The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1906-12-28
FAVOR POSTAL
REFORMS.
Increase Of Second class Rate
Opposed
REVISION OF DEPARTMENTS
Accounts Advised--Root Discusses Stu
alton In the CongO--He Says We
Can Only Urge Belgium to
Take Action,

Washington, Dec. 2s--The commission
which for six months has been studying
postal conditions, giving hearings III
New York and Washington, has about
reached It's CONCLUSIONS The commission
viii ask Congress for authority to con
duct far broader investigation. and In
the meantime will positively reject the
recommendation Of Third Assistant
Postmaster General Madden that the
rate on second class matter be raised
to four cents pound, Mr.. Madden
finally admitted TO the commission that
his recommendation that the fee for ear
rying second-class matter be raised to
| four cents pound was based on "a
mere guess and the postmaster general
| failed to indorse the recommendation.
The commission finds almost incredible
Ignorance in the postofIice department
regarding the cost 81 the services the
| department renders Under the present
system Of accounting no one can tell
even approximately the cost of carry
/ ing the various classes Of mail No one
can intelligently explain the cause of the
annual deficiency. and altogether the
commission concludes that q rcorgani
cation of accounting, which viii place
1 the department on a business basis, Il
| imperative 10 that end the commission
will ask Congress for authority TO en-
Iploy expert accountants TO 20 over the
postal accounts and devise and institute
| q system whereby it can BE- easily as
certainei at what loss or profit the vari
Gus divisions OF the service are main
tanned, the cost Of carrying the several
classes Of mail, the cause of the annual
deficit etc Under Instructions from Con-
gress. the commission confined its in
designations TO second.elass matter and
the subjects which may be regarded as
correlated, but ii finds that ii ii inn
possible to make intelligent recommen-
dations without fuller knowledge Of
the facts than can possibly be ascef
tanned with the present system Of ac-
counting
Can Only Urge Belgium to Act
The letter Of j. Pierpont Morgan DR..
Lyman Abbott and others addressed TO
Secretary Root, urging him to use the
moral support OF the United States in
the direction Of correcting abuses said
to exist in the Congo region, il was stat.
ed at the department, would be taken
Unto consideration along with similar
communications on the subject. Secre
tary Root, in speaking Of the matter and
of the recent statement in the Belgian
parliament, that the purpose OF Belgium
tin annexing the Congo Free state was
in order TO enable that country TO deal
with the subject IN more effective way,
said that all this country could do was
TO decoro1sly and politely urge Belgium
to greater activity.
r. G. Mathot Of Brussels. member Of
the British Institute Of Mechanical En-
gineers. the American Society OF Me-
ehanicaI Engineers and other organixa-
tions says: Il am not a friend OF King
Leopold, nor am | interested in politics,
but much that has been printed in re-
gard to atrocities in the Congo Is with
! out foundation. Back OF these attacks
are English iinaneiers, who seek to gain
a business footing in the country, There
may have been cases of mutiiation by
irresponsible persons but King Leopold
IS not to blame for it,
Zanzibar Consul McMasters Returns.
Frederick McMasters Of New York
United States consul at Zanzibar. who
was ordered home under suspension ca
explain charges of misconduct preferred
against him by the British officials OF
Zanzibar, and who also was reported to
have obtained money under false pre-
fences from a bank in Nice, France, has
been located in this country, and the
state department has been advised that
he viii reach Washington within a day
or two.
|
Expert for Commerce Commission.
Upon the recommendation OF the IN
terstate commerce commission, Governor
Winthrop of Porto Rico has secured
James Peabody OF Chicago as railway
! expert to advise and assist the govern
ment Of that island in adjusting its rail
road rates upon fair and reasonable
basis and TO revise the freight classifi.
cation now in use. Mr.. Peabody has
/. had large experience in various positions
in the railway service and has been foi
some years connected with the Santa
he system.
Sir Henry Mortimer Durand, the re-
firing British ambassador, and Lady Du.
rand, viii sail for England December
90 Esno Howard, counsellor Of the
embassy, will act as charge d'affaires
until the arrival Of James Bryce, the
new ambassador
II 4