The daily Alaska citizen., 1920-01-27
POSTAL OPERATIONS FOR FISCAL
 YEAR SHOW MORE THAN $2,OO0,O0O
 SURPLUS STATES ANNUAL REPORT

and general welfare. - appear before committees of congress. and to fur nish information concerning the postal service Hof which they may lave knowledge
 "The enforcement of the principle that government employees should moi hold an utilization incompatible with their obligation to the public service can not be distorted into a reflection upon the efficiency and loyalty of the postal employees. whose devotion tC public duty under the trying test of war was conspicuouely demonstrated But the principle i= one which can not be prudently disregarded."
 Reafirmtng after detailed disucus- sion his previous stand as to the zone rates on publications, MT Bur leson said. "The postmaster general has always believed that low, flat rate of postage should apply to read ing matter for the reason that Its primary purpose Is the dissemination of news and is educational, but he Is also firm in belief that this low rate of postage should not amply to that portion of the publication devoted to advertising or commercial uses The law which fixes zone rate for adver- tising matter Is eminentlv fair. as the rate of postage is increased in the proportion that the publication Is commercialized and according to the distance 1t is transported. and the publisher, therefore 10 certain extent fixes for himself the rate of postage on his publication. The post master general earnestly recommends that action be taken by congress to increase the rate of postage on the portion of publications devoted to ad- yertisine sufficiently to pay the cost of transporting and handling same
 With reference to the application ol civil service requirements 10 post masters. the report said. In order that the spirit and letter of civil service might be conscientiouslv car ried out as far as practicable. and pending enactment by the congress of legislation which tho repeatedly urged by the postmaster general, fail ed of passage. several executive or ders under previous administrations without having been subjected to any civil service or merit test whatever shall be required to pass a civiI-ser- vice examination This is believed to he a long step in the direction of high standards in the government service and a more bustnoselike ad- ministration of postal affairs
 MT BurIcson deyotes considerable space to devclonment of the air mail service, concluding with this state ment.
 "The air mail service of the United States Is the only practical conner cial airplanc service in the world No service in foreign countries com pare with it in magnitude, In continu- Ous dependabilitv and Tn benefits to commerce. Its record of performance during the fiscal year of 1919 was 96.54 per cent. and this record was obtained with more than 90 per cent of the trips made in rain, fog. mists or other conditions of poor visibility The operation of the service by months for the fiscal year ending J1ne 30 1919, is given in the ac- companying table"
 The report also discussed at length the operation of the telephone and telegraph systems under the depart ment during the war period Mir. Bur lesOn reasserting his opinion that these communication facilities should be government owned. Of the govern ment control period he said: "There is quite a difference between govern ment ownership of t'. wire systems as a part of the postal establishment and government control for a limited