Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1907-02-14
NO POSTAL REVISION.
House Committee Will Not Under.
take Task During This Session.

take Task During This Session.
There will be no radical revision Of
the postal laws by the present Con-
gress. The subject, the House Commit
tee on Postoffices and Pos Roads de-
cided. is too complicated and affects
the whole population of the country
In too vital a manner TO be acted upon
without deliberate consideration. and
as a result the drastic propositions pre-
scented by the joint postal commission
last week will be deferred until thor
ough investigation of the entire Post
office Department has been made.
That part of the bill drafted by the
Joint postal commission which provides
for an expert Investigation Of the
business Of the postal service as now
conducted was accepted by the com
mittee, and will be made a part of the
regular postoffice appropriation meas
ure, which is now being completes.
The accepted sections provide that
a commission be created to make
complete and thorough investigation of
the operation of the Postoffice Depart
nent in all its branches with view
to determining, first, the true cost OF
every kind of service which that de-
Islrtment renders second, the proper
division of the operating expenses of
the whole postal service between the
classes of matter which that service I'M
dertakes to handle and transport for
the public and for the government;
and, third, what notifications of the
present system of bookkeeping and ac-
counting, or what other system, if the
present be found Intellectual, should be
recommended to Congress as proper to
be inaugurated by future legislation.
The features Of the report of the
special point commission, headed by
Senator Penrose of Pennsylvania,
which We're embodied in its proposed
bill to reform the classification Of
second-class mail matter, and to which
vigorous protests have been voiced
from all parts of the country, were
those providing virtually for govern
ment press censorship. AS soon as the
astounding report of the postal COM
mission, prepared with great secrecy,
was given publicity, it raised storm
of disapproval throughout the country.
Not only publishers sat up and took
notice, but the public itself began to be
heard from in no uncertain tones The
restriction of the liberty of the press
by lowering its standard, it was shown,
is something for which the country
will not stand, whether it be attempt
ed under the guise Of postal reform or
by more direct methods.
Important results are expected to
follow the thorough investigation of
the Postoffice Department, which now
is practically assured, and which will
be completed before the time for the
converting of the next Congress in reg
ular session. Everybody who has given
even cursOry attention to the subject
is aware that there is acute demand
for reform somewhere and of some
kind in the postal service.
The service is being conducted at a
loss, business methods are in vogue
which would not be countenanced for
minute in any private enterprise,
bookkeeping is severely at fault, and,
generally speaking, matters are run in
manner that makes it impossible to
tell from the records at hand Just
where the fault lies and where reform
should take hold. The simple fact is
that the service, with the addition of
rural free delivery and other extern
sions, has developed so fast that the
administration of the business has been
unable to keep pace with it.
There is a widespread belief that the
high total cost of the postal service re-
suits, in some degree at least, from
what is regarded as overpayment to the
railways for mail transportation Much
of the controversy as to proper charge
for second-class matter has ragged
around the question of railway mail
pay. Accordingly a reduction of mail
pay upon dense routes, where the great
volume of second-class matter permits
economies in transportation, has been
provided for in the postoffice appropria-
ton bill, as well as the elimination of
return empty bags from the computa-
ton of weight. This will result in
saving of several millions of dollars q
year.