Show POLITICAL MATTER MUTTER fREE R HAS AS MADE NAD POSTAL DEFICIT Postmaster os aster General HitchcocK HitchcocK Hitch Hitch- cocK Recommends Curbing Curb j ing g of Privilege WASHINGTON Nov 23 Political campaign n mat material rial transmitted ed free of postage through h the mails maHs acc accounted d accordi according to the records for the tho difference dif dif- ference between a a. postal posta surplus and arid a apostal apostal apostal postal deficit for last Lineal year ear endI ending end- end I ing r June 30 An Ari account cco nt of franked mail forwarded for forwarded for for- ward warded d for congress tho the executive c departments de do- and other government show shwa h 4 that postage at the ordnary ordinary ord- ord na nary Y rate rato on this matter would have ha netted the tho government nearly neaTh About of this this would bavo f avo boon baen paid on political docu docu- ments meats The Tho postal service handled dUl dunn n nt t the e year nO pieces of franked franke mail wei weighing hin pounds This was 3 S per pcr cent of the total wei weight ht of or all documents carried During DurinA the tho presidential and nd congressional primary primary primary mary campaign in tho the last quarter of th tho fiscal year as s disclosed d by comparison with tho the amounts of free matter sent durin during corresponding periods periods pe pe- pe- pe nods of previous years an extraordinary amount of ff franked matter was ent Bent through t ron h tho mails malls Ono One Campaign Book This matter consisted consist d of political l reports and records of all kinds and nd even even of one complete political campaign campaign cam cam- book all of which had been m made de t technically by insertion in inthe inthe the tho Congressional ional Record R It was computed that the total weight of this franked matt matter r was wa between and pounds all an of wh which ch was transmitted as first class matter maHer Commenting upon these figures Postmaster General Genera Hitchcock who h has s long ong urged ed that restrictions be bo th-ro th thrown n around th tho us uso of th the franking privilege lego lege said I The unusual entailed expense upon tho the postal service through h the transmission transmission trans trans- m mission slon by b mail of tho great groat oat amount of political matter during durinA th the primary campaign created a temporary d deficit for or the tho first time timo in two years rs the tho total expenditures for tho the fiscal year of f 1912 a aggregating e while the total reve revenue ue amounted to Prevented Surplus Had it not been for the tho cost of carr carrying i g franked political mail maU tho the postal account would have havo shown hon a n. surplus surplus surplus sur sur- plus of more more than instead of a deficit it of And this surplus I have indicated would have beel developed notwithstanding th the tho fact that the compensation of postal employees was increased s d durin during the year by y an a aggregate of Computations of f expenditures and aDd revenue in indicate however howo that since the the close of tho the last fiscal year the postal service once once more more is on a self 8 supporting basis On c November 1 t the thelast thelast e last date of available figures it was was found th that t the receipts wore ally greater than the expenditures s for the tho current year Mr Hitchcock expects this condition to be maintained throughout th the year I despite the lar large c expenditure attendant attend attendant ant upon tho tim establishment of the par par- I post eels system |