Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, June 2, 1990 TAG: 9006040184
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Geddes states that we should look at privatizing the U.S. Postal Service because Hungary and Czechoslovakia were thinking about privatizing theirs. New Zealand planned to close 50 percent of all post offices because they were not cost-effective. Public outcry was so great that the government had to provide $40 million to keep them open. Postage rates were not lowered because of increased competition but were raised just prior to corporatization.
Geddes also conveniently failed to mention that the U.S. Postal Service has the cheapest rates in the world, even after the proposed nickel increase. Here is a comparison of first-class rates of some foreign nations (foreign exchange rates prevailing on Feb. 12):
West Germany 59.9 cents; Italy 56.4; Norway 49.7; Japan 42.8; Austria 42.5; Sweden 40.9; France 40.5; Belgium 40.0; Netherlands 39.8; Great Britain 33.9; Switzerland 33.5.
Unlike the private sector of the economy, the United States Postal Service is much more productive and efficient than West Germany and Japan.
The Post Office has a mandate to deliver to the 107 million different addresses daily, both profitable and non-profitable. If private industry started delivering the mail, money would be the motivating factor on all deliveries. Would a private company go miles out of the way to deliver one single letter to lose money? The Postal Service has to provide universal rates and service to everyone regardless of how far away a particular delivery is.
The Postal Service delivers almost one-half of the world's mail and does it cheaper than anyone else. Before we fire the U.S. Postal Service and hire paperboys to deliver the mail, let's at least look at both sides of the issue instead of one-sided opinions.
\ BARRY R. ASHBURN\ BLACKSBURG
by CNB