The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1910-12-08

economy and efficiency are bein. pualnels
n hof fb many onsrs years there =, has been : st aeas1i
ment which has been met nv uepart-S
ton from the treasury. The apppropTlaSS
non sti1nate for last year from opI .as
the department was SITS .On0 fTSeapts OF
to record the fact that of that 81 III 4 giad#
estiinated for, sl1, 600, coo We're SAVED ny
efforts or ' fhe me nos treaspry The personal
Ihe effective cooperation of tina tbonad
amos OF postmasters and other postal va
out outfi his hF nlaga at the country in carrying
lreHcnment, The result is that the rose
master general has been able to mako e.
e ea INA OF expenses for the present year
postal service is expected to earn ruie
gIat!Iy:ng to report that the reduction H.
s snn ae enc mas been accomplished without
any curtailment of postal facilities ~
me contrary the service has been greafjua
extended during the year in ali its brannnsss
es. 4 principle which the postmaster gem
eral has recommended and sought to hs s,,
sniorced IN respect to all appointments
has been that those appointees who b a,tss
aemde E good service should be re-
ened the interest of postmasters thronah
OUT The country in maintaining efficianor,
b beiie economy s . mt their offices, because they
FOR them a further tenure.
Extension of the Classified servic.
Upon the recommendation of the nos+-
master general, I have included in T..
eiaSsii1ed service all assistant postmaster
anu beneve that this giving a secmra
tenure to those who are the most my
portant subordinates of postmaster vii,
ado much to the efficiency of their Offices
and an economical administrator A iareo
number OF the fourth class postnnastane
are now in the classified service. I fhi h,s
81 ser w1nld tb be WIS to put IN the CLASSIFIED
postmasters. 1t is more logical fn ao this
than to classify the fourth class post'
masters, for the reason that the folntb
class postoffices are Invariably small anaT
the postmasters are necessarily men who.
must combine some other business WITH
the postmastershfp, whereas the frs. sec
ono, ana thlrd class postmasters are paid
a suf1cient amount to justify the reauire-
ment That they shall have no other bust
ness and that they shall devote their AZ
een ! 70 the.r postoffice duties. To clas-
slty first, second, and third class post
masters would require the passage of an
act changing the method of their an.
polIt1nent SO as to take away the neces-
ate. He sch
The Frankins Privilege.
the unrestricted manner in which the.
ranking privilege is now being used nv
ene several federal services and by con-
gress mas lad it open to serious abuses.
a fact clearly established through in,
Vestigatlons recently instituted by the de-
pattlnent. While it has been impossible
without a better control of franking to.
determine the exact expense to the gov
eminent of this practice, there can he mo-
u1u1e thaf It annually reaches into the
IlilLons. IT is believed that many abuses
OF the .franking system could be prevent
ea. ana consequently a marked economy
erected, by supplying through the agen-
eies nf=the postal service special official
envelopes and stamps for the free mail,
OF the government, all such envelopes and
stamps 70 be Issued on requisition to the
various branches of the federal service
requiring them, and such records to he
Kept of 81 official stamp supplies as Will
enaole the postoffice department to main
tam a proper postage account covering
the entire volume of free government mai.
As the first step in Inc direction of this
REFORM, special stamps and stamped en-
stead of franks in the free transmission
OF the official mail resulting from the
business OF the new postal savings system,
BY proper recording the Issuance of s,,ch
stamps and envelopes accurate records
can be kept of the cost to the govern
ment OF handling the postal savings mail,
Item OF expense and one that should be
separately determined. In keeping with
TINS plan It is hoped that congress will
authorize the substitution of special Of
ic1al stamps and stamped envelopes for
the various forms Of franks now used to
carry free of postage the vast volume of
departmental and congressional mail mat
ter. During the past year methods of ac-
counting similar to those employed In the
most progressive of our business establish
mentS nave been introduced in the postal
service and nothing has so impeded the
departments plans in this regard as the
lmpossibility OF determining with any ex-
actness how far the various expenses of
the postal service are increased by the
present unrestricted use of the franling
privilege. 1t is believed that the adoption
of a more exact method of dealing with
this problem as proposed will prove to be
of tremendous advantage in the work of
placing the postal service on a strictly
businesslike basis.
Second-Ciass Mail Matter.
In my last annual message I invited the
attention Of congress to the inadeuuacy
of the postal rate imposed upon second
class mail matter In so far as that in
cludes magazines, and showed by figures
prepared by experts Of the postoffce de-
partment that the government was rem
dering a service to the magazines, cost
ing many millions in excess Of the com-
pensation paid. An answer was attempt
ed to this by the representatives Of the
magazines, and a reply was filed to this
answer by the postoffce department. The
cred in the light of the reply of the post
office department, I think must appeal to
any fair-minded person; Whether the an
of the magazines is another question. L
agree that the question is one Of fact: but
! insist that u the fact is az the experts
we are furnishing to the owners Of maya.
zines a service worth millions more than
they the pay pay for spo II then na justice requires that
crease In the receipts of the department
resulting from this change may be de-
voted to increasing the usefulness Of the
department in establishing a parcels post
and in reducing the cost of first class post
age. to one cent. It has been said by the
postmaster general that a fair adjustment
might be made under which the advertis-
charged for at a different and higher rate
from RON, TIL sas;ana : Tssdsag matter. Iilis
are not circulated at a profit, and would
not shut them out from the use Of the
mails by q p~rohibitory rate.
Parcels Post.
With respect to the parcels post. I re-.
~spectfully recommend Its adoption on all
rura! delivery routes, and that Il pounds
1t Of carriage in such post, and this with
a view to its general extension when the
income of the postoffce will permit and
the postal savings banks nave been fully
established. The same argument is made
against the parcels post that was made
against the postal savings bank-that it is
introducing the government into a bust
ness which ought to be conducted by pri-
NNyn f@E ~nrr~ 1~1 -