Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1914-12-15

hulSHntnls, maze possible by ttOnu-
mics in administration, compared
| with the volume Of transactions. IL Is
believed THEREFORE, that rocommcn.
dation for the reduction Of postage
rates or fees is not warranted ~ this
time"
Gov oNcinment Ownership.
Reviewing his recommendations for
government ownership ~ telegraph
and telephone lines. Mr. Burl,Sou
says:
"The postmaster general renows the
recommendation embodied In hts last
annual report that congress seriously
consider the question of declaring
government monopoly over all util.
/ tiles for the public transmission Of
intelligence aud that steps be taken
as coon as practicable to incorporate
! into the postal establishments tho
! telegraph and telephone systems Of
the country.
In that report reference was made
! TO the anomalous condition In this
/ country under which the telegraph
and telephone utilities, being yehiclca
| Tor the public transmission OF intelli.
sence, infringe upon n function re.
served by the constitution to the ma.
| tional government. They inherently,
/
| the postal service. The firm convic.
tion OF the department is here reit.
Grated that telegraph and telephone
service is inevitably monopolstic and,
when operated under private control
does not render the maximum Of pub.
lie service at the minimum cost 10 tho
whole people.
1T Is an interesting fact that,
| whereas policies Of government have
| been advocated and some adopted. the
! constltutionality OF which have been
seriously questioned. the principle ~
! government ownership and control Of
the telegraph and telephone finds its
| greatest strength in the constitution.
! This opinion has been shared by prac.
! tically all postmasters general Of the
United States, who have held that the
welfare and happiness Of the nation
depend upon the fullest utilization Of
these agencies by the people, which
can only be accomplished through
government ownership.
Take Over Tcrrtorials.
ut is also recommended that the
telegraph and telephone facilities of
Alaska Porto Rico and the Hawaiian
islands be at once taken over and op-
Grated by the postoffice department.
| i
exhaustive investigation which dis
colsed that the conditions in these ter
ritories are generally such as to favor
| the change. A large part OF the prop
erty involved is already government
owned and operated In Alaska by the
war department and in Porto Rico by
the insular government. The services
are 80 detached geographically as to
preclude complicated relationships
with eighbOrina systems and are yet
sufficient in extent to afford valuable
experimental demonstration for the
postal service looking to the admins
tration eventually OF a complete ma
tional service. This action Will have
the effect OF Strengthening the ma
tional government in Its outlying ter
ritories, and Is specially recommended
because OF the eXpediency OF taking
over the private ownerships before
elaborate and costly extensions and
Implications OF service have been
built up
His General Policy.
Defining the general policy he has
pursued, Mr. BurleSon says:
The service has been administered
FOR the convenience OF the public. not
for profit; to promote efficiency by
standardiZing and simplifying pro-
/ cedure TO recognize merit and elm
mate partisanship; to extend service
wherever present or prospective re-
/ turns Justify; to reduce rates Insofar
as proves consistent with general fls-
cal necessity, and TO provide all COM
munities and all sections of the coun-
try, az far as practicable, with uni
form service.
"The fact that the government ex-
Ns.1s I'm .NaA Int
transmission and delivery OF mail car
ries an obligation to perform this
function for all It's citizens; hence the
postal service may not be operated
wholly upon the lines OF private en-
terprise. Whether or not service shall
be granted or extensions authorized
are questions which, as they arise In
particular ca Sc, should not be de-
termined entirely with respect to rev.
enue considerations. Yet IL Is equally
the duty OF the department to apply
the mechanical and administrative
economies which private business en-
terprises develops and which inventive
genius from time to time offers. The
maximum OF service at the minimum
OF expense is the proper rule to gov
ern public business"
The report declares newspapers and
periodicals handled In 1914 under the
cent "a pound second class rate to-
tailed over million pounds, an In
crease of 2e4 per cent over the pre-
ceding year, with n resultant drain
on postal revenues that "emphasizet
the necessity OF taking some step III
the direction of readjustlng the rates
on second class mail"
'ln my last annual report" Mr.
Burleson says, the hope was eN-
pressed that congress would amend
the existing laws and raise the rate
on second class matter in accordance
| with the recommendation OF the com.