Show OUR MONTE mm TALK postmaster general hitchcock is to be complimented for the excellent fin ancial showing ot of his department for the year ending june last we do not have before us the exact figures but we understand that the deficit for that year was at least 10 less than the year before A large proportion of this gain came 11 is stated through a reduction in pay to the railroads furnishing evidence unmistakable of the truth of the publishers lishers claim that much ot of the trouble was there and not from the loss on second class matter A statement appeared recently in printers ink that there was an in crease of the number of pounds of se cond class matter during the year in question 0 of pounds rather a small increase compared with other years if as stated bythe president and general hitchcock a year ago there is a loss of nine cents per pound on such matter there must have haie been i loss ot of more than greater than a year before which we tell fell a as Is a proposition for which no proof is forthcoming so also it was stated last winter that free rural delivery caused a loss of a year yet the cost of this service was considerably greater last year than in any previous year coupling these facts with the fact that between the years 1897 and 1909 inclusive second class matter increased lbs ibs in weight more than double while the deficit was only greater in 1910 than in 1897 yet the department says that there was a loss in 1910 of tor for free rural delivery while there was t as no loss at all on that service in 1897 we are unable to interpret these fig ures in any other way than that tile the government loses nothing in carrying second class matter at the present rate now if general hitchcock will in his forthcoming report stop advocating at i higher postal tax on newspapers and periodicals the greatest educational in duenos the country possesses and urge congress to give the people 1 i I parcels post so that the rural carriers will NOR have something to carry beyond a lew few pounds on each trip lie he will be doing something that will redound to his credit by placing the postal service on a paying basis and satisfying the urgent demand of the people As we write it Is announced that four more cities of barbarous bai barous co are to have a parcels post agree ment with the united states by which packages 0 weighing up to eleven pounds may be mailed from any part of the united states for the sum of of twelve cents per pound while within our own borders only four pounds may be car ried between cities only a few miles apart or across a rier and at a cost of sixty four cents this ano anomalous malois condition does not lie within the province of the post master general to correct it rests rest with congress but he be can utilize some of the surplus energy directed a i the press in pushing for a parcels post such as all civilized coun tries now possess let us urge upon our br ethern of the press everywhere to enter the light fight for in an adequate parcels post tern such as our country ought to have with such a system established it is reasonable to expect that there will be an end of postal deficits the pub lie lic will be properly served and the government will have no further in bentive or excuse for interfering with the business and rights of publishers and the liberty of the press and the full and legitimate influence and de of tile the public press an excellent plan will be to lo serve warning upon every member of congress and senator who will not meet the public demand in this respect and vote for a parcels post bill this winter that he must henceforth stand aside and let a more responsive and better man come to the front grethern nr Dr ethern this matter Is in your hands will you live up to your tuni ties the farm journal |