The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1912-02-22
Sends in a Message to the
Federal Congress to
That Effect.
COMMISSIONS REPORT
Recommends That the Pres.
emf Free in County
Be Maintained.

Washington. Feb. o. President Taft
has sent to both houses OF congress a
special message. accompanied by the
annual report of the postmaster gem
eral for the fiscal year ended June 30,
1911, and the report of the federal com.
mission on second class mail matter.
The presidents message is as follows:
To the Senate and House of Repre-.
sentatiyes:
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 so, 1911, amounted to S2s7,.
$s79 s23.60 and that the expenditures
amounted to S237.eeo,7O4.4s, making a
Surplus OF $219,11s12. For the year
ended June 80. 1909, the postal service
WINS In arrears to the extent of ST.
479,770.4T. In the interval this very
large deficit has been changed into a
surplus, and that without the curtail-
ment of postal facilities. Indeed, in the
same time there have been established
3,744 new postofices, delivery by car
rier provided in 1856 additional cities
and new rural routes established, 2,51G
in number and aggregating Goe79 miles
in extent.
The force Of postal employees has
been Increased by more than 5000, and
q liberal policy in the matter Of sala-
ries has been followed. so that the
amount expended for salaries is nowI
$14oOo,0OO more than two years ago.
Tile average salary has been increased
from $500 to 1907 for rural carriers,
500 to $1,os2 for postofice clerks,
$l.021 to S1,Os4 for city letter carriers
and $1,1Os to $1,1s3 for railway postal
clerks.
The Postal Savings System.
The report shows that the postal saw.
ings system was begun experimentally
In January, 1911. and that it has now
been extended so as to include 1900
presidential postofices, which includes
practically all Of the postoffices of that
class. Preparations are also being
made to establish the system Mt about
10000 fourth class offices. The de.
posts in eleven months have reached
total of S11,OoOC00. distributed among
2,Tl0 national and state banks.
The postmaster general recommends,
as have done I'm previous messages,
the adoption of n parcel post. and the
beginning of this In the organization
OF such service on rural routes and in
the city delivery service first. The
placing of assistant postmasters in the
classified service has secured greater
efficiency. 1t is hoped that the same
Gtliing may be done with all the post
j masters.
~, The report Of the postmaster general
is full Of statements of the important
improvements in the organization and
methods of the postal service made
since the last annual report aud of ten.
tatiVe drafts of legislation embodying
! certain recommendations of the depart.
ment which need legislation to carry
them out.
Opposes Government Control of TcIe-
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 he
made part Of the postal system and
operated in conjunction with tue matt
system. This presents 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 Is that private enter
prise should be permitted to carry ON
such public utilities under due regula.
ton as to rates by proper authority
rather than that the government should
itself conduct them. This principle !
favor because do not think it in ac-
cordance with the best public policy
thus greatly to increase the body of
public servants. OF course If it could
be shown that telegraph service could
be furnished to the public ut less
price than 1t Is now furnished to the
public by telegraph companies and
with equal efficiency the argument
might be a strong one in favor Of the
adoption Of the proposition.
Rut am not satisfied from any evi
ience that IL these properties were
taken over by the government they
could be managed any more economic
ally or any more efficiently or that thi
would enable the government - f.