a better system
of accounting and more accurate sta
tistics; we must make the service meet
the needs of the people If we improve
the character of service we shall have
less occasion to be disturbed by the
cost of service, for it has been the eX-
perience of many postal administra-
tions, not only here but abroad, that
the giving of additional facilities, with
in reasonable limits, is almost invari :
ably followed by an increased use of
lile HILLS anu consequent ciuNlllOllo "
the revenue.
while this department has a per-
sonnel of more than 100000 and re-
quires annual appropriations approxi-
mating $200000,000, the general super
Vision of it's affairs is intrusted to a
postmaster general and but four as
sistants. It's remarkable growth in re-
cent years has put upon these officials
burdens of which they should be re-
HaUa6 nd thair which ig In
the nature of things dependent largely
upon changes in the national admins
tration, operates against a continuity
of policy in the general operation OF
the department, which is most unfor-
tunate.
Recommends Deputy
ITO meet this situation, at least il
some degree | recommend that proVis
ion be made for a deputy postmaster
general, who shall be the ranking Of.
ficer of the postmaster generals as
sistants, whose tenure shall be perma
nent, whose compensation shall b,
commensurate with his position anC
whose duties shall be in the nature o
a general manager of the postal service
Many Fraud Orders
"In the two years closed June SO 1906
the fraud orders numbered $50, exceed
ing by II the total number issued in tn
four years Immediately preceding. TIL
schemes suppressed represented almos
every conceivable variety of fraud
There were work-at-home propositions
bond investment enterprises, medicina
cure-alls, absent treatment schemes
devices for the exploitation of stocks
and enterprises offering something TO
nothing under the guise of the endless
chain method of investment, all o
which upon examination proved to b
mere traps for the credulous includes
in the total of orders issued during tn
two-year period in question were fifty
nine orders against lotteries and simila
enterprises.
"A year ago 1 invited attention t
the compensation of various classes o