The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-03-23
Is POSTAL SURPLUS A sHAMc

Is the historic achievement of Hitchcock
in putting the Postoffce Department on a
paying basis nothing more than an adoption
of the stock Juggling formula of dividends
investment?
In other words. have the American people.
to save a few million dollars representing
annual deficit In the service, paid for such
bit of economy the heavy price of less
efficient service?
The Postmaster General In recent report
undertook to answer all these queries in the
negative. He pointed to increases in the
force. extension of rural free delivery routes,
increases OF salaries. all combined with the
glowing record of deficit from operation
turned into a surplus. This to be
pected. but 1t was noticeable that along with
the report of progress made there were re-
Communications which looked to a hampering
of certain features of the service to which the
people had long been accustomed. The second
class mail privileges were to be seriously
abridged. Fast mail service was. indeed last
summer changed certain classes of periodi-
calls to so-caled fast freight service to dis
tributing points Deliveries In many cities
were made less frequent. Convenences of
long standing were done away with. All
through the service, the pinch of economy
was felt, apparently at the cost of the service
itself
To cite small example take the
special delivery" service. For fee of ten
cents the government undertakes to deliver
specially and promptly on receipt any letter
so carried. Yet have known instances
where the letters so stamped were delivered
by ordinary carriers. and where they We're
actually left in the boxes, additional fec and
, all, 10 be called for. In Richmond. the
special delivery service goes out of com
mission AT O'Clock at night. an urgent let
ter of that character lying in the postoffice
until the convenience of the messenger the
following morning. How much the govern
ment gets from this excess charge where the
service is not performed, we have of course
no means of knowing But that 1t Is manifesty
unreasonable to hold out q special service and
then cease it's performance at O'Clock in
the evening Is self-eyident. How many other
and more important features OF the postal SER
vice are likewise limited to the creation of
surplus real in fact but false In spirit. prob
ably no one except Mr.. Hitchcock knows.
To determine this matter In it's real light
an admirable movement has been started
looking to INVESTIGATIONS by business bodies
throughout the country into postal conditions
and details or service generally. We hope that
there will be everywhere an adoption of this
idea in a way that will make 1t clear where
postal economy should begin and. i'm
rortant where 1t should stop. Mr.. Hitchcock
has undoubtedly done great work in stopping
many OF the more evident leaks In the admin
istratfon of the postal system. 1t Is. however,
clear that the better purpose of the depart
ment Is not to make money for the govern
ment. but to give service to the people.
Economy at such cost is the worst sort of
waste. While Congress Is investigating every
thing else under the sun. 1t might pause to
start an inquiry that means little to politics,
but much TO business.