The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-12-31

OStCGO LO4OS AX0 70 OSfS SfeSStOVV oNeS0
dent and an admitted master of
postage rate ilttTicGcies, which IN
these interviews he NntGngLes for
the benefit of the general public
into simple strGightfortO terms.
By CONGRESSMAN M. CLYDE
KELLY,
In Interviews Given to william Hard.
The American Postoffice De-
partment is the greatest single
public social-service agency in the
world.
It is not, and never was, de-
signed to be a money-making in
stitution.
From its very beginning it has
carried to the American citizen
his political news and his market
business news and his religious
and scientific news and informa-
ton and instruction in daily and
weekly and monthly periodicals
ut less than the technical cost Of
transmission.
It has done this not as a favor
to publishers but as q service to
the citizen.
r. +. d. Service TO Farmer.
It now carries letters and news.
papers and parcel-post packages to
the remotest rural resident on the
nast iGsfa Vat Sanod iva ncf
or in desert through the Rural
Free Mail Delivery Service at all
annual net technical loss of at
least fifty million dollars.
1t does this not as favor or a
81 ecial privilege extended to the
farmer or rancher but for the gen..
eral common good in order to bind
this whole nation together into one
great civic unity,
The Postoffice Department is in
considerable part a purveyor Of
public benefits which are socially
desirable but which are not COM
mercially profitable.
The Postoffice Department, never.
theless, according to the Postmaster
General himself, will in the next
fiscal year cease to show a deficit
and begin to show q surplus.
How has it been able to do it?
BY increased rates?
Not at all.
There have been no permanent
increased rates for any users of
the mails Except publishers Of
newspapers and magazines) since
the year 1883.
Costs Have Increased.
Meanwhile costs have increased
enormously The cost of wages and
salaries has increased. The cost Of
materials han increased. The cost
of railroad transportation has in.
creased. All postoffIce costs have
increased sharply and steeply.
For Instance, during simply these
last five years, since 1919, various
acts Of Congress !ncreaing the pay
of petal employees have put upon
the Postoffice Department an ad.
ditional total charge of $3.50, 900, 900.
Postage Rates Same.
Yet all of us Except publishers
Of newspapers and magazines) are
today paying the anne postage rates
that we paid In 1888, fOrty-one
years ago; and the POstOfficc de-
paTtmellt, according to the Post.
master General, will show q sur.
plus in the fiscal year ending June
30, 1926.
How has this miracle been
achieved?
II has been achieved by volume
Of business.
II has been achieved by keep.
ing rates low and by getting more
and more business into the mails.
1t has been achieved by using
more and more of every minutes
time Of every postal employee.
IL has been achieved by thus in.
creasing the efficiency, while also
increasing the toll. Of the postal
employees.
Il has been achieved by thus re.
ducing the actual final unit cost
Of the POstOffice Department per
piece Of mail handled.
Volume Has Gone Up.
Volume has gone UP. Employe
efficiency has gone UP. Actual
final unit cost has gone down and
keeps on going down.
That Is the explanation OF the
miracle.
1t should not be checked. It
should be continued.
There should be no postage rate
increase which would tend to drive
any class Of business out of the
mails.
Many OF the increases proposed
by the Postoffice Department would
have that tendency. They should
be resisted.
II is claimed that the new postal
pay increase bill which win be up
in the Senate for final disposition
there on January 6 would ada
$6S,OO0.00O a year to the. Postoffice
departments payroll and there
fore to It's cost.
sixty-eight million dollars seems
large.
Let US consider. however, the
following fact:
The annual reports OF the Post
oefice Department show thks 1t has