The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1909-12-27
CAUSES Of SHORTAGE
DEFINITELY LOCATED
SecOnd-CIass Mail Matter and
Rural Delivery Two Great
Causes Of Loss

(By Associated Press,)


Washington. Dee. Confronted
with deficit of s17.479,770, the pres
ent administration OF the postoffice
department began It's operations
This was the largest deficit in the
history OF the postal service. So long
as the deficit in the department az
gregated only a few millions Of dol
lars annually, little attention was
paid to it, but when. In the last few
years it leapcd to upward Of $4,000,
OOo, and finally, in 1909, exceeded $l7-
100000. ordinary business prudence
suggested that the causes be definite
" located.
These are statements in the an
nual report 0f Postmaster General
Frank H. Hitchcock. made public to
day. Concerning the results uf in.
quiries into the deficit, the postmas
ter general says
Recent Investigations have shown
that the two great sources Of loss To-
The postal revenues are second-class
mail matter aud rural delivery
The loss on Seennd class mail maj
ter has been increasing dor many
years, until Il now amounts TO $Si,
100000.
The loss from rutal delivery a
seryice beglm hardly dozen years
ago and OF unprecedented grOwtn
reaches as aigh as twenty-eight nil
lions. @Hsf
IN tilofe two items alone the post
al service now suffers an annual
g.f
deficit of the last fiscal year.
simultaneously with the growing
deficit IN the postal service, the ma
tons income suffered last year d
serious depletion incident 70 the fin
sncial depression Thus 1t happeneu
that the departments drafts on the
treasury were heaviest at timc
when the public funds were lowest
This has acccntnaied the Importance
OF the postal deficit, making II con
spicuons among the losses be met by
the Presidents plan of reducing eA'
penditures In all executive depart
ments.
"Since the opening OF the admin
istration the postmaster general and
his assistants have adopted measures
IN conformity with the Presidents
policy OF retrenchment, and these
measures are being put into effect
With substantial results, as will be
shown In this report.
1T should be stated with emphasis,
however. thai economy is not TO be
enforced at the eost oil efficiency
Only such measures Of economy
win be adopted, therefore, as can be
made consistent part of a gene al
program having for It's chief object
the Improvement. the personnel, the
form Of organization. and the busi-
ness methods OF the postal establish
ment,
The most striking fact disclosed
by recent Investigations Is the tie.
mendous loss ON account of second
class mail. While this class of mail
provides a revenue OF little more than
one cent a pound, the cost 10 the gov
ernment for It's handling and trans
portation averages 923 cents pound
The annual loss thus incurred. as al
ready stated is about $G4,000 900.
The growth In the quantity OF sec
ord class matter sent through the
mails has been extraordinary. Since
the passage OF the act OF 1879 pre-
seribing conditions under which pub
locations may be mailed as second
class rates the weight Of such mat.
ter Its increased more than l,S0n per
cent. Last year It amounted to over
700.000.unD pounds. IS the weighing
Of lg07 second class matter was
shown TO constitute 50 per cent Of all
domestic mail, and yet il yieldp only
about per cent Of the posta, resetl-
ues. The loss On second class mat
ter was greater than The profits on
ali classes Of mail combined. II cA'
ceeded tho total amount paid the
railways for mail transportation
Magazines and other periodical
publications exclusive OF daily news
papers comprise about 50 per cent Of
the seroud class mail. The maya
ssnss alone form about 20 per eenl
Mag Zines proper, because q the IONS
averaEe haul. show cost of more
than 5 cents pound for transporta
tion. while IN the case Of daily news
paper for which the average distance
OF distribution ls mitch less. the trans
portation cost " under cents q
pound
The annual loss on third class
mail Is something over three milliof
dollars. The mail matter carried
free under congressional franks eos
the Government annually about |