Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-12-11


extent of $17,479.77O.47. which was de-
1 eidedly the largest deficit on record.
In the brief space of two years this
deficit has been changed into sub
stantial surplus.
Among the topics treated by the
postmaster general are several in
which the people are earnestly in
terested. He says:
The wiping out of the deficit has
| been accomplished without curtail-
ment of postal facilities on the con-
tr3ry, important extensions have
been made in every branch of the
service. Since the opening of the
present administration there have
been established 3744 new post offices,
delivery by carrier has been provided
in 1S6 additional cities. and 2516 new
rural routes. aggregating 606I9 miles,
have been authorized. Meanwhile the
force of postal employees has been in
creased by more than 5000. In COM
pensating such employees the Depart
ment follows a liberal policy, Last
year the total amount expended for
Htiiit ACS was Sil'liOailAi1tANA HA'tNfN'N~N
greater than two years ago. The
average annual salary has been in
creased from $3.50 to 1867 for rural
carriers, from 1919 to $10S2 for post
office clerks, from $102I to $10S4 for
city letter carriers. and from SlibS
to $1lS3 for railway postal clerks
Thus a marked extension of the post
al service and higher compensation
for its employees have gone hand IN |
hand with a vanishing deficit.
An important event of the year
was the successful organization or
the postal savings system. ON jan
uary 3. 1911 repositories were opened
experimentally at a single post office
in each one of the AZ states and terri
tories. After careful test for four
months at these offices the system
was rapidly extended and now conf
rrises practically all of the 1900 presi-
Dental post offices. Preparations are
being made to establish the system
also in about 10000 fourth-class Of
ices that do a money order business
Now that the successful operation
IF the postal savings system is as
;urod, it is hoped that Congress will
promptly authorize the establishment |
If parcel post.
Next to the question of establish
ng a parcel post, the most important
postal problem to be considered by
Congress at the coming session will
be that of readjusting postage rates.
In the last two annual reports of the
attention was directed to
the great loss sustained in handling
mail at the present low
rate Of / cent a pound. In view of
the large profit accruing, or the other
hand, from first-class mail it was
pointed out that a readjustment of
rates on the basis of cost would even
tually permit the adoption of l cent
postage for letters.
The consolidation of the rural de-
livery and star route services, TO
which reference was made in the last
annual report, has proved to be most |
beneficial 1t has enabled the Depart
ment to extend mail delivery to many |
thousands of additional patrons by Il |
of established routes |
with little increase in the annual rate |
of expenditure. Much needless dupli- |
cation of service, which it was diff |
ficult to prevent with two independ- |
ent systems of rural delivery, has been
eliminated since their consolidation.
Under the new plan of organization
the rural mail service is being rapid
lly extended.