Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1909-12-09

papers but Magazines ana miscsilan-
s SgSwm S. o1s q tie sfansHliasi u
thls second class mail matter 81 cent
! pound amounts 10 about teS,ooO.Qoe
q year. The average cost Of the trans
portation Of this matter 10 more then
. cents 4, pound, y
4 appsafp that the average dl9te4es
over which newspnpsrH arr dellvefsd
the average haul Of maGAAlnee - l,O1y.
ana 81 miscellaneous periodicals LBS
miles. Thus the average haul Of the
maaEazIne a three and one-haif times
and that Of the miscellaneous period.
ical nearly four times the havl oE the
daily newspaper, w IN % them pay
the same postage rata Of cent {
pound. The statistics Or 1907 show
that second GLASS mall matter cpnsti-
tuted es.et pefscent AZ the iWeiaht Qf
all the mail. and Yielded 0niy SIS per.
cent Of the revenue. AZ
The figures given are startling. ana
show the payment by the government
Of an enormous subsidy to the news
papers. magazines and periodicals. and
congress may well, consider whether
radical steps should not be taken 70
reduce the deficit In the post-ofnce de-
V&EtmBWt DBU1gu w NnA@ NAs~A~EA+AN~S
between the actual cost Of Transports
tion and the compensation exacted
therefor. s543
"A great saving might be made.
amounting 10 much more than half OF
the loss. by imposing upon magazines
and periodicals q higher rate Of post
age. They are much heavier than
newspapers, and contain q much higher
proportion OF advertising to reading
matter, and the average distance Of
their transportation Is three and half
times as great. g.
The total deficit for the last fiscal
year in the p0stofice department
amounted to 1880. 900. The branches
Of its business which It did at loss
were the secohd-class mail service, IN
which the loss. as already said, was
90, 100000. and the free rural delivery In
which the loss was s2S,oOo,OM These
losses were In part onset by the
fronts Of the letter postage and
other sources Of income. 1t would
seem wise to reduce the loss upon
second-class mall matter, at least
to the extent Of preventing a deficit
in the total operations Of the post
| once.
i commend the whole subject to con-
gress, not unmindful Of the spread Of
Intelligence which low charge for
carrying newspapers and periodicals
assists I very much doubt, however,
the wisdom of policy which constl-
tutes 30 large a subsidy and requires
additional taxation to meet II
Postal Savings Banks.
The second subject worthy of men,
hon in the postofIice department Is the
real necessity and entire practicabtlity
| Of establishing postal savings banks.
The successful party at the last cleo
ton declared In favor OF postal saw
ings banks and although the PROPOSE
| tIon finds opponents In many parts OF
| the country, I am convinced that the
| people desire such banks, and am sure
! that when the banks are furnished
they will be productive Of the utmost
good. The postal savings banks are
not constituted for the purpose Of Gre
atinR competition with other banks,
The rate OF interest upon deposits to
| witch they would be limited would be
80 small Is to prevent their drawing
deposits away from other banks
I believe them to be necessary In
order to offer g. proper inducement to
| thrift and saving to great many
peopIo OF small means who do not
now have banking facilities. and to
whom such system would offer an
0nportunity for the accumulation Of
cSpifhl. They will furnlsh tatisfacs
tofy substitute, based on sound prin-
olpio ana actual successful trial in
nearly all the countries Of the world,
| Tor the system Of governWent guar
anty Of deposits now being adopted In
several western states which with
difference to those who advocate y
- L - tnn AZ
.s %. e %s e eeSs Is We SsSkSs
and certain IinanGiaI DISASTER
shin 8pbsIdy.
believing the course OF my distln-
rushed predecessor. earnestly recom-
mend 10 congress the consideration
and passage Of . ship subsidy BILL
looking to the establishment OF lines
between our Atlantic seaboard and the
eastarn coast Of South America. az
veil AZ Hines from the west coast OF
the United states to South America,
China, Japan and the Philippines The
profits on foreign mails are perhaps
sufIicient measure Of the expenditures
which might FIRST be tentatively APP
piled to this method OF inducing
American capital 70 undertakes the es-
adjustment Of American lines Of
ateamships In those directions in which
NE now kN1A ~ AA-oNs sass ~ 1852
should have means Of transportation
controlled IN the interest Of the expan-
sion Of our trade, A bill Of this char
acter has once passed the house AND
more than once passed the senate. and
hope that at this session a bill
framed on the same lines and with the
name purposes may become = law.
The president recommende thes ad-
mission Of New Mexico and Arizona
as separate states. and strongly op-
poses IegislAtion looking to the cleo
tiCn Of . territorial legislature for
ALASKA. I.
coneervatIen u National Resources.
In several departments there e present
a che necessity for lsgiAletion loakihg g
the further conservation Of eur national
resources, and the subject Il one 81 such
Importance e. 70 require more detailed
and extended discussion than can b en-
tered up6n N this standardization. For
that reason shan take an early oppors
tuntky TO send = special message 70 con-
| gftss on the subject i0f the Improvement
| Of our watefwayh upon ~ Reclamation
and irrigation Of arid, eeml-asid, apd
nWamb lands UPON the preservation %
I our forests end the Fllorahtlng Of suit
aba arsaai upon the ranla1sl0c q
fhe pdbIic domain with a View u sep
49,, So, = -arel.ll.,th rrtflfwEnf min