The Forrest City times., 1912-02-23
TAFT ASKS RAISE
 IN POSTAL RATES
Urges Adoption Of Commis- sion's Recommendation On
 Second-Class Mail.
PROFIT IN POSTAL SERVICE
For the First Time in History the Department Made Money-Adop- tion of Parcel Post System
 Again Is Urged.

Washington. Feb. 2.-According 10 the annual report of Postmaster Gen eral Hitchcock transmitted to con gress today the postoffice department. for the first time in history, shows a profit for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1911.
 Accompanying the document was the report Of the commission on sec ond-elass mail matter appointed by joint resolution of congress on March of last year and brief message of the president, in which he called at tention to the principal features of the two reports
 Would Increase Second-Class Rates.
 The report of the commission on second-class mail matter makes the following recommendations:
 l. The rate of cents a pound on copies mailed by publishers to sub scribers, to news agents. and as sam- pie copies, and by news agents to their subscribers or to other news agents.
 ,. he rate of cent for each I ounces for copies mailed by other .han publishers and news agents; that Is, the present transient rate.
 3. The present free-in-county priv ilege retained, but not extended.
 The commission also recommended that the cent-a-copy rate for newspa- pers other than weeklies and for pc rtodicals not exceeding ? ounces in weight, and the 2-cent-a-copy rate for periodicals exceeding ounces in weight. when mailed at city letter carrier office for local delivery. be abolished
 As to the effect and adequacy of the proposed increase of l cent a pound In postage the commission says:
 Such an increase will not. in the opinion of the commission. bring dis tress upon the publishers of newspa- pers and periodicals, or seriously in- terfere with the dissemination of use ful news or information. A reasonable time should be allowed. after the rate is fixed. before 1t Is put into effect. While the new rate will be very far from compensating the government for the carriage and handling of sec ond-class matter it will to some ex- tent relieve the existing burden and re,ult in a more equitable adjustment of rates
 Both the president and the postmas ter general concur in the recommends tions.
 President Taft again concurs in the recommendation of the Postmaster General for the adoption of a parcel post system. suggesting the inaugura- tion of such a service on rural routes and in the city delivery service first.
 Ownership of Telegraph Opposed.
 Hitcheock's recommendation for government ownership of the tele- graph lines under the supervision of the postal service Is not approved Of by the president. Regarding this he says:
 There is only one recommendation in which I can not agree-that is one which recommends that the telegraph lines in the United States should be made part of the postal system and operated in conjunction with the mail system. This presents a question of government ownership Of public utili- ties which are now being conducted by private enterprise under franchises from the government. l believe that the true principle is that private en- terprise should be permitted to carry on such public utilities under due regu. fu rather than that the government should itself conduct them This prin- ciple favor because I do not think it in accordance with the best public pol icy thus greatly to increase the body of public servants"
 The report of the Postmaster Gen eral is full of statements of changes in the organization and methods of the postal service made since the last an nual report and of tentative drafts of legislation embodying certain recon. mendations of the department which need legislation to carry them out. It also calls attention 10 the fact that the revenues for the fiscal year ended June 30. 1911, amounted to s237.S79,- S2360 and that the expenditures amounted to s237, ,66O.7054G, making a surplus of s21911SI2.
 The report shows that the postal savings system was begun experimen tally in January, 1911. and that it has now been extended so as to include 7,500 presidential post offices. which includes practically all of the post offices of that class. Preparations are also being made to establish the sys. tenn at about 10000 fourth-class offices