The Calumet news., 1913-06-07
DEFENDS HIS RECORD.
Former Postmaster General Hitch
cock Replies 70 Burleson Attack.

SILVER city. y. NJ, June i.-on ar
riNing az Silver city from the Mo-
COLON mountains, where he had been
spending some weeks. former Presi-
dent Frank H. Hitchcock was shown
for the iirs, time the statement is
sued II Few days ago lay Postmaster
General Burlcson attacking his add
ministration of the postotice depart
mcnt After reading the charges Mr..
Hitchcock issued the following state
mcnt:
~ committee composed in the main
"f newly appointed assistants having
less than three months experience in
postoiIicc business. attempts in a re-
Port tu the treasury department to
dscrcdit the financial showing made
10y the postal service under President
/ rafts administration After report
ing alleged discrepancies that are i'm
| significant when compared with the
great sums known To have been saved
| by their predecessors. this committee
of novitiatcs proceeds in it's published
statement To enliRhtcu the American
people on the character of the postal
| service with which they have been
familiar hut a very brief time.
Their statement is as inaccurate
as IL is gratuitous. for the public well
knows that never was the postal SER
vice conducted more efficient or mail
handled with greater precision and
dispatch than in thc closing years of
he Taft administration. During that
administration nearly 1000 new post
otiicers were established, delivery by
letter carriers was provided in about
100 additional cities and over 5000
rural routes, aggregatmg about 10000
miles, were authorized.
Notwithstanding these great cNtcn-
'ious uf service, and the heavy in
,rc1ao in expenditures they required,
the postollicc department was placed
on oelf-sustaining basis and that II
was its condition when on the fourth
Of March it passed into the hands oi
newly appointed officers.
"Thc postal committee of a Demo
cratic Hous, rf Congress cndcaNurtd
! 'ast year in similar manner To at
.ack the audited accounts of the pos
tal service. but after investigation
that committee was fair enough To say
hat the department had become sub
,aiantially self sustaining. The returns
as to surplus or deficit are made nv
LOT b. the postotiicc department. but
lN the treasury department.
Tho secretary Of the treasury re-
,tfit tf 4 Ia
deficit aud the record thus certified
10 in his fiscal report is likely to
stand in history If the postoiiicc de-
partmcnt could have received proper
! allowance for the cost of carrying
ranked mat the postal surplus would
hf.No been much larger than recorded
In the fiscal year. 1872. more than
500. coo, 600 pieces of mail, having al
aggregate weight of about Gl,OO0,00'
rounds. were carried free of charge
under the franks of congressman ano
rr the various government cstabilsh'
inrnts. If postag" at tho usual rate
had been paid OF this matter 1T Is cs'
,imatcd that the postal revenue!
would have been increased 10y more
lhan S2O.0O0.o0O.
"m the last administration we APP
p,aIcd i'm vain to a Democratic HOUSE
for legislation abolishing the frank
ing abuse II is a subject that tl'
present postal management might wei
consider, for IL affords an opportunity
ro save the department millions oI
dollars "A year.
The United States postal service
roupriscs altogether more than 3Oo''
pOO officers and men 1t is the larS's
business organization in the world. u
l,vpcnds annually about S25O.oOo'Oo'
md now takes in approximately tha'
amount in postal receipts. II requires
a hiCh order of business abiiity an,
thp closest kind of Application ON lh'
rlrt nr trc various officers in charS'
io conduct successfully public ser
Vic, SO extensive ana 50 intricate.
The question may very naturally
prcscn, itaelr in the public mind AS Il
why the present officers Of the depart
mcnt instead of consuming all TINS
time iu an cndcaNOr tu discredi, th'
GOOD work Of the man they su'cocuc'
rrc not dcVotiug themselves more At
tcntiNciy To- the important branch ~
I'm, service entrusted to their care.