Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1910-05-27
THAT POSTAL DEFICIT.

I /
olhe failure of the postal revenues
! lCneet the postal expenditures is a
I Eject of perennial discussion. The
{ Ii
al deficit. like the poor. we have
AVS with us Various plans and
Uartures have been suggested to
/, Re it out. 1t has been suggested
II. the extrayagant pay of the rail
ms for carrying the mails be re-
/ led. But with congressional bosses
Il, would frank back and forth dur
\ e the mail-weighing period tons of
ess public documents for the
T, pfe purpose of stuffing the mails
! Il increasing the railroad rake-off
suggestion never goes far.
j has also been recommended by
least one Postmaster General that
1 government build and own the
! iway mail cars instead Of paying
.
annually for the rent of the
II. But this recommendation never
I n.ived consideration by congress.
Then there is the postal savings
, tks proposition, to which the Re-
lican party is committed The op-
ion of postal savings system
aid increase the postal receipts
'lout corresponding increase in
snses and thus tend to reduce the
scit, But the system is against
radical" and "socialistic" un-
taking and the system congress
thus far strangled postal say
bank legislation.
secent disclosures of express COM
y earnings add new and import
arguments for a parcels post. 1t
Postmaster General Wanamaker
said that there were only four
sons why the people could not
e parcels post. These four rea-
were the four big express COM
lies.
he Wells Fargo Express company
the fiscal year 1909 earned net,
er the payment of all expenses and
es, over sc per cent of the total
ne of all its property and equip
Mt used in its business, and re-
we'd in addition 81 100000 income
m investments of the accumulat-
profits. 1t presented its share
ders with a special Christmas Ii
end of 500 per cent, or $4,000
The American Express company
been paying dividends of 6 to
per cent for years, on a capitaliz-
on half water; and last year re-
we'd an income of S1,17S,000 from
restments of its additional, accu-
Hated profits.
The Adams Express company with
total investment of about $4,000
0, has, in recent years, in addition
high regular dividends, distribut-
additional, accumulated profits in
eeial dividends, amounting to S36,-
5000 and last year received from
accumulated profits not yet dis
buted an income of over 81 ,000,-
D. So that another special distri-
ton dividend of 100 per cent is
out due to the Adams sharehold-
The pertinence of these facts in
injection with the postal deficit Is
is: These earnings represent
hat the public is paying private
terests for the transportation of
press-freight, parcels, and also
ailable matter and money, trans
lrted by the express companies part
in competition with the postal de-
lrtment and probably in contraven-
on of the postal laws of the United
.ates.
Now the public has little use for
Re Independent express company ar
lngement. The public wants a par
els post conducted by the govern
tent for the transportation of small
r parcels and the railroads should
lrnish adequate fast freight service
Or the transportation of such large
arcels and shipments as require ex-
edition. A parcels post, establish
d on an honest basis, would give
he public better service at lower
ates, and yield revenue that
5ould wipe out the postal deficit.
However, a parcels post is not re-