The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-12-09

Costs S8,O0O,OOO q Year - Big In
crease In Number of POstOffices and
Rural Mail Service.
WASHINGTON, Dec 9.-Pointing to-
continuing deficits in his department,
Postmaster General Hays, in his first
annual report to the President, made
present gauge of expenditures shall con-
tinue there should be such readjust-
ment of postage rates as will, together
with the effects of increasing volume of
business, produce sufficient revenue APP
proximately to meet it"
Revenues of the postal service for the
fiscal year ended last June, Mr.. Hays
says, totalled $463 49I PA, an increase of
| ST, 34lO62 over the receipts of the pre-
ceding fiscal year. Balanced against this
were audited expenditures of $500, 1893, 673
with the total audited deficiency at SI57,
5l7, 6SS.
The material increase in the deficiency
over that for 1920, Mr.. Hays states, is
due to large increases of expenditures
| in two principal items without any cor
responding increase in the revenues. The
two principal. items are $76,l30,30I for
increased compensation. to railroads on
the basis of an order of the interstate
commerce commission, retroactive TO
| Nov. ], 1915, and S4l, goo for added
compensation allowed postal employees
| by congress.
Approving this added compensation,
| the postmaster general tells the Presi-
/ dent that 1.-The salaries provided by law
| for those in, the department are too low
| to compensate those who continue IN
the service, or to attract and hold others
of the ability required in the conduct OF
such an institution Pointing to the
Inconsistencies in the salaries of en-
ployes in the department proper and
| those who serve in the field, Alry Hays
says they emphasize the Importance
and necessity of immediate legislation to
readjust the departmental salaries
| throughout -.
Causes of Deficiency.
The postmaster general also recon-
| mends legislation providing for the
changing of the name OF the department
| to the department of communications,
and to authorize him to:
Collect fee where directory service is
| given in postotices to mail insuthciently
or improperly addressed;
| Fix a charge for return receipt for
registered articles;
/ To restrict, within his discretion, the
application of the special delivery sery
| ice to first class mail matter.
! To dispense with the surety bonds now
required of officers and employees ac-
| countable for funds or property and to
substitute therefor a guafanty fund es-
| tablished and maintained by assess
ments against such officers and EN-
employees:
To provide for the payment by the ad
veTtisers of postage on replies to ad
| vertising matter.
Mr.. HAYS also recommends service
pensions for those who have been in
the service more than 80 years and that
| Sundays and holidays be excluded from
sick leave granted employees of the de-
partmant and service.
Permanent Armed Force.
! Discussing briefly the detailing of ma
rines to guard valuable mails in transit
| against hold up men, the postmaster
general informs the President that there
is being recruited from the department
itself to take the place of the marines
an armed guard as a permanent branch
of the postal service.
/ 1.-The United States mail must be
protected down to the last postal card
| regardless of cost or personal sacrifice, -
! Mr.. Hays says. cit must be true that
the mails may be late, but they are
never lost.''
At the end of the fiscal year, Mr. Hays
reports, there was total of 2,lSS post
offices. an increase OF 2,O22. FIRST class
offices numbered 799, an increase of go;
second class numbered 2,779, an increase
of 1914: third class l0,4S0, an increase of
1859 and fourth class offices totalled 80,
mo. The average salaries of clerks was
increased from Sl,536 to SLIT and of
carriers from Sl,53l TO 1907.
Growth OF Mail Service.
The rural mail service was extended
during the year to more than 307 new
routes. of which 1903 were established
by the new administration, the report
saws. The total number of routes was
1852, covering ,l63S96 miles and re-
quiring annual travel OF carriers of 352,-
so S5S miles. The cost of the service
: was $50 ,462 900.
Mails We're carried over 1864 star
routes not traversed by rural carriers
the report continues, and at a cost of
2ll,677 the mails were carried over TO-
063 miles Of routes in Alaska.
Mr.. Hays calls attention that the cost
of carrying and handling mails for the
executive departments last year was
S6.000000 for which the department re:
ieived nothing and he informs the Pres
ident that 1t Is the purpose to keep &C
count of this in the future and. credit
the department in the statements OF
value of service rendered. The revenue
which would have been derived at the
regular postage rates from the free mat
ter handled last year would have been
Sl3, l9l .l66, the report asserts.
| Deposits in the postal savings banks
during the year fell off 4,S86,4l7, the re.
port shows.