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The Annual Report of the Postmaster General The

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'. c MESSAGE OF TNE PRESIDENT TRANSMITTING THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE POSTMASTER GENERAL FOR rllII< FISCAL YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 1911 AND THE REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON SECOND- CLASS MAIL MATTER FEIIRUARY 22, 1912 WASHINGTON 1Y 12 I CONTENTS. bfE8BAQE OB TEE PREBIDENT. ............................................ REPORT OF THE POSTMASTER QENERAL. A postal eurpiue ............................................................ Extension of the service .................................................... Postal Baviuge System ..................................................... Parcel post ............................................................... Readjustment of postage rates .............................................. I The franking privilege. ..................................................... Shipment of periodicale by freight. .......................................... Readjustment of railway mail pay ........................................... Reorganization of the Railway hiail Service.. ................................ City delivery service.. ..................................................... Village delivery servico. ................................................... Rural mail service. ......................................................... Ocean mail service ........................................................ Aeroplauo mail service. .................................................... Poetal telegraph servics.. .................................................. Annual vacations.. ......................................................... Relief froin Sunday service.. .............................................. Pensione for superaiinuntod crnployees.. .................................... Salaries of supervisory olficerv ............................................. I Clseaification of Faistan t poetmmtcrs ......................................... I! Clmification of presidential postmasters ................................... Critaade agairiat fraudulent \lee of the mails .................................. Improvenienta in organization and methods.. ............................... Recommends tioris for legislation.. .......................................... Parcel poet on rural routes.. ............................................ Parcel post in cities and towns ........................................ Parcel poet on transportation rot1 tes.. .................................... Village delivery service .................. b., ........................... Ocean mail service. .................................................... Official poetage stamps for franking.. ................................... Readjustment of postmastera’ salaries. ................................. Advancement of fourth-claaa oilices.. .................................... Annual leave for employees.. .......................................... Leave, with substitute, iil Railway Mail Service.. ....................... Extension of disability leave,. ......................................... Compensation to injured employees.. .................................... Rewards for inventions by employees.. ................................... Branch poet officee and postal etationa ................................... Post officeein Federal buildings. ....................................... Post-office equipment.. ................................................. Private-mai I receptacles. ............................................... Protection of mail boxes;., ............................................ Readjuetmenta for diversions of mails,. ................................. Payment to carrier when contractor fails to pay ........................... Holding of bail for poatage .............................................. Dbpoaition of valuable dead mail ........................................ Registered-mail indemnity account.. .................................... 9 MESSAGE. To the Xenafe and House of Representatives: In transmitting the annual report of the Postmaster General for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1911, it givcs me pleasure to call ntten- tion to tlie fact that the revenues for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1911, amounted to $287,879,823.60 nnd that the expenditures amounted to $237,660,705.48, making a surpltis of $219,118.12. For the year ended June 30, 1909, the postal service was in arrears to the exterit of $1’7,479,770.47. In the interval this very large deficit has been changed into a siirplus, and that without the curtailment of postal facilities. Indeed, in the same time there have been established 3,744 new post oflices, delivery by carrier provided in 186 additional cities, nrid new run11 routes established, 2,516 in number and aggre- gating 60,679 miles in extent. The force of postal employees has been iiicreused by more tlinn 8,000, and u liberal policy in the matter of salaries has been followed, so that the amount expended for salaries is now $14,000,000 Inore than two years ago. The average salary has been increased from $869 to $967 for rural carriers, $9’79 to $1,082 for post-ofiice clerks, $1,021 to $1,084 for city letter carriers, and $1,168 to $1,183 for railway postal clerks. The report shows that the Postal Savings System was begun ex- perimentally in January, 1911, and that it has now been extended so as to include ‘7,500 presidential post offices, which includes practically dl of tlie post &ices of tliut class. Preparations are also being made to establish the system at about 40,000 fourth-class offices. The de- posits in ll months have reached n total of $11,000,000, distributed among 2,710 national and State banks. The Postmaster General recommends, as I have done in previous messages, the adoption of a parcel post, nnd the beginning of this in the organization of such service on rural routes and in the City De- livery Service first. 7 I 8 ME98 AGE. MESSAQX. The plncing of assistant postmasters in the clnssified service has down of cost, the sliortening of methods, nnd tlic increase in eficiericy secured greater efficiency. It is hoped that the same tliing may be are shown b.y the stntistics of the Annual Report. done with all the postmasters. Oiie of t)he most important matters referred to by the Postmaster The report of the Postmaster General is full of statements of the Geiieritl is tlie proposed fixing of new rates of postage for second- important improvements in the organization and methods of the class mail matter. In conneclion with this subject, I have the honor postal service made since the last annual report, and of tentative to transmit herewith the report of the Cominission on Second-Class drafts of legislation embodying certain recommendations of the de- Rhil Matter, appointed purstiant to n joint resolution of the Sixty- partment which need legislation to carry them out. first Congress, approved March 4, 1911. There is only one recommendation in which I can not agree-that The coinnlission consists of Ilon. Charles E. Hughes, Associate is one which recommends that the telegraph lines in tlie United Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Stntes; President States should be macle a part of tlie postal system nnd opernted in A. Lawrence Lowell, of liarvard University; and Mr. Ilnrry A. conjunction with the mail system. This presents a question of Gov- Wheeler, president of the Association of Coinmerce of the city of ernment ownership of public utilities which are now being conducted Chicago, whose cliaracter, abil ity, and experience command for their by private enterprise under f raricliises from tlie Government. I be- fiiidiiigs tint1 ~-ecomniendationsthe respect and confidence of the lieve that the true principle is that private enterprise should be per- Congress and the country. mitted to carry on such piiblic utilities under cliie regulation as to 3’110report discloses IL iriost exliniistive and criticnl inquiry into tho rates by proper authority rather than that the Government should subject of second-class mail matter nfter adequate notice to all fie itself conduct them. This principle I favor because I do not think parties in interest. Extensive lienrings were held by the commission, it in accordance with the best public policy thus greatly to increase at which tlie l’ostmnster General nnd tlie Second and Third Assistant the body of public servants. Of course, if it could be shown that Postmasters General appeared and submitted formal statements pre- telegraph service coiild be furnished to the public at n less price senting tlie various contentions of the Post Ofice Departmentl, to- than it is now furnished to the public by telegraph companies, gether with all the relevant official data and evidence relating to the and with equal eficiency, the argument might be n strong one in cost of handling and transporting second-class mail matter. Certain favor of the adoption of the proposition. But I am not satisfied of the leading magazines were represented by counsel, while various from any evidence that if tliese properties were taken over by the other publications appeared by representatives and were heard in Government they coiild be managed any more econoinically or any oral argument or permitted to submit written briefs setting forth more efliciently or that this would enable the Government to furnish their respective reasons for opposing a change in the present postage service at any smaller rate tlian the public are now required to pay rate on second-class inail. The Second and Third Assistant Post- by private companies. masters General, togctlier with minor ofhers
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