Evening star., 1926-12-07
NEW WANTS DEATH
FOR MAIL BANDITS
Report Asks Execution of
Thugs Using Weapons
for HoId-UpS.

Postmaster General New wants
legislation enacted to impose death
sentences on bandits who attempt to
rob the mails with firearms or other
dangerous weapons.
The suggestion is contained in his
annual report, submitted to President
Coolidge.
During the year, he reports, there
were IA important mail robberies, in
volving a loss of $1,408,54O, of which
S760,634 has been recovered. There
were 943 persons arrested and GIL con-
victed of using the mails for fraudu-
lent purposes.
The Dead Letter Office, he reports,
disposed of 24,056,928 unbelievable
letters in the past year. In these let
ters money Enclosures were found
totaling S75 ,626.86. The Office handled
535,376 unclaimed parcels.
Air Contracts Started.
Nine contract air mail routes We're
put in operation during the year. Also
129 new rural routes were established,
giving service to about 1S,800 families.
Extensions were made on more than
1000 routes. The r. f. ID. %
employed 45, 1885 carriers, and LIS -
of the service was about $102 100000.
Mr.. New reports that now more
lIldII Iot1l VI ctII OuIS,olIS iAiCeAA'' "a ~
carried in ships of American registry.
Nearly 10000 900 pounds Of outgoing
mail was carried by sea at a, cost OF
approximately $7,000,000
An average of 1,415 employees was
kept on the departmental roles In
Washington during the year.
Mr.. New shows that, despite the
expansion of the service and the $780,
0O0, 900 raise in postal salaries, actual
expenditures last year exceeded reVe-
nues by only S19,972,379.
Had it not been for the salary In
creases, Mr.. New said, operations for
the year would have shown an actual
surplus, and this despite the fact that
new postal rates produced less than
half enough to meet the salary raises.
Deficit Is Reduced.
Actually, with adjustments on ac-
count Of undischarged obligations for
the fiscal year 1925, civil service re-
tirement fund requirements and 1926
obligations outstanding, the PostmaS-
ter General fixed expenditures and
undischarged liabilities at S697 ,725,9l9,
producing an operating deficit of $751;
9O6. .118, compared with SAG 9,453,O9o a
year ago.
Mr. New accompanied his report
with a number of other recommends
tionS, including one which would eX-
clude firearms from the mails, ana
another which would have all post
masters classified under the civil serv-
ice and the four-year term of presl-
dental appointments abolished. I'm
der the present law only fourth-class
postmasters are classified. Recon-
mendation was also made for the
restoration of the 1-cent rate on pri-
vate mailing or post cards and for the
reduction of rates on publications
mailed by the general public to l cent
for each two ounces, regardless or
distance.
1t was noted in the report that the
per capita expenditure of the united
States for postage was $4.97. as com
pared with S469 the previous year.
Illustrating that the public is careless
in using the mailing privilege, more
than 24,00O,000 unbelievable letters
found their way to the Dead Letter
Office. and $5 ,53O,256 in checks, money
and money orders were contained in
them.
Plans have been laid for lighting
the entire transcontinental air mail
route, the report said, and when that
is completed a schedule will be ar
ranged to permit departure from both
termini after the close of the business
day. instead of in the morning, as at
present Operation of the route by
private enterprise is being sought.
The slight increase in pound rates
on the advertising sections of news
papers and magazines to certain zones
had no deterrent effect in the ever
increasing volume of such matter, ac-
cording to Mr. New. On the contrary,
he said the total mailings of second
class matter at the pound rate or
free in county of publication" and
the postage collected from it greatly
exceeded the previous year.