The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-02-19

ALREADY this amazing maladminis-
traitor is mailing kilograms to US
when we pay for delivery. The tele-
graph service of the country has been
so slowed up that it is almost intol-
erable-and now this. And some peo-
pie wonder what makes Bolsheviki
out of folks who always had be-
haved themselves previously"
In the case of telephone-rates, it
is pointed out that the Postmaster
General is imposing a new and ma
tion-wide schedule despite the fac3
that the House Committee on Post
offices has voted in favor of the Gov
eminent relinquishing control of tel
ephone, telegraph, and cables lines
not later than December 81, 1919. A
new schedule, moreover, was officially
announced as ga sweeping reduction"
in rates, but this reduction, according
to the New York Tribune (Rep.), has
proved "illusory"; and the Chicago
Daily News Qnd.) finds that there
is actually ga very substantial in
crease" In the New York Evening
gun we fedI.
"The new rates were promulgated
by the Postmaster General with the
statement that they brought about a
decrease in charges, but analysis by
the Public Service Commission gives
the same results as those made by the
| commissions in Illinois, Ohio, Nebras-
ka, New Jersey, Indiana, Missouri,
and other states; that is, that the in
| crease in rates varies from 20 to 100
per cent.
"The general effect of the order of
the Postmaster-G General is to increase
charges for certain telephone service
covering the bulk of traffic and MAX
| ing charges for certain services which
were heretofore free"
| Under his reign, the postal service
has become a by-word for inefficiency,
and the bureaucratic despotism which
employees endure is a national scan
dial. AS suppressor of publications
that met his disfavor during the war
he was VIGOROUSLY whimsical.
Zone of his crowning achievements
was to get a system of second-c class
mail zones created which would have
destroyed the facilities of communica-
ton which have unified the nation as
no other country covering vast ex-
tent of territory was ever before uni
| fed. Its provisions were to go into
gradual operation, but the effect Of
: the first stages was such that the
Senate made substantial modification
of the law. But this modification has
been rejected by the conference com
mittee. Mr. Kitchin is held to direc1
responsibility, but it is really Bur
Lesson triumph. It means the suspen
sion of many of the weaker publica
tons and the monopolization of ma
] tion-wide circulation by periodical
sufficiently powerful to shift circula
' ton cost to advertisers. 1t will maxi
the circulation price of professions
and technical periodicals prohibitiv
e and will in time leave citizens almos
: solely dependent for information o.
{ their local publications. A wors
b blow could not have been dealt t
d general enlightenment"
: Since the Government assume
: control of the wires, says the Ell Pas
+ Times (Dem.) ''the public be dam
ned policy is in full force and opera
d ton" And the same paper adds:
+ Complaints of poor service, c
II garbled messages, and of inexcu;
= able delay in transmission and deli,
b cry meet with just exactly the sam
: attention they receive at the pos
Office. They are politely received an