The Raymer enterprise., 1912-02-29
POSTAL SERVICE
SHOWS A PROFIT
FIRST Time in History, According
to Report Of Cabinet
Officer.
RAISE IN RATES IS FAVORED
President coneurs In Reeommenda.
tlon Of Commission on Second.
Class Mall Matter-AeaIn sua.
0ests Adoption Of Parcel
~ Post System.

Post System.
Washington. Feb. 22.-For the first
dme In the history Of the postal serv.
Zee that department Of the government
enowed q profit for the fiscal year
ending June 80. 1911. according to the
annual report Of Postmaster General
4itchcock transmitted to congress to-
Gay. Accompanying the document
vas the report Of the commission on
eecond-class mail matter appointed by
Joint resolution Of congress on March
Sof last year and a brief message OF
ene president, in which he called at
tention to the principal features Of the
two reports.
Would Increase seeond.cIass Rates.
The report Of the commission on
eecond-class mall matter makes the
allowing recommendations:
J. The rate OF cents a pound on
copies mailed by publishers to sub
eestbers. to news agents. and as sam.
~ copies. and by news agents to their
eQbscribers or to other news agents.
-. The rate Of l cent for each 4
noes for copies mailed by other
m publishers and news agents; that
the present transient rate.
J. The present freein.county priv.
Aege retained. but not extended.
e The commission also recommended
the cent-a-copy rate for newspa-
Dfs other than weeklies and for Pc
st5odicals 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.
y As to the effect and adequacy of the
proposed increase Of cent a pound
IN postage the commission says:
such an increase will not, in the
opinion Of the commission. bring dis
hess upon the publishers Of newspa-
pers and periodicals. or seriously In
terfere with the dissemination Of use
ful news or Information. A reasonable
time should be allowed. after the rate
10 fixed, before 1t Is put into effect.
While the new rate will be very far
from compensating the government
for the carriage and handling Of sec.
ond-class matter, It will to some ex-
tent relieve the existing burden and
result in more equitable adjustment
OF rates."
Both the president and the postmas-
ter general concur In the recommenda.
tons and regarding the proposed in.
crease in newspaper postage the presi.
dent says: The proposed increase Of
cent a pound in the second.class
postage rate, l believe, to be most
reasonable, and II sufficient time Is al
lowed before the change goes into ef-
feet It should work little serious In.
fury to the business Of the periodical
publishers, while equalizing. at least
in a measure, the burdens Of postal
taxation"
4. Rates Should Be More Equal.
Commenting further on the pro-
posed increase, the president says:
''The postal service Is now. for the
drst time In years. operated upon q
self.sustaining basis. and In my 1udg.
ment this Is q wise policy: but It
should not be carried out at the ex.
pense Of certain classes Of mail mat
ter that pay revenues largely in e1.
cess Of their cost. 1t is not Just that
some classes Of mall should be ex.
brilliantly taxed TO meet deficiency
caused by other classes, the revenue
from which Is much below their cost
Of handling and carriage. Where such
inequalities exist they should be re-
moved a. early as practicable. The
business enterprises OF the publishers
OF periodicals. however. have been
built up on the basis Of the present
Oecondclass rate. and therefore It
would be manifestly unfair to put into
Immediate effect large increase In
postage. That newspapers and maya.
sines have been potent agencies for
the dissemination Of public intelli-
gsnce and have consequently borne .
worthy part In the development Of the
country all must admit; but 1t Is like
wise true that the original purpose OF
congress in providing for them sub
ysntion by way Of nominal postal
charges In consideration Of their
value as mediums Of public informa.
uon ought not to prevent an increase.
because they are now not only educa-
tional but highly profitable. There Is
Mo- warrant for the great disparity be-
: tween existing postage rates on pc.
riodicals and the cost Of the service
the government performs for them.
The aggregate postal revenues for the
fiscal year 1911 were $237. 1878. go.
derived mainly from the postage col.
lected on the four classes OF mall
matter. It is carefully estimated by
the postoffice department that the
revenue derived from mail matter OF
the first class Is approximately one
and onehali times the cost Of han.
ding and carriage; that the returns
from third and fourth class matter are
slightly In excess Of their cost OF
handling and carriage: and that while