Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-14
Announces Postal Service Upon Self
Sustaining Basis-Recommenda-
tons for Bettering Conditions.


the selection of sites for post offices and
in passing upon the designs of buildings
To- be used for postal purposes, constitute
the principal recommendations contained
in the annual report OF Postmaster Cen
cral Buriesvn, which is just made pub
lie
The report contains many other I'M
p"rtant recommendations. including that
Of government ownership of telegra phi
aud telephone facilities. with the pro-
Vision that this principle be at once APP
Piled in operating the telegraph and tel
,phouc systems in Ala ska. Porto Rico
aud the Hawaiian Islands. including the
-Ni;iSkan cable now operated by the War
Department.
department with the states i'll build
ing modern highways where it prom
iseS compensatory economy IN the
handling of the mail; the reimbursement
OF postmasterS salaries to meet the
How OF ffic in the development of t1.
parcel post service; the removal of
the limit of the amount that may be
received from any depoSitor in the
postal savings banks during a calendar
month aud the increase of the ma XII
mum amount that may be accepted
from u single depositor from $500 to
5000: the extension of the use of
=ovcrnmenI-oWned motor vehicles lin
view of successful experiment con-
Quoted last year. and the use of aerial
service WneD topographic COnQlt1OnS
make it desirable are also recon-
mcnded.
Reports Second Annual Surplus.
III is gratifying to report Il second
actual surplus under the present adj
ministration.' the report states, add
ing that the surplus for the year just
closed amounts to s3,G00,0Oo. and that
ii, can fairly be claimed that, for the
first time since Benjamin Franklin
organized the postal service under the
continental Congress, the Post Office
department has been securely placed
tpon self-sustaining basis
The fact that $4,000, 200 has been
saved the government by the depart
mcnt's legal victory in the diyisor
case" is featured
Vt used to be that the mails were
weighed seven days in the week and
the total weight was divided by six to
ascertain the average daily weight. in
fxlng the compensation Tile Post
master General decided. however that
The total weight of the seven days
should be divided by seven in order
to ascertain the average daily weight
and the United States Court of Claims
ultimately sustained this position.
Marvellous growth and DEVELOPMENT
marks the recent history of the parcel
post, the report states, and there
Is every reason to believe that the
postal service is now handling more
than S0o,on0.00o parceis annually"
while the loss by damage to parcels
has been reduced to 100 of 1 per cent
on c. q. II. and insured parcels. and to
lilo OF l per cent in the case of ordi-
nary parcels.
Referring to the action of the de-
partment, with the approval of the In
terstate commerce commission, in in
creasing the weight limits, beginning
January 1, 1914, the report states tho
parcel post at once became available
for the transportation of vast GUAM
tity of merchandise formerly excluded,
aud of farm products, and the opinion
l. expressed that the parcel post in
time will become an important factor
in improving and cheapening the food