The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1912-04-19
OUR POSTAL AFFAIRS

class matter were carried by the post
office department for the fiscal year
ending June 80, 1911, according to
careful estimates just made public by
James J. Britt, third assistant post
master general at Washington.
Of the total over seven billion piec-
es were letters and nearly two billion
pieces were post cards. The grand
total was S,S43,577,754 individual
pieces.
One of the interesting deductions
made by General Britt is the fact that
over eighteen million dollars was col.
lected on post cards, the weight of
which was a little over ten million
pounds only. This amount was just
over double the total revenue received
from 951,000,00O pounds of second
class mail matter produced. This
latter was ninety-five times as much
in weight and furnished less than 49,
100000.
At the present rate, the department
is receiving on first class mail a rev.
enue of over "a per cent. per pound,
equal to $16S0 per ton, thus making a
profit of 66 per cent. First class mail
supplies less than IA per cent. of the
total tonnage of the mails, yet 1t
Of hn tol
In 1910, S,310,623,000 pieces of first
class mail were carried by the postof-
flee department The cost OF handling
and carriage, according to Postmas-
ter General Hitchcock, was $96,752,-
51135. The revenue collected was
1854, 7S6, 66S.08, leaving a clear profit
to the government of $500, 1868.
The total amount of first class mail
carried in 1911 amounted to about
$50, 100000 pieces more than in 1910.
On this first class mail the govern
ment is making over $62,000,000 a
year in profits. Because of these
enormous profits, the business men
of the country have formed the ma
tional one cent letter postage associa-
ton, which is conducting campaign
for a lower postage rate. Charles
William Burrows of Cleveland is pres
ident and George T. Mcintosh, Cleve-
land, is secretary-treasurer and gen.
eral manager of the movement for a
lower postage rate. The association
now has several thousand members in
all parts of the country.
AS a 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
one-cent letter postage rate, to take
effect July LIST of this year. The
movement has been cordially indoors
ed by President Taft, Postmaster
General Hitchcock, and other govern
ment officials.
James, j. Britt third assistant post
master general, who is probably as
we'll informed concerning first class
mail as any official of the depart
ment, declares that the country is en-
titled to lower rate.
According to General Britt, the gov
eminent is making through the pos
tai department on the carrying of let
tiers an average profit of sixty-five
cents per year from every man, wO-
man and child in the United States.
The departments actual profit is
carefully estimated at over $62,000,-
900. On the other hand, every man,
woman and child, some 94,O0O,0OO of
them, is paying the government a tax
of sixty-eight cents per year for loss
es incurred on other classes of mail
at existing rates, the total loss being
over $66,OO0,000.
Postoffice patrons pay more than
81 cents per pound for carrying let
tiers in the United States, although it
costs only about half that sum to
transport them. To correct this con-
dition, congress has been asked to
lower the first class mail rate from
two cents to one cent During the
fiscal year of 1911 the government
made a profit of $62,031, 99065 on
first class mail, while it incurred a.
deficit of $66,336,66 on second
class mail.