The Penn's Grove record., 1912-02-23
President in Transmitting Hitch
cocks Report to Congress
Says He Foes Not Approve
Recommendation That TeIe-
graph Lines Be Operated by
Post Office Department.
DOES FAVOR GOVERNMENT
CONTROL.
The Commission on Second-CIass Mail
Matter Recommends That the Cent
a-copy Rate for Newspapers Other
Than WeekIies When Mailed at a
Lctter-Carrier Office for Local De-
livery Be Abolished.

livery Be Abolished.
Washington.-President Taft's mes
sage transmitting the annual report OF
the Postmaster General for the fiscal
year ended June 80, 1911, and the re-
port of the Commission on Second
Glass Mail Matter, was listened to with
deep interest when read before both
houes of Congress. 1t is as follows:
To the Senate and House of Represen-
tatives:
In transmitting the annual report of
the Postmaster General for the fiscal
veal ended June 80, 1911, it gives me
pleasure to call attention to the fact
that the revenues for the fiscal year
ended June 80, 1911, amounted to
$237,S79, S23.60 and that the expendi-
lures amounted to s237, $50, 705.48, max
ing a surplus of $~219,118.12. For the
year ended June 80, 1909, the postal
service was in arrears to the extent of
$17,479, 770.47. In the interval this
very large deficit has been changed
into surplus, and that without the cur
tailment of postal facilities. Indeed,
in the same time there have been es-
tablished 3,744 new post Offices, deliv-
cry by carrier provided in 1856 addi-
tional cities and new rural routes es-
tablished, 2,516 in number and aggre-
eating 60,679 miles in extent. The
force of postal employees has been
increased by more than 5000, and a
liberal policy in the matter of salaries
has been followed, so that the amount
expended for salaries is now $14, 000,-
600 more than two years ago. The aV-
erage salary has been increased from
1869 to 1867 for rural carriers, 1919 to
$1,OS2 for post-office clerks, $1,021 to
$1,084 for city letter carriers, and ST.
1853 to $1,183 for railway postal clerks.
The report shows that the postal
savings system was begun experiment.
ally in January, 1911, and that it has
now been extended so as to include T.
500 presidential post Offices, which in
cludes practically all of the post offices
of that class. Prepare lions are also
being made to establish the system at
about 10000 fourh-class offices. The
deposits in II months have reached a
total of 81, 600, 900, distributed among
2,710 national and State banks.
The Postmaster General recon-
mends, as l have done in previous mes
co onc tha ndnnfinn of a noroal most
and the beginning of this in the or
g%aniZation of such service on rural
routes and in the City Delivery Ser
vice first.
The report of the Postmaster Gen
eral is full of statements of the impor-
tant improvements in the organization
and methods of the postal service
made a part of the postal system and
and of tentative drafts of legislation
embodying cerain recommendations of
the department which need legislation
to carry them out.
There is only N recommendation
in which | can not agree-that is one
which recommends that the telegraph
lLCo III Tx OAllCu DlalCo SilOulu NC
made a par 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 reg
lation as to rates by proper authority
rather than that the Government should
itself conduct them. This principle !
favor because | do not think it in &C.
cordance with the best public policy
thus greatly to increase the body OF
public servants. OF course, if it could
be shown that telegraph service could
be furnished to the public at a less
price than it is now furnished to the
public by telegraph companies, and
with equal efficiency, the argument
might be a strong n in favor of the
adoption of the proposition. But l am
not satisfied from any evidence that
if these properties were taken over by
the Government they could be man
aged any NOR economically or any
more economically or any more efici
emily or that this would enable the
Government to furnish service at any
smaller rate than the public are now
required to pay by private companies
| can not speak with too great EN-
phasis of the improvement in the Posi-
Office Department under the present
management. The cutting down O.
cost, the shortening of methods, anG
the increase in efficiency are shown by
the statistics of the Annual Report.
One of the most important matters
referred to by the Postmaster Genera
is the proposed fixing of new rates O
postage for second-class mail matter. IL
connection with this subject, l have
the honor to transmit herewith the re
port of the Commission on Second