The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-12-12
Postmaster-GeneraI, in Annual
Report, Advises Charging
Magazines More Postage.
PREDICTS EXTENSION OF
POSTAL SAVINGS SYSTEM
New Banks Will Be Given Trial
in Every State and
Territory.

WASHlNGlON- Dec. 1l,--lD the
space of twelve months reduction had
been made in the deficit Of the post
office department of l1,500,000, ac-
cording to the annual report of Post
master General Frank H. Hitchcock,
made public today.
While year ago the fiscal records
( of the postal service disclosed a deficit
OF sl1 100000, the largest in the his.
tory of the country. the excess of ex-
pendtures over receipts for the wear
ended June 30 last. amounted to only
S5,S4s,566. In commenting upon this
reduction, Postmaster General Hitch
cock claims in his report that the eff
ficiency of the service has been i'm
proved,
New Offices Established.
Fifteen hundred new postoffices were
established during the last year, and
SIS new rural delivery routes travers-
z ing altogether 1885 miles, were in
stituted = Nearly 5000 new employees.
whose aggregate salaries are more than
s2.000,000 annually, have been hired
The sum of 900 was added to the
salaries of postoffice clerks, 81 ,226 600
to the salaries of letter carriers, and
$250000 TO the salaries of railway mail
clerks.
Concerning second class mail. the re-
port points out the constant growth of
this class of matter. IT is carried at
Q loss, and he advises charging more
postage.
"In Ievyiug the higher rate" the
report suggests. cit is believed that
distinction should be made between
advertising matter and what is termed
legitimate reading matter. An in
crease on reading matter is not rec
ommended. Many publications now
carried second class aid in the educa-
tiona and moral advancement of the
people and the report advises the gov
ernment TO encourage them For these
publications. and also for any other
legitimate reading matter in periodi-
cal form, the department favors CON
tlnuation Of the present postage rate
of one cent pound. and recommends
, that the proposed increase in rate be
. applied only to magazine advertising
matter
To Charge Magazines More.
SIN view Of the vanishing postal
deficit, il is believed that if the maga.
zines could be required to pay what
it costs the government to carry their
advertising Dages, the department s
revenues would soon grow large enough
TO warrant one-cent postage on first.
class mail.
newspapers are not included in the
plan for higher rate on advertising
matter, because they do not employ
the mails to any such extent as the
widely circulating magazines.
The loss on rural delivery service is
very considerable. but Mr.. Hitchcock
nrges the wisdom OF further extension.
He points out, also. the business wis
dom OF the consolidation during the
last year Of the star route and rural
delivery system.
81
gwen a trial. beginning January l..
1911, at one postoffice in each state
and territory. The amount appropri
ated fv congress for this trial was
I 100000, All of the offices selected
/. for the trial are OF the second class,
wage en-ners being particularly bene-
+ fitted The report predicts that the
tended 10 many other offices soon.
renewal Of the previous recon-
ruendation for limited parcel post
service on rural routes is made. Mr..
Hitchcock expresses the hone that con
eress will authorize the delivery on
rural routes of parcels weighing as
nigh as eleven pounds.
Vacations for Clerks.
recommendation is made that con.
frcsslonal authority be given the de-
parfment for the issuance of postal
n".tb III amounts nOb eateeulUG Ten
dollars, at a lower fee than is charged
for money orders.
Mr.. Hitchcock believes that many
abuses of the franking system could be
K prevented, with marked economy, by
snnplylng special official envelopes.
During the last few months principal
eefflcers of thirty four corporations or
iirms have been arrested for alleged
swindlng through the mails.
Mr.. Hitchcock strongly urges that
the entire postal service be taken out
of politics. He SAYS:
"Th" recent order of the president
classifying all assistant postmasters,
was an important step in the right
direction. AS still more important
reform, presidential postmastsrs of all
grades, from the first class TO the third,
ice. -
A general extension Of the civil serv-
zee rules to fourth-class postmasters is
recommended. Mr.. Hitchcock hopes
congress will see its way clear to grant
an annual leave Of absence of thirty
oays 10 postoffjce clerks, city letter
. chrrlcrS and 10 railway r,asta1 clerks