The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-12-12
Postm aster- eneral
Hitchcock w antsPostal
Service Classified.
ALSO FAVORS
PARCELS POSI-
Under His Management Deficit
Has Been Reduced From $17,-
100000 to S5,848,566, and
Penny Postage May Be
Thing Of Near
Future.

Washington, December lin the
space OF twelve months q reduction
had been made in the deficit Of tile
Post .officc Department of $ll,5o9,o00,
according 10 the annual report OF POST
master General Frank IL. ditchcoek,
made public to-day.
While a year ago the fiscal records
I of the postal service disclosed a deficit
/ of sl15o0OOo, the largest IN the his
) tory OF the country, the excess % cN-
/ penditurcs over receipts for the ycar
ended June so last amounted to onY
I $5.S48,l6G. In commenting upon this
! reduction, pOstmaster-Cieneral Hitch
I cockssays in his report:
| 1T Is most gratifying to report that
I this unprecedented reduction mas been
made without any curtailment OF pos
! tai facilities. On the contrary, the
4 service has been largely extended
/ ''rhe policy OF the present adminis
tration has been 10 wipe out losses By
j increasing the postal business aIong
! profitable lines, and white thus enIarg
I ing the departments income to reduce
| as far as posslbfe the rate of eNpsndl-
ture BY cutting out wasteful processes,
( by simplifying and rendering more el-
I fcctive the methods Of handling postal
ii buSlltSty blIi IN ldlSIllS 81 tlll llltassts'l l.
possible standard the efficiency OF onl-
4 GERS and employees.
The more quickly mail matter can
4 be handled the less expensive is the
process. The, department accordingly
has Geyotcd itself with great earnest
ness to the work of increasing tie ef-
flcieucy Of the mail service, consider
ing this the surest method of muking
the postal establishment self-support-
ing
EStcndinl. Service.
The departments policy is to ex-
tend the service as rapidly as IS war
ranted by increasing popuiation. in
furtherancc of this policy, l.5op new
! post offices were established uring
the last Year and 5f5 icw rural de-
livery routes. tfavexsing satt0Gether ! -
80 miles, were l.4f.tutea 5Seas5y 3s6bC
!. new employees of various cTasses Were
! placed upon the rolls of the depart.
ment, whose aggregate salaries Were
: more than S2,o0o,ooo annually, in al.
: dltion 10 this sum, S1.f50,0oo was add.
81 ed TO the salaries of post-oftice clerks
l si,226.O0o TO the salaries OF letter car.
! rlers, and S25O.oOO TO tile salaries oi
l railway mali clerks. All increases il
salary were based upon efficiency rat
t iugs.
In the discussion of second-clas
i mail, Postmaster-G General hltchcoct
points out the constant growth of thi
class of matter. 1t is carried at a loss
and lie urges that a remedy should be
promptly applied by charging mor,
postage.
;. In leyying the higher rate" the re
J port suggests, it is believed that
:. distinction should be made between ad
: vertising matter and what is termet
: Legitimate reading matter.
. . Under present conditions an In
crease in the postage on reading mat
ter is not recommended. Such an in
crease would place special burden o.
!. a large number of second-clas5 publ
;, cations including educational and re
t ligious periodicals, that derive littl
n OF no profit from advertising. 1t i
$ the circulation of this type OF publica
!. tion, which aids so effectively In tn
!, educational and moral advancement q
! the people, that the government ca
/ best afford to encourage. For thes
v publications, and also for any othe
q legitimate reading matter in periodici
g FORM the department favors con
y tinuatiou OF the present low postag
rate of cent pound, and recommend
that the proposed increase in rate b
applied only to magazine adgertisin
matter.
in view of the vanishing. postal def
cit. 1t Is believed that If the magazine
]. could be required to pay what 1t cost
: the government to carry their advcl
tIsing pa ges, the departments revenue
u would soon grow large enough, to wal
rant cent postage on frst-class mai
. Newspapers are not included IN til
Ie plan for a higher rate on advertisin
matter because, being chiefly of loc;
ID distribution, they do not employ Il
mails TO any such extent as the widel
~ circulating magazines"
+ Loss on Rural Delivery.
while the loss resulting from II
7, low postage rate on second-class ma
IA is the greatest in the postal servic
80 the loss on rural delivery service
very considerable. The appropriation
annually granted to maintain the rur,
delivery system. however, as pointt
:. out in the report, are expended In Il
Interest of vast population Mr.. IIitcl
cock urges the wisdom OF further @.
!, tention of this system, even at CO.
-, - siderable loss to the government. f
- points out also the business wisdo
Of the consolidation during the la
year of the star route and rural d
i livery system, the consolidation ha
ing been the means of effectins a lars
saving and of increasing the ethcien'
of the service.
Mr. Hitchcock reviews the work a
ready accomplished looking to the e
Establishment of postal savings bank
A trial of the new system Will be mad
beginning January 1. 1911, at ona pos
office in each State and Territory of Il
/ Union. The amount appropriated
Congress for this trial was $4,000
All Offices selected for the trial a
OF the second class, wage-earnars BET.
particularly benefited It Is expect
tnat the new postal SAVINGS system W
be extended to many other offices b
fore the end of the current fiscal year
A renewal of the previous recomme
dation for limited parcel post servi
on rural routes is made. Mr. fl'tc
cock expresses the hope that Congre
i " 0sontin,ed on Second PaEel