The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1828-12-10

| years, since 1899 till this time, in the number
Of Post Offices, which has grown from less than
two hundred to nearly eight thousand; in the
revenue yielded by them, which, from sixty
seven thousand dollars, has swollen TO upwards
of million and half. and in the number of miles
of Post Roads, which, from five thousand six hum
dred and farty-two, have multiplied to one hun
cred and fourteen thousand FIVE hundred and
| thirty-six. While, in the same period Of time,
the population of the Union has about thrice
doubled, the rate of increase of these Offices is
nearly forty, and of the revenue, and of trav-
elled miles, from twenty to twenty-five for one.
The increase of revenue, within the last tve
! years, has been nearly equal TO the whole rev.
enue of the Department in 1912.
| The expenditures of the department during
the year which ended on the first of July last,
have exceeded the receipts by sum of about
twenty-five thousand dollars. The excess has
been occasioned by the increase of mail convey
ances and facilities, TO the extent of near eight
| hundred Thousand miles. 1t has been supplied
by collections from the Postmasters of the
rearages of preceding years. While the correct
principle seems to be, that the income levied
Ly the Department should defray all its ex-
penses, it has never been the policy of this
| Government to raise from this establishment
any revenue TO be applied to any other purposes.
The suggestion of the Postmaster General,
that the insurance of the safe transmission OF
monies by the mail, might be assumed by the
! Department for a moderate and competent re-
muneration, will deserve the consideration of
Congress.
| A report from the Commissioner of the pub
! lie buildings in this city exhibits the expend-
lures upon them in the course of the current
| year. 1t will be seen that the humane and be-
nevolent intentions of Congress in providing,
by the Act of Goth May, 1926, for the erection
of Penitentiary in this district, have been
complished. The authority of further legisla-
ton is now required for the removal to this ten
ement of the offenders against the laws, SEN
fenced to atonc by personal confinement for
! their crimes, and to provide code for their
employment and government while thus con-
| fined.
The Commissioners appointed conformably
to the Act of2d March, 1927, to provide for the
adjustment of claims of persons entitled to in
Identification under the first Article of the
Treaty of Client, and for the distribution among
such claimants Of the sum paid by the Govern
ment of Great Britain under the Convention of
( 18th November 1926, closed their labors on the
Both of August last, by awarding the claimants
! the sum of one million one hundred and ninety
seven thousand sour hundred and twenty-five
dollars and eighteen cents; leaving balance
of seven thousand five hundred and thirty -seven
dollars and eighty-two cents, which was dis
tributed ratably amongst all the claimants to
whom awards had been made, according to tho
direction of the Act
The exhibits appended to the report from the
Commissioner of the General Land Office pre-
sent the actual condition of that common prop
erty of the Union. The amount paid into the
Treasury from the proceeds of lands, during
| the year 1927, and the first half of 1923, falls
| little short of two millions of dollars. The pro-
priety of further extending the time for the ex
tinguishment of the public debt due TO tho
United States by the purchasers of the public
lands, limited, by the Act of 2lst March last,
to the fourth of July next will claim the con-
sideration of Congress, to whose vigilance and
careful attention the regulation, disposal, and
preservation of this great national Inheritance,
has, by the people of the United States, been
ntrusted.
Among the important subjects to which the
attention of the present Congress has already
been invited, and which may occupy their fur
Their and deliberate discussion, will be the pro-
vision to be made for taking the fifth census or
enumeration of the inhabitants of the United
States The Constitution of the United States
! requires that this enumeration should be made
within every term of ten years, and the date
from which the last enumeration commenced
was the first Monday of August ofthe year 1920
The laws. under which the former enumerations
were taken, were enacted at the session of Con-
gress Immediately preceding the operation but
| considerable inconvenience were experienced
from the delay of legislation at so late period
That law, like those of the preceding enumera-
tions, directed that the census should be taken
by the Marshals of the several Districts and
Territories, under instructions from the Secre-
tary of State. The preparation and transmits
sion TO the Marshals of those instructions re-
quired more time than was then allowed be-
tween the passage of the law and the day when
the enumeration was to commence. The term
of six months, limited for the returns Of the
Marshals, was also found even then too short
and must be more so now, when an additional
population of at least three millions must be
! presented upon the returns. AS they are TO be
made at the short session of Congress- it would,
as well as from other considerations, be more
convenient to commence the enumeration from
an earlier period of the year than the first of
August. The most favorable season would BIO
| the Spring. On a review of the former emu
meralions, it will be found that the plan for TAX
ing every census has contained Improvements
upon that of its predecessor. The last is still
susceptible of much improvement. The third
census was the first at which any account was
taken of the manufactures of the country. 1t
was repeated at the last enumeration, but the
returns in both cases were necessarily very inn
perfect. They must always be so, resting of
course only on the communications voluntarily
made by individuals interested in some of tho
manufacturing establishments Yet they con-
tanned much valuable information, and may, by
some supplementary provision of the law, be
rendered more effective. The columns OF age,
commencing from infancy, have heretofore
been confined to few periods, all under the
number of 45 years. Important knowledge
would be obtained by extending those columns,
in intervals of ten years, to the utmost bounda-
res of human life. The labor of taking them
would be trifiing addition to that already pre-
scrbed, and the result would exhibit compare
tive tables of longevity highly interesting to
the country. deem it my duty further to OBJ
serve, that much of the imperfections in the re-
turns of the last, and perhaps of preceding emu
merations, proceeded from the inadequatensss