The Cordele dispatch. (Cordele, Ga.) 19??-1971, 1916-08-23
ONE CENT LETTER
RATE is PROMISED
MORE THAN TWO SCORE BILLS IN
CONGRESS LOOKING TO ESTAB-
LI9HMENT Or LOWER POSTAGE
FOR LETTERS.

Washington, Aug. Zz.-Eil!CleHCy III
the pest office department with prop
sr REIMBURSEMENT of rates will permit
the government to inaugurate one
cent letter rate within the next year,
according to Postmaster General Al
bert S. Burlesn.
This emphatic statement made by
The postmaster general before the Ma
tional Association OF POstmasterS Oh
the United States at their July 1916
convention indicates that this lmpor-
tant reform is much nearer reallza-
ton than most people believe and that
next winter will see radical steps tax
en- toward this end.
In addressing the postmasters Gen
eral Burleson declared that they are
Giving the best postal service i'll the
world today, and that is what the
American farmer and business men
are entitled to, for they pay for 1t. lie
advised the postmasterS to spare no
expense that means greater efficiency.
"But that does not mean eXtraVa-
gance. said Mr.. Burleson. where is
IN official who will tell me that EN-
cIovees useless to the service should
lot be Topped off? I do not want TO
BE hard en- postal employees. | believe
Ii g government should require only a
certain number hours work, and that
;nier sanitary and comfortable con-
litions, at salary not only adequate,
hut generous. 1t is my purpose and
YOUR duty TO see that all employees
perform an adequate service Tor the
money expended.
"FNery dollar intelligently saved can
be utilized for the Improvement, de-
velOpment and extension OF service,
resulting in q reduction in postage Tor
those served
plans are being worked out for
the solution of railway mail service
Drcblems They are being solved IN
a way that will enable the United
States to nay the railroads adequate
condensation for service rendered ana
9ay only for service received. With
Ibis result, if next year we can make
those using the second class mail ser
vice nay a one-half part Of what they
should, we can go before congress ana
take the first step toward penny pos
| tage.
fThe fact that this year we have
surplus Of between $4,000,000 and 30
600 eco demonstrates that at last the
postal service is on a strong business
and self-supporting basis. If we can
keep down useless extravaganza, we
can soon inaugurate one cent postage
in this country"
This frank statement from the post
! master general substantiates declara-
| tons which have been made during
the past year or two by officials OF the
National One Cent Letter Postage AS
sociation, which has its headquarters
at Cleveland, that with economical op-
GRAFTON of the department and a rea-
sonabie adjustment of postal rates, one
cent letter postage could be inaugu-
rated without; injury to the federal
government, and letter users given the
benefit Of a big reduction over current
rates.
Nearly sixty bills were presented at
the present session of congress, call
| ing for one cent letter postage.
Scores of representatives and sena-
| tors have been closely studying the
matter and have become united In
conyicting that the time is ripe for
one cent POSTAGE reform sought Tor
many years, but only recently brought
| to the attention of congress through
| the persistent campaign on the part OF
| the National One Cent Letter Pos
age Association.
At the present time letter users OF
the United States net a profit to the
government of over $75,000,000 year
over acual cost of distribution. AT the
same time large magazine interests
are securing distribution of their pro-
duct at one cent pound, which means
great loss to the government, and
to make up this loss users of letter
postage are paying profit of 100 per
cent.
1t is to correct this great injustice
that the postmaster general and his
hundreds Of assistants throughout the
country are no unemployed. From all
country are now employed, From all
to be one of the most important issues
at this winters session Of congress.