The Washington times., 1908-11-12
Report Shows Department
Has Run $16,91O,278.99
Behind for Year 1908.
POST NOW
WOULD MAKE MONEY
MIR. Meyer Points Out That More
Employees and Smaller Receipts
Cause Falling Of.

The largest deficit since the iuauguTa-
tiOu OF the Governmental postal service.
SIG, $40, 318.J9. was announced today Dy
Postmaster General Meyer, as a result
Of the ope raIiOns Of the department
for the fiscal year ending June 30 1868.
This loss exceeds by nearly 5000. 90
the record for deficits ia the operation
Of the largest business institution IN
Uncle sam domains. ana is more than
double the loss Of the department during
the preceding fiscal year
Postmaster General Meyer. In making
public this statement, points out the
fact that s. 6sI. .5zl.s2 Of this loss was due
to the increased compensation author
IZed by Congress for employees Of the
department. ana that there was de-
crease in the normal increase in the
volume OF business OF al per cent, This
probably being accounted Tor By the
general business depression.
The expenditures OF the department
totaIed Sgyo. sol. .sS6 10 and the receipts
gIgl, ,4I3. .633 Al. being 1855, 657.s4 IN excess
OF the receipts OF the previous fiscal
year.
Postmaster General Meyer announces
that le viii urge upon Congress the
wisdom ana Iecessity OF establishing a
parcels post system on rural tree de-
livery routes, TINS being considered by
air. Meyer as The one thing that viii
WlIe out the deficit IN future operations
OF Jhe department and make the rural
free delivery routes self-sustaiuing.
Would End Deficit.
Commenting upon this matter. he says:
FL am Hrmly convinced that the estab-
lishment of O. special local parcel post
confined 10 rural routes would tend 10
wipe out the postal deficit, and would
finally make The rural delivery self
sustaining, besides being Of convent leuce
J0 tie farmer and a boon 10 the .tau
country merchant There are uls in
operation more than 5000 rural routes,
serving "a population OF about 100000
persons, and, should an average Of
nfty-hve pounds of merchandise be car
ried by the rural carrier Ou each trip
throughout the year. IT is estimated that
Sl5,U51gJ5 would De realized The rate
would be cents for the drst pound
and cents for each additional pound,
mp 10 eleven pounds. the maximum
weight of a package
with the exception Of a small per
Ceutage paid 10 postmasters Of tha
itAi .ll Atleo Atl 4ilti t-let-4 cancellations
all revenue from this parcel post would
bee clear gain, as there would be no
railroad transportation whatever, the
service being confined TO packages mail
cd bv bona fde merchants and patrons
OF the rural routes.
CT feel" said Mr.. Meyer that from
an administrative and business view
point IL is most desirable that such
legislation be enacted"
VIII Repeat Report.
In making this recommendation to
Congress, Mr.. Meyer will but repeat
the recommendatc7s in his last an
nuaI report, although at that time
he urged general parcels post svs-
TEN. When neither Of his recummenda-
tons emerged from the Committee On
PpstofnCes and pOstroads. the Post
master General tried TO get an apprO-
priation for an experimental parcels
post service on route in Pennsylva-
mia. but he was unsuccessful
Postal receipts for October, 1908. show
a general increase over the same month
of last year. A statement OF receipts
Of the fifty largest pOstOffices lust
made public by the POStoffiCe Depart
took In Sl,lJ4,6N N.69 during the month
just per cent above the figures for
the same month last year. San Fran
cisco is high on the list with SI92, ,628 O6
for October lSOS-an increass of nearly
l6 per cent.
The greatest decrease shown on the
list Is at the Allegheny. Pa, office, where
the receipts for the past month were
$2,069.25 as against $29,25.Z, a falling