El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-02-03
WOULD PAVE WAY
FOR PENNY POSTAGE
Postmaster General Hitch
cock Suggests Changes in
Second Glass Mail.

Washington. D. c., Feb. 3.-POst-
master general HitchcOck's annual re
port, made public today, tentatively
suggests reduction of some parcel post
rates and increasing the limit of weight
beyond II pounds; recommends civil
pensions for postal employees; an in
crease in rates on second class mail
which may pave the way for one cent
letter postage: the consolidation of the
third and fourth classes so books and
papers may be forwarded by parcel
post; and points out that during his
administration, expense Of operating
the postal service has been cut down
$45, 100000.
In course of a statement on the con-
dition of postal finances, Mr.. Hitchcock
I'm 1911. for the first time since 1888.
postal receipts exceeded postal eX-
penditures, leaving a surplus instead
of a deficit. A heavy loss of revenue
in 1912 due to the extraordinary amount
Of franked matter mailed in the poll
teal campaign. created a temporary
deficit but since the close of the fiscal
year the income of the department
again has Outstripped expenses
THE year preceding the present ad-
miniStration was marked by the larS-
est postal deficit on record, amounting
to SIT 500 600 During the next two
years the deficit was greatly reduced
and later eliminated When compared
with the financial showing of four
years ago the reports OF income ana
expense for subsequent years indicate
an aggregate saving of about $4,000,
s;rhe transformation Of deficit
into q surplus has been accomplished
not by curtailing the service, but by
developing it along profitable lines
While postal facilities have been
greatly enlarged. extensions have not
been made in a haphazard manner, but
only when shown on investigation to
be justified by conditions"
The establishing of postal savings
In nj At
completed early in the fiscal year:
ended June 80, 1912-the year covered
by the report Since then the system
has been extended to 4OO4 fourth class
pOstOffices, as well as to 645 branch
offices and stations in the larger cities
There are now 1882 postal savings
counts The number Of depOSitOrs IS
approximately 100000 and the de-
pOsits aggregate about S2S.O00, 600, not
including S1,314,143 withdrawn and in
vested in postal savings bonds.
On the basis OF the present monthly
net increase of deposits ii Is esti-
mated that the gross income of the
postal savings system for the fiscal
year ending June 80. 1912, viii amount
to 100000 and the interest payable to
depositOrs to $500. 900.
The report contains no references to
subjects which have developed since
December 1. Tentatively, however, he
recommends not only that the parcel
post rates be reduced, but that the
weight OF packages be Increased to a
point above the maximum weight Of IL
pounds.
Perhaps the most important recon-
mendation contained in the report is
that the third and fourth classes of
mail be consolidated so that books
and other printed matter may be for
warded by parcel post. At present the
postage charges for these two classes
of mail bear no fixed ratio to each
other. For certain weights and zones
the parcel post rates are lower than
the third class rates, while in other
cases they are higher
The report directs attention to the
approval of the commission. headed by
associate justice Hughes, Of the United
States supreme court, of the postoffice
departments recommendation that the
postage rate on secOnd-clGss mail be
increased from / cent to 2 cents a
master general favorable action by
congress on the report Of the con-
mission would be a step towards the
proper adjustment of postal charges.
There is a widespread popular in
terest," the report says. in the plan to
lower the postage charge on letters
from cents to 1 cent an ounce The
proposed increase in the secOnd-class
rate would pave the way for this
change. making 1t possible to reduce
the first-class rate without departing
from the present policy OF a self-Sup-
porting postal service
The report recommends that civil
pensions based on length of service
should be granted by the government
to postal employees when they become
superannuated It is likely that the
more than offset by gains IN ell
ok