Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1918-12-08
TELEGRAPH LINES SHOULD Hf OWNED
 BY GOVERNMENT
Present War Demonstrated Govern ment Ownership Practical-Bcs st Results When Part oi Postal S,s. tenn.

Washington, Dec. 1--Telephone and
 telegraph lines of the c2unlry. now
 under government control, should 1 become government owned at the con- ! clusiOn of peace and the expiration
 of the provisions of the act under ! which the utilities are now cOntrOll- 1 ed. Postmaster General Burleson de- , clares in, his annual report made pub | lie today. The war has shown that government ownership of telephones and telegraphs "is not only sound but practicable,' the Postmaster Ge- neral says, in repeating the recom- mendation ~which he has made in previous reports, but which he mak as for the first time as head of the government agency controlling the land communication lines.
 The experiences as d result of the present war have fully demonstrated that the principle of government ownership of the telephones and telegraphs is not only sound but practical" Mir. Burleson says "It has been necessary as a war mea- sure for Congress to consider legis- lation authorizing the President to assume control of the telegraph and telephone systems of the country While such control is temporary, and will exist only until the ratifi- cation of the treaty of peace. yet the best results can be obtained only when these systems are owned by the government, made a part of the postal establishment, and operated solely with a vie wto serving the public and not making profits or guar anteeing returns on the investment Government ownership of the tele- graphs and telephones should not longer be delayedS and the action of Congress in this matter is urgently recommended"
 Operations of the Postofiice De- partment for the fiscal year ending last June 30 resulted in a surplus of receipts over expenses of $19.919, 7S9 according to the report. ApproXima- tely $44,50O,OO0 additional was paid over to the Treasury from the in creased postal charges imposed for war revenue. Total revenues of the department from all sources durYrg the year are given as $3S8 ,975, 1862, against $239,726,115 for the 1917 fis- cal year. Total expenditures are re- ported at $324 S33 FPS, against $319,- S3S,71S in 1917. Disregarding the increased postal rates effective No vember under the war tax bill, the actual increase in postal service bu- siness during the year is placed at 4.47 per cent, while expenditures in- creased 15+ per cent
 Mr. Burleson for the first time of- ficially reports upon the use of air planes for transmission of mail, and government owned trucks for the operation of rural parcels post routes disclosing plans for wide extension of both facilities. He also rfenews his previously made recommendation that postmasters now appointed py the President should be selected un- der competitive civil service exami nations, and that the our assistant postmaster generals and the purchas- ing agent should be likewise select ed.
 The volume of mail carried during the year was greater than ever be- fore, says the report, in commenting upon the surplus earned, which it places at more than double the great est profit ever found by the depart ment previously. War activity in private business not alone grew. but the government itself put a tremend- ous burden of matter into the mails from the new efforts which it built up. Postmasters and postoffice faci- lities alike were used for war serv ice that ranged from the registration of aliens to the sale of thrift stamps and government bonds.
 Among new facilities the report asks is an appropriation of $1,500,- 900 for the construction of subway between the Grand Central Station in New York and the Pennsylvania Terminal office, replacing the dis carded system of pneumatic tubes, and devised to relieve congestion. Authority is also asked for the estab- lishment of a guaranty fund within the department, with which to bond employees handling money and valu- l ables. This is advocated to relieve premium charges which are said by the report to be excessive, and also to eliminate delay and difficulty. l OCdlAAS W1tA COuiPA0AAI OA NOA0y D in mail for soldiers in France, both before and after the mail service was taken over by the army, MT. Burle- sons report says that much of it was due to the handling of mail by orderlies in the military service.
 Perhaps the most serious of these delays arose from the attitude of the military authorities" it says, "whc declined to reveal to civilian postal organization the whereabouts I of military units, in many cases un- til their location had been discover
 ed by the enemy. There was also
 good deal of trouble in obtaining
 motor transportation. and at one
 time the military authorities under
 took to take from the postal stations the smell details Of enlisted men
 who were assisting in the work on
 the ground that they were needed for purely military. service"