The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1914-12-14

saving that will amount TO not less
than SJ00.b0.
THE Importance and vaIIc OF the
rura! mail service is unquestioncd. HOW
ever, I deem it my duty TO direct the at
tention of Congress to the fact that this
service is entailing upon the public
treasury an annual expense Of $4,000. 90
in excess of the revenues produced by
the service.
Would Extend Star Routes.
In the light of the experience gained
it is easy now TO see that il would
have been better. in 1876. when rural
free delivery service was established by
law. to have enlarged 5he function Of
the 'star-route' service. which at THAI
time was employed only for transport
ing mail between postofficns, so that it
might have been extended to all the
territory now served by rural delivery
carriers. This was recognized in 1879
by changing advertisements for star
routes so as to provide for hox de-
livery and collection service.
From a digest of numerous replies 10
inquiries made by the department in
1902 II vas found that the service was
generally satisfactory to the people
whe were awaiting themselves of it.
ton service in connection with star
routes has now been extended TO
practically all Of the 1000 star rortes'
in existence. All that is necessary to
make 'star-route service as satisf?c-
tory to the patrons as r;:ral delivery
service is to provide by law That star
route carriers may. unS>r proper safe
guards. sell stamps ard accept appli-
cations for money orders, and that star
routes NAV be extended in the same
manner as rural detivrrv routes.
Could Save Millions.
las increases in compensation to
rural delivery carriers from timo to
time have been made. letters OF Protest
have been received FROM rural patrons
urging that the revenues of the serv-
ice should not be absorbed bv way OF
gratuity to employees beyond what their
services are fairly worth. nut that these
revenues should be utilized toward Civ
ing better postal facilities at decreased
cost
There can be no question as to the
one outstanding. self-evident fact that
the identical service TO rural mall pa
irons can be maintained at this time
with saving of from l5,0Oo.0 900 to SO.
Ooo.000 per annum, and II is earnestly
recommended that the necessary legis-
lation for placing all rural delivery
service on a contract basis be enacted
IN order that the people may receive
the maximum return for the minimum
expenditure of their money"
Civil Service for Postmasters.
Civil service status is recommended
for postmasters, so that appo!ntees may
be chosen from experienced postal en-
ployes, and as a step in this direction IL
is urged that third class postmasters be
appointed by the department instead OF
by the President.
Declaring that postmasters' salaries
are higher than is warranted. the re-
port says:
1.-The various grades are not now
based on any scientific or uniform ba-
sis. and the salaries provided are gen.
orally higher than are warranted by
with commercial standards
Of compensation. proposed schedule
of salaries is set forth in a tentative
draft Of legislation desired.
Waste In Public Buildings.
With respect TO public buildings the
report says:
1T is generally agreed that in the
past quite a number of unnecessary
public buildings have been authorized.
that the projects have not been prop
erly co-ordinated as to limits OF cost,
and, consequently. that the impossi-
bility of utilizing standard plans and
methods has greatly retarded the COM
Fiction of the work -
"A physical valuation of public build
ings used wholly or in part for postal
purposes showed that the total present
value of all public buildings. sites, and
equipment chargeable to the Postal
Service amounts to 3115, 266, 2l3. 81, and
that the rental value of this property
TO the Postal Service is 81, 409, 257.4 a an
nually, an item to which due weight
should be given in considering the
financial condition The return to the
on this investment may,
therefore. be considered as 5.55 per cent