The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-12-24

class direct maii-advertising service
and fourth-claSs parcel-post Service.
The iktue was seen to be a zen.
eral issue and the vital point in it
was seen to be the reliability or
unrelia bility OF the Postoffice De-
partment's cost asceftainment re-
port" on which the whole arRu.
nient for the suggested relative
advances on the different classics
OF mail matter Is based.
On that point Mr.. Strickland, Of
the Railway Mail Association, out
Of information forwarded to him
by postal employees on railroad mail
cars and In other branches OF the
postal service, states as follows:
/. Lists Superficial.
"The cost ascertainment by the
Postoffice Department is based
upon tests and data Of a very super.
fetal character. Data was taken
on less than 1 per cent OF the rail
way mail service trains. Even then,
in most instances. 1t did not cover
the entire trip OF railway postal
clerks In such trains.
The method used was to take the
time required to distribute a certain
number OF packages OF letters and
OF sacks OF newspapers, etc, for a
short period of time on each trip on
the few trains that were selected
for the test.
The letters and newspapers in
most Instances were not counted.
The figures given In the cost
ascertainment report are based
upon the assumption that an
average package of first-class mail
contains a certain number Of let
tiers and that an average sack OF
newspapers contains a certain
number Of newspapers, and so on.
Averages" Arbitrary.
"As a matter Of fact these aver
age figures are arbitrarily set bv
officials of the Postoffice Depart.
ment and are not regarded by
practical postal workers as being
even approximately accurate,
The methods of taking the cost
ascertainmentN in other branches
Of the postal service were quite
as superficial as those used in
the railway mail service.
Even, however, If the methods
used had been accurate the so.called
test covered such an indefinitely
small part of the mail actually han.
died and such a small part of the
employees engaged In the work that
1t is incpnclusive.
"The report is nothing more than
an extreme extension Of percentages
based on the meager data gathered
from a small per cent Of postoffices
and lesser per cent of railway
mail trains"
This attack upon the Postoffice
Departments "cost ascertainmeflt re-
port" was supplemented today by a
statement from Congressman NJ.
Clyde Kelly Of Pennsylvania, a mem.
Der of the House Committee on Post
Offices and Post Roads and the most
incisive and informed questioner Of
witnesses before the Moses senatorial
subcommittee, who said:
Deficit Going Naturally.
1.-THE Postoffice Department can
within very few years break even
on it's balance sheet without any
increase whatsoever in postage
rates, even IL the bill for increas-
ing the pay of postal employees Is
passed over the Presidents veto.
1t is said that the bill for increas-
ing the pay of postal employees will
cost sos, 100000 q year. Very well.
In the last year Of complete record,
without any increase In postage
rates whatsoever, the Postoffice
Department, through the natural
increase Of business, reduced its
deficit by $4,000. 900. It can con.
tinue to reduce It annually by $IS,.
100000 with the present increase Of
business and growth of the coun-
try. ~
1T says itself that prsAently, at
the present rates, 1t wilt have a