Evening journal., 1912-02-22
TAFT OPPOSES
GOVERNMENT
OWNERSHIP
BiSapprOVeS Of HitChCOCk'S
Suggestion to Control
Telegraph Lines
APPROVES TIE PLAN TO
INCREASE THE POSTAL RATES
By The United Press.


ship of telegraphs, the pet project Of
Postmaster-General Hitchcock. To-
day the President aired his views ON
the matter in a special message 20
Congress, submitting the report of the
Postal Commission, and approving its
recommendation that rates on news
papers and magazines be doubled,
from / TO cents a pound
Doubling of the second class mail
rates would cost publishers from ST.
100000 to S1O,0OO.0 900 more annually.
But the increased rates were still only
about one-third the cost of handling.
The message. with the commission S
report. is hefty little package of
about $4,000 words-one of the bulk
lest message jobs Taft has done.
In lambasting government owner
ship, Taft says:
II cannot agree with the recon-
mendation (Hitchcock's) that the tele-
graph lines be made a part Of the
postal system. / believe the true
principle is that private ownership
should carry on such public utilities,
under due regulation of rates. rather
than that the government itself should
conduct them ] do not think Il in
accordance with the best public policy
thus greatly to increase the body OF
public servants"
Of course, If il could be shown that
/ telegraph service could be furnished
to the public at less price than It
/ is now furnished 20 the public by tele-
I graph companies. and with equal ef-
/ ficiency, the argument might be a
strong one in favor of the adoption
of the proposition. But ! am not sat
isfied from any evidence that II these
properties were taken over by tho
/ government they could be managed
!. any more economically or any more
efficiently or that this would enable
the government 10 furnish service at
any smaller rate than the public are
now required 10 pay by private COM
panies.
More than this, It seems to me that
the consideration Of the question to
be postponed until after The postal
savings banks come into complete and
smooth operation and after a parcels
post has been established. not oniy
, upon the rural routes and the city
, deliveries, but also throughout the
: department. Il will take some time
to perfect these additions to the ac-
= tivities of the Postofilce Department
and we NAV we'll await their com
I plete and successful operation before
p we take on a new burden in thi
= very extended department.
= The Postal Service.
: In transmitting the annual repor
q Of the Postmaster General for the fis
!; cal year ended June 80, 1911, 4
!. gives me pleasure to call attention
to the fact that the revenues ior tn'
fiscal year ended June 90 1911
amounted TO s237 .S79 ,S23.6O and thai
= the expenditures amounted TO S2Jf,'
Z $50. .705.4S, making surplus OF S2l9,'
a l11S.12. For the year ended June 80
1909, the postal service was In ar
rears to the extent of Sl1,4I9,ff0.4i
In the interval this very large defcil
has been changed into surplus, and
that without the curtailment of pos
tai facilities. Indeed. in the same
time there have been established
3.744 new post Offices. delievery by
carrier provided in 1S6 additional
' cities and new rural routes establish.
ed. 2.516 i'm number and aggregatine
6O.679 miles i'm extent. The force Of
postal employees has been increased
by more than 5000. and a liberal pol
icy i'm the matter Of salaries has beer
followed. so that the amount expended
for salaries is now S14.0O0000 more
than two years ago The average
d salary has been increased from SS6'
to 1867 for rural carriers, 1878 (
1882 for postoffice clerks. S1,O21 4
S1OS4 for city letter carriers, ant
i 81, 16S to $1,1S3 for railway posta
y clerks.
I The report shows that the postal
K savings system was begun eXperimen
6 tally I'm January, 1911. and that il ha
Il now been extended so as to includ
n 1900 presidential postofiices. whicl
! includes practically all of the post
Offices of that class. Preparations ar
also being made to establish the sys
: tenn at about 10000 fourth-class of
fees. The deposits in IL month";
have reached a total - $l1,000,00C
distributed among 2,7l0 national ant
State banks
Praises Hitchcock.
Taft takes out the sting how
ever. by fulsome praise Of Hitchcock
administration. stating he heartil
concurs with the recommendation q
Hitchcock and the Postal Commissio
to boost the newspaper and magazin
mailing rates.
The Commission which held man
public hearings and dug deep In pos
tal records says IL cost about l.
cents a pound 10 carry newspaper
and magazines. II says this mail EN-
braces two-thirds Of all mail mattel
but furnishes only five per cent.
postal revenues.
Taft and the Commission declar
against discriminating between new;
papers and magazines in raising rate
and also against charging extra 10
bulky advertisements in magazine
The fat lhte of two cents pound,
be made with plenty OF notice In &C
vance. is unanimously agreed upon a
a solution. with the balance OF cost
carrying as subsidy in the interel
of public education.
Extension of the plan to ship mag'
zines by freight instead OF by ma
10 decrease costs is recommende'
Continuance Of free county cifculi
ton for small country newspapers AIS
is recommended.
The Commission expresses tne %
lief that the railroads are chargln
the government exorbitant rates fc
carving the mails and urges feder'
investigation.
N