Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-12-11
SERVICE GREATLY EXTENDED
Care in Expenditures Brings No
Curtailment Of Facilities.
ONE-CENT POSTAGE IS TO COME
Change is Promised by Officials at
No Distant Day.
POSTAL BANKS DRAW CASH
s'ostnRster General Advocates Gree
stiSR of Parcels Post, Abolition of
I FrankinR Privilege, Pensions
for ola Employees.


WASHINGTON, Dec. p.-"For the first
aime since 1888 the annual financial state
nent of the Postoffice department shows
- surplus instead of a deficit"
This is the burden of the annual report
of Postmaster General Hitchcock. made
public today. He indicated that the
placing Of the postal service upon self
sustaining basis meant an Improvement
and extension of facilities and, at no
distant day, 1-eent letter postage
At the beginning of the present admin
lsstratfon in 1909. Mr.. Hitchcock pointed
'pat. thu department showed a deficit of
sl7.f7A7sO. the largest on record. In two
eaears this deficit has boen changed into
81 surplus of s$Sla1ls, despite important
extensions throughout the service. These
extensions include S,7i4 new postoffices.
deitveFy Of mail by carriers In 1856 addi-
dionsl cities e,5l6 new rural mail routes
RggTegRtinE 6O.6Ie miles and 5000 addl-
1lonal postal employees, with the salary
,gou greater by $iAOOeycoe than it was two
GEARS ago.
q, Postal Savings Banks.
The postal savings bank system, less
than a year old, now is IN operation in
practically all OF the $500 presidential
bostoffices. Preparations are being made
60 establish It in about 1900 fOurth-olass
pffIces that do a money order business
in eleven months operation postal bank
deposits aggregated 81, 10000 and they
are expected to reach s4O,0Oo,OOO or more
by July l.
In view Of the successful operation of
the postal saving banks Mr.. Hitchcock
strongly recommended the establishment
by congress OF an adequate parcels post,
whioh. he said, could be put into opera
dion In a few months.
seeOnd-C1ass Postage.
The postmaster general reiterated that
1fe second class postage rate should be
2 cents instead of 1 cent pound. He
also urged that by reimbursement of the
pay OF railroads for traI1sportatlng the
mails based on actual cost to the raf1-
roads. an annual saving to the govern
uFent oe at IeRst $gaO0,000 could be ef-
feoted.
Mr.. HItchcoclS said ''the progress in
aviation encourages the hope that ulti-
mately the regular conveyance of mail
by this means may be practicable. In !
many districts where the natural condi-
tions preclude means OF rapid transporta-
ton"
Mr., Hitchcoci; recommended granting
all postal employees thirty days annual
leave; that "a civil pension. based on |
length OF employment he granted by the |
government to supeTamnuated employees;
and that presidential postmasters be |
placed in the classified service.
The report says in part:
For the first tme since 1883 the annual !
financial statement of the Postoffice de- |
partment shows a surplus instead OF
deficit. The revenues for the fiscal year
ended June 80, 1911, amounted to s2s7. .s7e,-
S2&O and tho expenditures to $2s7, $780, !
75,4s. leaving a surplus OF Ss1s,11s12 Al
the beginning of the present administra- |
tion in 1893 the postal service was I'm
arrears TO the extent OF Sl7.479T7o47.
which was decidedly the largest deficit !
on record, In the brief space of two
years this deficit has been changed into |
q substantial surplus.
Extension of the Service.
The wiping out OF the deficit has been |
accomplished without curtailment of
postal facilities. On the contrary, i'm |
portant extensions have been made in |
every branch OF the service. Since the |
opening of the present administration
there have been established 3Ti4 new I
postoffices, delivery by carrier has been |
provided IN lS6 additional cities and 2.5ls .
new rural routes. aggregating GO.679 /
miles have been authorized Meanwhile \
the force Of postal employees has been |
increased by more than 5000. In COM
pensating such employees the department |
follows q liberal policy. Last year the
tDtal amount expended for salaries was
approximately sl4,OO0OoO greater than two 4
years ago. The average annual salary |
has been increased from Ss89 TO Se6T for
rural carriers, frosn 1919 TO Sl.Os2 for post
office clerks, from Sl.Oe1 to si.os4 for city
letter carriers and from SL16s to SISs
for railway postal clerks Thus marked
(ConfiniIe5 on Eeco15 Pee -