Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1912-04-16
Do CONDITIONS
NOW FAVOR
PENNY POSTAGE?
GOVERNMENT ISSUES REPORT
Penny Postage Seems Eco
DOmiCaI

Washington, D. c., April 15-
Nearly nine billion pieces of first
class matter were carried by the post
Office department for the fiscal year
careful estimates just made public BY
James j. Britt, third assistant post
master general, at Washington.
Of the total, over seven billion pieces
were letters and nearly two billion
pieces were postcards. The grand to-
tai was S,843,577,754 individual pieces.
One of the interesting deductions
made by General Britt is the fact THAI
over eighteen million dollars was COL
lected on postcards, the weight Of
which was a little over ten million
pounds only. This amount was just
double the fetal revenue received from
95l,000.000 pounds of second class mail
matter produced. This latter was nine
ty-five times as much in weight AMI
furnished less than $9,000,000
At the present rate, the department
is receiving on first class mail a rev.
enue Of over SAC per pound, equal to
$3.50 per ton, thus making a profit
of Sc per cent. First class mail sup
plies less than IA per cent of the total
tonnage of the mails, yet it pays =
per cent. of the total revenue.
In 1910 S,310,623,0O0 pieces of first
class mail were carried by the postof-
flee department. The cost of handling
and carriage, according to Postmaster
General Hitchcock was $96,752,511.35.
The revenue collected was $154,7S6,-
66S08, leaving a clear profit to the gov
eminent of $5S,004.156.73.
The total amount of first class mail
carried in 1911 amounted to about $685.
100000 pieces more than in 1910 On
this first class mail the government
is making over $62,000,00O a year IN
profits. Because of these enormous
profits the business men of the coun- |
try have formed the National One-Cent |
Letter Postage association, which is
conducting a campaign for a lower
postage rate Charles VIM. Burrows,
of Cleveland, is president and Geo |
T. Mcintosh, Cleveland, is secretary
treasurer and general manager of the |
for the lower postage rate |
The association now has several |
thousand members in all parts of the
country.
AS result of the vigorous CAM
paign being conducted by this asso-
citation, a bill has been introduced in
congress by Senator Theodore E. Bur-
ton, of Ohio, and Representative john
w. Weeks, of Massachusetts for a
letter postage rate, to take
effect July LIST of this year. Tbs
movement has been cordially Endorsed
by President Taft, Postmaster General
Hitchcock and other government off
cials
James J. Britt, third assistant post
master general, who is probably as
well informed concerning first class
mail as any official of the department
declares that the country is entitled
to a lower rate
According to General Britt, the gov
is making through the postal
department on the carrying of letters
an average profit of sixty-fve cents
per year from every man, woman and
child in the United States. The re-
actual profit is carefully
estimated at over $62,00O,000. On the
)ths hand, every man, woman and
,hild, some 94OO0,000 of them, is pay
ng the government a tax of sixty
light cents per year for losses incur
ed on other classes OF mail at exist