Arizona republican., 1910-12-07

require the passage of an act chang ing the method of their appointment | so as to take away the necessity for | the advice and consent of the sen
 ate. l am aware that this is invit- | ing from the senate a concession in respect to its quasi executive powers
 that is considerable, but l believe it | to be in the interest of good admins tration and efficiency of service. To
 make this change would take the
 postmasters out of politics. would re- lieve congressman who are now bur dened with the necessity of making recommendations for the places of a responsibility that must be irksome and can create nothing but trouble, and it would result in securing great CT attention to business. greater fidel- lity and consequently greater economy and efficiency in the postoffices which they conduct.
 THANKING PRIVILEGES.
 The unrestricted manner in which the franking privilege is being used by the several federal services and by congress has been laid open to va rious abuses. a fact clearly established through investigations recently insti- tuted by the department. While it has been impossible without a better control of franking to determine the exact expense to the government of this practice. there can be no doubt that it annually reaches into the mil lions As the first step in the direc- tion of reform special stamps and stamped envelopes have been provided for use instead of franks in the free transmission of the official mail. re- sulting in the business of the new postal savings system.
 By properly recording the issuance of such stamps and envelopes accurate records can be kept of the cost to the gOvernner of handling the pos tai savings mail. which is certain to become an important item of expense and one that should be separately dc termined. Tn keeping with this plan it is hoped that congress will author iZe the substitution of special off cial stamps and stamped envelopes for the various forms of franks now used to carry free of postage the vast volume of departmental and congress sional mail matter.
 SECOND CLASS MAIL MATTER.
 
 vited the attention of congress to the inadequacy of the postal rate imposed upon second class mail matter insofar as that includes magazines. and show ed by figures prepared by experts of the postOffiCe department that the government would be rendering a ser vice to the magazines costing many millions in excess Of the compensation paid. An answer was attempted tO this by the representatives of the magazines. and a reply was filed to this answer by the postoffice de- partment. The utter inadequacy of the answer considered in the light of the reply of the postoffice de- partment must appeal to any fair minded person. Whether the answer was all that could be said in behalf of the magazines is another question agree that the question is one of fact. but I insist that if the fact is as the experts of the postOffice de- partment show. that We are furnishing to the owners of magazines a service worth millions more than they pay for it. then justice requires that the rate be increased. The increase in the receipts of the department result ing from this change may be devoted tO increasing the usefulness of the department n establishing . parcels post and in reducing the cost of first class postage to one cent. It has been said by the postmaster general that a fair adjustment night be made under which the advertising part of the magazines should be charged for at a different and higher rate than