The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1915-11-25

Drought the postofice department to a
paying basis. But it appears that the
former republican national chairman
inquired differently from the former
democratic congressman. General
Burleson, who in his first report de-
clared that Mr.. Hitchcock never had
a surplus at all, and that it must have
been something else. "The last actual
post SURPLUS" says Postmaster-Gen-
eral Burleson, was announced by
Postmaster-General Gresham thirty
years ago, when fair account was taken
by him in the financial statement Of
the department of outstanding obliga-
tons. The practice of report
ing outstanding obligations was
continued by a number Of his success
sors." Telling just how it is done, Mr..
Burleson adds: "By the use of this
faulty method a surplus Of $219,l1S.12
was shown in the annual report of the
department for the fiscal year 1911, in
which the claim was advanced that the
service had finally been made s~elf-sup-
porting. Taking into account the out
standing obligations for that year,
which were not reported, there was in
reality a deficit of approximately $780,
3O1. 90"
In his 1914 report the postmaster
general claimed a surplus had at last
brought conviction, and business men
and interests that have gone over Mr..
Burleson's claims are as skeptical as
was the gentleman himself concerning
the claims of his immediate predeces-
sor. The same elements of failure to
properly account for the use of, and
investment in public property, place
the claims Of the present postmaster
general in a doubtful position, al
though he has admittedly filled in a
good many of the old holes.
Could the president of any private
corporation scramble and unscramble
his annual reports in such a way as to
bring about a dicerence of practically
a million dollars in a years business?
Perhaps somebody may answer yes,
and cite the New Haven Railroad as
an instance. But if this case is a fair
comparison, then let us use it as an
illustration of the fact that the United
States government finally has awaken
ed to the necessity of more rigid con-
troll of its public service corporations,
and it stands in a fair way to show
that by paying attention to these
things, which are themselves natural
functions Of government, it can handle
the question successfully, even though
in a matter of bookkeeping its political
postmaster-generals cannot agree with
in a million dollars as to whether this
branch of the service is making or
losing money.
One thing, however, that the post
master-generals-no matter what party
they may represent-appear to agree
upon, is that the controlling purpose
will be to promote efficiency by the
complete standardization of the SER
vice" And yet the case Of the settler
in Alaska who gets his mail once a
year. if he is lucky, shows that there
has been something overlooked.
1t is true enough that the postal
service SHOULD be uniform" and it is
just exactly as true, as stated by the
postmaster-general, that it has been
disclosed through a survey made by
the present administration" that ser
vice of differing kinds had been accord
ed communities whose requirements
were in general the same" There is
not an express company in existence
that would attempt to operate under
the present unusual system Of zones
in vogue in the parcel post plan. AS a
are finding a good deal to chuckle
about, since they have been left much
Of the profitable shipping business,
while the p~ostoffice department, in ar
ranging its zones, has inflicted upon
itself less efficiency and less of the
coveted article of Standardization"
which is so frequently referred to in
the enthusiastically report, but
which in reality is sadly missing in
most every branch of the postal sys-
TEN.
More assertion that inefficiency *
lists in the government means nothing
unless it can be proved. And yet there
are thousands willing to dismiss the &C
cusation with the query: How about
the ~postofice department."
Part of the answer is that it took
until the year 1912 to secure a parcel
post in this country, and it was only a
few years ago that we reluctantly gave
to the American people a rural free