The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1912-02-29
TAFT ASKS RAISE
IN POSTAL Rates
Urges Adoption OF Commits
sion's Recommendatio On
Second Glass Mail.
PROFIT IN POSTAL SERVICE
For the First Time In History the
Department Made Money-Adop
tIon OF Parcel Post System
Again 10 Urged.


Washington. Feb. 22.--According q
the annual report OF Postmaster Gen
eral Hitchcock transmitted to con
gress today the postoffice department
for the first time In history. shows
profit for the fiscal year ending Jun,
80. 1911.
Accompanying the document wa
the report Of the commission on sec
ond-class mail matter appointed b,
joint resolution OF congress on Marcel
4 OF last year and a brief message o
the president. In which be called at
tention to the principal features OF tn,
two reports.
Would Increase Sseond-Cisss Rates.
The report OF the commission or
eecond-Class mail matter makes the
following recommendations:
J. The rate OF 2 cents a pound or
copies mailed by publishers to sub
scribers. to news agents. and as sam
pie copies. and by news agents TO their
subscribers or 20 other news agents
2. The 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 free-in county priv
ilege retained. but not extended.
The commission also recommended
that the centa-copy rate FOR newspa
pers other than weeklies and for pc
riodicals not exceeding ounces In
weight. and the 2-cent-a-copy rate for
periodicals exceeding 2 ounces IN
weight, when mailed at a city letter
carrier ONCE for local delivery. be
abolished.
As 20 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-
p-rs and periodicals. or seriously In
terfere with the dissemination OF use
full news or information. A reasonable
time should be allowed. after the rate
il fixed. before II Is put into effect.
While the new rate will be very far
from compromising the government
for the carriage and handling OF sec
ond class matter, Il will 10 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 recommended.
tons.
President Taft again concurs In the
recommendation OF the Postmaster
General for the adoption OF parcel
post system, suggesting the Inaugural
iion Of such a service on rural routes
and in the city delivery service first
Ownership OF Telegraph Opposed.
IIitchcocks 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 ! 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 a question OF
government ownership OF public utili-
ties which are now being conducted by
private enterprise under franchises
from the government. believe that
the true principle IL that private en-
terprise should be permitted to carry
on such public utilities under cue regu-
lat.on as 10 rates by proper authority
rather than that the government
should itself conduct them. This prin-
ciple | favor because do not think 1t
IN accordance with the best public pol
icy thus greatly TO increase the body
OF public servants"
The report of the Postmaster Gen
eral 10 fun 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. II
also calls attention to the fact that
the revenues for the fiscal year ended
June 80, 1911. amounted TO s237,s79,-
1928 90 and that the expenditures
amounted to se37. $50, 7054s. making a
surplus of s2l9,tls.l2.
The report shows that the postal
savings system was begun experiment
tally In January, 1911, and that II has
now been extended 90 as 10 include
1900 presidential post Offices. which
includes practically all of the post
ofices OF that class. Preparations are
also being made to establish the sys-
TEN at about 10000 fourth-class Offices.