Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-01
CARRYING THE MAIL 5
Annual Report of the Post
master General.
MANY Recommendations
Rooms of City Post Office Are
Wanted.
A NEW SITE ADVISED
Near the Union Station, Where Mail
Can Be Handled More Easily
and at Less Hauling.

and at Less Hauling.
The report Of Postmaster Genera
Meyer, issued yesterday. is substantially
| as forecast by Mr.. Meyer in an interview
given to The Star two months ago. The
Postmaster General recommends postal
savings banks, extension of the parcel
post special parcel post on rural free de-
livery routes. manufacture of stamped en-
We opes by the government, extension of
I city delivery service and removal of the
| Washington city post office to a site near
| the Union station. -
| The report, inpart follows.
Money Values.
| In order to draw attention to the enor-
nous expansion and increase in the bust
ness of the Post Office Department 1 de-
sire to refer to the year 1857, when the re-
ceipts of the postal service were s. O53 952,
| the expenditures 81, sos 05S and the deficit
s.. 454. 1O6. Since then the receipts have
nearly doubled every ten years and the
expenditures have increased correspond
ingly.
In the year 1897 the receipts had risen
| to So 660, 1872, the expenditures to $94,O77,-
242 and the deficit to $1l,411.779. Ten
years later, June 30. 1907, the receipts for
the fiscal year had doubled, being $751;
5S5 005. with expenditures Of $190, 23S. 28S.
| The deficit, however, had dropped to 49,
e53,2S2. Consequently. # one may Judge
| by the figuers of the last fifty years, every
| indication points to the probability of the
postal receipts passing the s350,0OOOOO
mark in 1917.
The particular and striking needs In this
! immense business institution of the gov
eminent are up-to-date business methods,
a revised system Of bookkeep ng permit
ting the taking of trial balance, and a
permanent official, corresp onding to the
| superintendent Of a. mill or the agent OF
a great conso idated manufacturing cor
poration, who would hold off1ee contln-
uously thorugh various administrations.
| 1t is of little consequence whether he be
known as deputy postmaster general or
director of posts, but a salary OF not eSs
| than $4,000 should be provided to COM
mand a business man of VIDE experience,
who would become familiar with the vari-
Fous bureaus of the Post Office Department
and act as an expert adviser to the head
| of the department. This would insure
continuity of the policy of the depart
| ment, which is necessary In ringing
about the best results to the service. fhe
methods at the present time are lacking
| in economy and directness. The organ
fzation and system which worked sausIac-
| torily many years ago are now out OF GATE
and inadequate to the present increased
requirements.
Postal Savings Banks.
l earnestly recommend the establish
ment of postal savings banks
First. In order to encourage among
our people economy and thrift.
| Second. In order to afford a place Of
deposit free from any possibility of doubt
or suspicion for vast sums OF money
| which might otherwise be boarded ana
kept out OF circulation through ignorance
or lack of confidence. 1885,. ... 49,
Wherever it may be. this money has
| lost it's proper functions. and the busl-
ness OF the nation not only receives no
benefit from it, but even the prosperity
| of the country suffers and may be event
ually destroyed. Money deposited IN
| postal savings banks would be absolutely
safe, as the government would be back
of it.
1t is recommended that the Postmaster
General be given authority to designate
| all money order post Offices and such
| other post offices may be deemed nee
essary to receive deposits OF money for
savings; deposits to be accepted In even
| dollars, with 81 as a minimum; postmas-
ters to- be required to receipt for such
deposits in the pass books of the de-
positors and to make daily reports thereof
| TO the Postmaster General, who viii ac-
| knowledge receipt of the deposits direct
| to the patrons.
Previous to the year 1853 the weight
limit of a parcel for transmission through
the mails was three pounds: That year
the weight limit was made four pounds Tor
deliveries in the United States. we nave
now conventions with thirty-three fore! gn
countries With nine countries the limit
of weight is four Lounds six ounces; while
with twenty-four it is eleven pounds. The
postage in all but four casas-Chlle, Peru,
Ecuador and Bolivia-is II cents per
pound.
To illustrate the inconsistencies in con-
nection with the parcel post service, atten-
| ton is drawn to the following conditions:
An individual entering any post office in
the. United States with two parcels weigh
| ing four pounds each will be obliged to
pay Ga cents on the one addressed to
| New York city, for example, while on the
one destined to a foreign country. al
though it usually passes through New
! York city, the charge is but. 4S cents
Should the weight be four pounds six
ounces the package addressed to resi-
dent in New York city will be denled ad-
| mission to the mails by the postmaster,
| while the package intended for the resi-
dent in a foreign land will be accepted
and forwarded. probably via New York,
| at the rate of IL cents pound
Parcel-Post System.
recommend the establishment of a spe-
cial parcel-post system on rural delivery
routes for packages originating on rural
| Route or at the distributing post Office
for delivery by rural carriers to patrons
| thereof at q rate of cents for the first
| mound and cents for each additional
| pound or fractional part of an additional
! pound up to IL pounds: for ounces or
| less. 1 cent: over ounces and up to 4
| ounces. 2 cents; over and IN to 8
| ounces 8 cents: over s and up to Il
| ounces, cents: over u ounces and up to
| 1 pound. s cents.
This will be a great boon to the farm
! ers who have not the conveniences for OBJ
/ tanning the necessaries of life such as
residents in cities enjoy. The rural de-
| livery is now established extensively
| throughout the United States, there beng
| IS, 266 routes In operation, supplying about