The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-03-01
NESSAGE OF
. THE PRESIDENT
TAFT Agrees With P an to Raise
Second CaSs Mall Rates.
COMM SSION MAKES REPORT.

Inquiry Board Advises Increasing Sec
ond Class Rates Affecting Periodi-
calls and Newspapers From Cent to
2 Cents a Pound, but That Present
Free In County Privilege Be Main
tanned.
Washington. Feb. 22.-President Taft
has sent to both houses Of congress
special message, accompanied by the
annual report of the postmaster gen
eral. for the fiscal year ended June
30, 1911. and the report of the federal
commission on second class mail mat
Ter. The presidents message is as fol
bows:
To the Senate and House of Repre-
sentativeS:
In transmitting the annual report of
the postmaster general for the fiscal
year 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 S23I,-
sT9.S23.GO and that the expenditures
amounted to So3T ,GGO. 7O4.4S. making a
surplus of S219.11S12. For the year
ended June 80. 1909, the postal service
was in arrears to the extent of SIT
419.T7O.4T. In the interval this very
large deficit has been changed into
surplus. and that without the curtail-
In I'm %
same time there have been established
2,T44 new postoliices. delivery by car
rier provided in 1SG additional cities
and new rural routes established, 2,5IG
IN number and aggregating GO,G79 miles
IN extent.
The force of postal employees has
been increased by more than 5000, and
a liberal policy in the matter Of sal
aries has been followed. so. that the
amount expended for salaries is now
s14.000.000 more than two years ago.
The average salary has been increased
from $500 to S9G7 for rural carriers,
1919 to S1.OS2 for postoGice clerks.
s1.O21 to 81 OS4 for city letter carriers
and $1,1GS to $1,1S3 for railway postal
clerks
The Postal Savings System.
The report shows that the postal saw
ings system was begun eXperimenta!ly
IN January. 1911. and that it has now
been extended so as to include 1900
presidential postofices which includes
practically all of the postoflices of that
class. Preparations are also being
made to establish the system at about
10000 fourth class Offices. The Dc.
posts in eleven months have reached Il
total of S11.OOOOOO, distributed among
2,710 national and state banks.
The postmaster general recommends
as | have done in previous messages
the adoption of a parcel post and the
beginning Of this in the organization
of such service on rural routes and n
the city delivery service first. The
placing of assistant postmasterS in tie
classified service has secured greater
efficiency. 1t is hoped that the sane
thing may be done with all the post
masters.
The report of the postmaster general
is full of statements of the important
Improvements in the organization al |
methods of the postal service made
since the last annual report and of ten
tative drafts Of legislation embodying
certain recommendations Of the depart
ment which need legislation to carry
them out
Opposes Government Control of Tee-
graph Lines.
There is only one recommendation in
which | cannot 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 Il question ci
government ownership of public ut,Ii-
ties which are now being conducted Ny
private enterprise under franchises
from the government. | believe that
the true principle Is that private enter
prise should be permitted to carry on
such public utilities under due regula-
tion as to rates By proper authority
rather than that the government should
Itself conduct them. This principle
IdNOT DeGduSc 10 not tllnk II III aC-
cordance with the best public policy
thus greatly TO increase the body o.:
public servants. OF course if it cou 4
be shown that telegraph service could
be furnished to the public at a lc-
price than it Is now furnished to Il 20
public by telegraph companies ala
with equal efficiency the argumcuI
might be strong one in favor Of the
adoption of the proposition.
But am not satisfied from any evi
dence that if these properties were
taken over by the government they
could be managed any more economic
ally or any more efficiently or that this
would enable the government to fur
nish service at any smaller rate than
the public are now required to pay by
private companies. .......
cannot speak with too great emphn-
sis OF the Improvement in the postoflice
department under the present manage
ment. The cutting down Of cost. the
RhnFtanino NJ or bn1a anA Al.