The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-04

ministration. After reporting alleged dis
crepaneies that are Insignificant when
compared with the great sums known to
have been saved by their predecessors,
this committee of novitiates proceeds in
its published statement to enlighten the
American people as to the character Of
the postal service they have been receiv-
ing.
Statement Inaccurate
Their statement is as inaccurate as 1t
is gratuitous, for the public well knows
that never was the postal service con-
Quoted more efficiently or mail handled
with greater precision and dispatch than
in the closing years of the Taft admins
tration. During that administration
nearly 5000 new postoffces were estap-
lished, delivery by letter carrier was pro-
vided In about 800 additional Cities ana
over 5000 new rural routes aggregating
about 1900 miles were authorized
Notwithstanding these great extensions
of service and the heavy increase IN eX-
renditures they required, the postonice
depa artment was placed on a self sustain
inc basis and that was it's condition when
on March it passed into the hands ol
newly appointed officers who seem tnos
far to have been exhausting their tlbie
and their energy in a vain attempt TO oe
tract from the record made by the devoted
public servants they succeeded.
The postal committee. OF a deinocraue
House of Congress endeavored last year
in a similar manner to attack the audltea
accounts of the postal service, put aLtei
investigation that committee was Ialr
enough to admit that the department hao
become substantially self-sustaihlhs. ne
returns as to surplus or deficlt are ihaoe
up not by the postoffice department, ou,
by the treasury department, where all
postal income is received and all poseai
accounts finally audited.
Wiping Out Deficit
The Secretary of the Treasury reported
the wiping out of the postal deficit and
the record has certified to in his fiscal
report is likely to stand in history. Ii the
postoffice department could have received
a proper allowance for the cost of car
rying franked mail, the postal surplus
could have been much larger than that
recorded and this is true after deductlnS
the expense incurred on account of the
postal service by the treasury department
for the free quartering of certain post
offices in federal buildings an expense
that is less than half the cost of the
franking privilege. In the fiscal year 1912,
more than 300, GOO 600 pieces of mail, having
an aggregate weight of about 6l,VO00O
pounds were carried free of charge un-
der the franks of congressman and of
the various government establishments.
If postage at the usual rates had been
paid on this matter it is estimated that
the postal revenues would have been in
creased by more than $20,000,O00
I'm the last administration we appealed
in vain to a democratic House for legis-
lation abolishing the fransing abuse. 1t
is a subject that the present postal man.
agement might we'll consider, for it af-
fords an opportunity to save the depart
ment millions of dollars year. But
Judging from the committees report as
published in the press the gentlemen now
in charge of postal destinies seem more
interested in disclosing the fact that dur
ing the four years preceding March 4,
an average of "a clerkships per annum
remained vacant in the department.
100000 Officers and Men
'The United States postal service COM
prises altogether more than 100000 officers
and men. 1t is the largest business or
ganization in the world. 1t expends an
nually about $780, ,0OO, 600 and now takes in
approximately that amount in postol re-
ceipts 1t requires high order of busi-
ness ability and the closest kind of appli-
cation on the part of the various officers
in charge to conduct successfully a public
service so extensive and so intricate.
1.-The question may very naturally pre-
sent itself in the public mind as to why
the present officers of the department. in
stead of consuming all this time in an en-
deavor to discredit the good work of the
men they succeeded, are not devoting
themselves more attentatively to the i'm
portant branches of the service intrusted
| 10 their care, even if they are thus far
unable in their inexperience to map out
and execute a constructive postal pro-
gramme so as to broaden still further the
usefulness of the postoffice. They will
doubtless find it considerable task and
one requiring their strict attention to
maintain throughout our vast country the
efficiency of the postal service as de-
yeloped and extended by their predeces-
sors and particularly of those great
branches of the service recently estab-
lished for the benefit of the people by re-
publicn administration, the postal savings
bank and the parcel post.