Perth Amboy evening news., 1911-02-14
Our Political Postoffice

John anamaker was Postmaster General; Senate
Boies Penrose is chairman OF the great Postofice Com
mittee Of the United States Senate; Thomas II. Carter
Senator from Montana. has served many years on tina
committee.
No three men in the United States are bette
versed in postofice affairs and needs than these.
On February 8, 1911. the Senate Postofice Com
mittee. under the lead rship of Sc ators Penrose an
Garter, reported favorably to the Senate for action tn
P~ostofice Appropriation bill, containing a provision
put in without allowing public hearing or open consld
~eration. but under political pressure from the Whit
House, that increases the postage rate on magazine
and periodicals. to such an extent that it PRACTICAL
absorbs all the profits OF the publishing business of tn
country and makes the further production OF popular
priced magazines impossible. 1t imposes a tax that
con6scatory.
Notwithstanding, within the year Senator Bots Penroa
said, referring to the Carter Weeks bill:
ssThese are some of the big features of
the bill. The whole intent us to systematic
and to modsrnize the entire postal system. Ut
is idle to take up such questions as apportion
ing the cost for carrying seeond-class mai
matter or the proper compensation OF rail
roads for transporting the mails until we
shall have established business methods IN
postoffce affairs by a reorganization OF the
whole postal system.
ssThe commission unanimously recon-
mended the passage of the projected bill
Personally / have been very much interested
in all the details and, of course, am heartily
in favor of the changes to be made"
Senator Carter said last Marchi
stBut | must forego further pursuit of
details. The bill was cordially approved by
Postmaster General Meyer and his assistants,
and likewise has the approval of Postmaster
General Hitchcock. 1t failed of passage dur
ing the last Congress owing to lack of time
for its proper consideration, but | have re-
introduced the bill, which is now designated
Senate 6287, Second Session, ~Sixty-hrst
Congress. The Committee on Postofices and
Poatroads will favorably report the bnlto the
ssnats aniasiNt should be -egasted ints law
-s before the close Of this session. / believe not
~ 81 xoaIya6 that ii will increase effcieneyys but that, M
after the expense of installation is absorbed,
it will result in such economies in the admin
istration of the department and service as
@ viii ere long wipe out the deficiency. In
operating under it the department will be
able with almost unalTing certainty to de-
termine the actual cost of each service per-
formed, thereby reaching a sound basis for
~ legislation such as is neither available nor
obtainabe under the present system.
II deeply %sympafhize with the earnest
desire of the department officials to get rid
of the deficiency they are fated to encounter
each year, but / submit that the first real
movement toward that end must begin with
the substitution Of a modern, up-to-date bust
i ness organization for the existing antiquated
system, which rests upon a few sections of
law enacted in 1885, supplemented by
statutory fragments added from time to time
since that year"