Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-07-31
FRANKlNC is ABOLISHED.
Postage Stamps Must Be Used Upon.
All Mail Matter in the :
Philippines.

The postal administration OF the
Philippines has taken the step advo-
Gated so strongly by Edwin c. Madden,
third assistant postmaster general for
the United States government, to-wft:
the Thanking privilege has been entirely
abolished on the islands, and every
piece of mail mater, whether private
or official, must bear a postage stamp.
The motives %actuating the insular
government in taking this step were the
same that suggested to Gen. Madden
the desirability Of a%bolishing the
franking privilege in the United States;
a deficit in the postal bureau. The
Philippine officials were satisfied that
the postal department of the islands
would take care of itself provided it
could be placed on a business basis.
Under the old regime vast quantities of
official mail was being transported and
handled from which no revenue was de-
rived; the matter simply bore the
usual penalty card" and was carried
free.
The insular bureau is in a sense a
law to itself and has authority to
handle its postal affairs according tn
the desire of the department without
invoking legislation by congress. The
postal department, weary of its regular
annual deficit and the u%nfavorable com
ment that naturally followed, took the
matter into its own hands and issued
an order that hereafter all mail Of the
insular government must carry the re-
quisite stamps. The order went into
effect and the various bureaus of the
insular government are paying their
good money to the post Office depart
ment of the island and afixing postage
stamps to every piece Of mail deposited
in the Office, whether 1t be a domestic
or foreign mail.
The method employed is this: Tho
bureaus of the insular government buy
quantities Of stamps of various de-
nominations and with a rubber stamp
overprint them with the initials 20. b."
which signifies Official business
Money to purchase the stamps is taken
from the insular treasury, paid to the
pOotul uCpdI lAAlCAJ, WnICu III IuTn 0e-
posits the money in the insular treas
ury. 1t is literally a case of taking
money out of one pocket and putting
1t into the other, yet 1t enables the
postal department to obtain credit for
the business 1t, actually does and re-
quires the other departments to charge
themselves with a Legitimate expense.
rhe insular government as a whole has
not made nor lost a cent, beyond he
actual cost of printing the postage
stamps, which is about ten cents per
1000 stamps.
In his annual report to congress,
Gen. Madden recommended that the
Thanking privilege be abolished and
that members of congress and officials
in the departments be required to afix
postage stamps to all mail sent out.
He proposed that specific appropria-
lions should be made which should
cover the amount of the lost of
stamps used by members of con-
gress and the departments in off,
cial correspondence or for prepayment
of postage on documentary mail. 1t
was not expected that this scheme
would result in any net saving to the
government, but it would enable the
post Office department to wipe out its
annual deficit of about SIS, 900, 900 and
this amount would be added to the ex-
penditures of the other departments ac-
cording to the amount of postage
stamps required.
1t is not expected that action will be
taken along the line by congress at
this session., but the matter has had
attention at the hands Of the house
post office committee, and 1t is ac-
knowledged that there is great force In
the recommendations Of the post Office
department. The campaign in this di.
rection will be continued and it is only
a question of. a few years when all de
partments and officials will be using
postage stamps.