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Show TAFT ASKS RAISE IN POSTAL RATES Urges Adoption Of Commission's Commis-sion's Recommendation On Second-Class Mail. PROFIT IN POSTAL SERVICE r For the First Time In History the Department Made Money Adoption Adop-tion of Parcel Post System Again Is Urged. Washington, Feb. 22. According to the annual report of Postmaster General Gen-eral Hitchcock transmitted to congress con-gress today the postofflce department, for the first time In history, shows a profit for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1911. Accompanying the document was the report of the commission on second-class mall matter : appointed by joint resolution of congress on March 4 of last year and a brief message of the president, In which he called attention at-tention to the principal features of the two reports. Would Increase Second-Class Rates. The report of the commission on second-class mail matter makes the following recommendations: 1. The rate of 2 cents a pound on copies mailed by publishers to subscribers, sub-scribers, to news agents, and as sample sam-ple copies, and by news agents to their subscribers or to other news agents. 2. The rate of 1 cent for each 4 ounces for copies mailed by other than publishers and news agents; that is, the present transient rate. 3. The present free-in-county privilege priv-ilege retained, but not extended. The commission also recommended that the cent-a-copy rate for newspapers newspa-pers other than weeklies and for periodicals pe-riodicals not exceeding 2 ounces in weight, and the 2-cent-a-copy rate for periodicals exceeding 2 ounces In weight, when mailed at a city letter-carrier letter-carrier office for local delivery, be abolished. As to the effect and adequacy of the proposed increase of 1 cent a pound In postage the commission says: "Such an increase will not, in the opinion of the commission, bring distress dis-tress uponthe publishers of newspapers newspa-pers and periodicals, or seriously interfere in-terfere with the dissemination of useful use-ful news or information. A reasonable time should be allowed, after the rate Is fixed, before it is put into effect. While the new rate will be very far from compensating the government for the carriage and handling of second-class matter, it will to some extent ex-tent relieve the existing burden and result In a more equitable adjustment bf rates." Both the president and the postmaster postmas-ter general concur In the recommendations. recommenda-tions. President Taft again concurs in the recommendation of the Postmaster General for the adoption of a parcel post system, suggesting the Inauguration Inaugura-tion of such a service on rural routes and In the city delivery service first. Ownership of Telegraph Opposed. Hitchcock's recommendation for government ownership of the telegraph tele-graph lines under the supervision of the postal service Is not approved of by the president. Regarding this he says: "There Is only one recommendation In which I can not agree that is one which recommends that the telegraph lines in the United States should b6 made a part of the postal system and operated in conjunction with the mail system. This presents a question of government ownership of public utilities utili-ties which are now being conducted by private enterprise under franchises from the government. I believe that the true principle is that private enterprise en-terprise should be permitted to carry Dn such public utilities under due regulation regu-lation as to rates by proper authority rather than that the government should itself conduct them. This principle prin-ciple I favor because-1 do not think it in accordance with the best public policy pol-icy thus greatly to increase the body of public servants." The report of the Postmaster General Gen-eral is full of statements of changes in the organization and methods of the postal service made since the last annual an-nual report, and of tentative drafts of legislation embodying certain recommendations recom-mendations of the department which need legislation to carry them out. It also calls attention to the fact that the revenues for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1911, amounted to $237,879,-823.60 $237,879,-823.60 and that the expenditures amounted to $237,660,705.48, making a surplus of $219,118.12. The report shows that the postal savings system was begun experimentally experimen-tally in January, 1911, and that It has now been extended so as to include 7,500 presidential post offices, which includes practically all of the post offices of that class. Preparations are also being made to establish the system sys-tem at about 40,000 fourth-class offices. |