The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1912-02-29
TAFT ASKS RAISE
INP0sTAL Rates
Urges Adoption OF Commits
sion's Recommendation On
SeCond-CIasS wall.
PROFIT IN POSTAL SERVICE
For the First Time In History tho
Department Made Money-Adop-
ton OF Parcel Post System
Again Is Urged


Washington, Feb. % -According "a
the annual report OF Postmaster Gen
eral Hitchcock transmitted to con.
Sress today the postoffice department.
Tor the first time In history, shows d
proiit tor tho fiscal year ending June
80, 1911.
Accompanying the document was
the report Of the commission on sec
ond-clnss mail matter appointed by
Joint resolution OF congress on March
OF last year and brief message OF
the president. In which he called ri.
lention to the principal features OF the
two reports
Would Increase Second.CIass Rates
The report Of the commission on
Second.class mail matter makes tho
following recommendations
/. The rate Of 2 cents pound on
copies mailed by publishers to sub
scribcrs TO news agents, and rs sam
PIE copies, and by news agents to their
subscribers or to other news agents.
2. | he rate OF ! cent for each 4
ounces for copies mailed by other
than publishers and news agents, that
Is, the present transient rate.
3. The present freein-county priv.
llege retained, but not extended.
The commission also recommended
that the ccnt-a-copy rate for Hewspa-
pcrs other than weeklos and for Pc
o Ia,
weight, and the 2-centa.copy rate for
periodicals exceeding ounces In
weight. when mailed at a city letter.
carrier office for local delivery. be
abolished
As TO the effect ana adequacy OF the
proposed increase OF cent pound
In postage the commission says;
Such an Increase will not, in tho
opinion OF the commission. bring dis
tress upon the publishers OF newspa-
pers and periodicals. or seriously in.
terfere with the dissemination OF use
full news or information. A reasonable
time should be allowed after the rate
Is fixed before II Is put into effect
While the new rate viii be very far
from compromising tho government
for the carriage and handling OF sec.
Ond class matter. II will to some ex-
tent relieve the existing burden and
result in a more equitable adjustment
OF rates"
Both the president and the postmas.
ter general concur in the recommends
tlons.
President Taft again concurs in the
of the Postmaster
General for the adoption OF parcel
post system, suggesting the Inaugural
tion OF such service on rural routes
and in the city delivery service FIRST.
Ownership Of Telegraph Opposed.
Illtchcocks recommendation for
government ownership OF the tele-
graph lines under tho supervision of
the postal service is not approved OF
by the president Regarding this he
says:
There Is only one recommendation
In which can not agree-that Is one
which recommends that the telegraph
lines In the United States should be
made a part Of the postal system and
operated In conjunction with the mail
system THIS presents n question OF
government ownership OF public utili-
les which are now being conducted by
lrivate enterprise under franchises
rom the government. | believe that
he true principle is that private ell
erprIsc should be permitted to carry
II such public utilities under due regu-
alton as to rates by proper authority
athCr than that the government
houid itself conduct them. This prin-
iple favor because do not think It
0 accordance with the best public pol.
,y thus greatly to Increase the body
public servants
The report CT the Postmaster Gen
raj is full Of statements Of changes
! the organization and methods OF tho
ostal service made since the last an.
ual report, and OF tentative drafts OF
'gislation embodying certain recon-
lendations Of the department which
eed legislation to carry them out. II
so calls attention TO the fact that
10 revenues for the fiscal year ended
lne 30, 1911. amounted to $237.S79.-
1850 and that the expenditures
mounted to 1921. 66O764S, making a
irplus OF s2l9.1ls.12
The report shows that the postal
wings system was begun experiment.
lily in January, 1911. and that II has
ow been extended so as TO include
500 presidential post Offices. which
cludes practically all Of the post
ices OF that class Preparations are
so being made to establish the sys-
m at about 10000 fourth-claas offcss