Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1834-07-03

thus they believe have been able to ar.
rive at conclusion very nearly correct,
as to the general value of those reports
and statements.
In order 10 account for the increase Of
expense in the transportation Of the mail.
the Postmaster General has, in his seve.
raj annual reports, presented us an enor-
nous increase also of mail transportation
Ia his report accompanying The Presi.
dents message of December, 1882. he
states that the annual transportation Of the
mail on the lst Of July, 1929. was rs 700,
700 miles; and in that accompanying the
PRESIDENTS message az the commence
ment oil the present session of Congress,
ne states. that on the LIST day Of July, 1888,
II was 26 ,S5a ,4S5 miles, making an in
crease of transportation from the LIST OF
July. 1899, to the lst of July 1884, OF
1854. ls5 miles.
Frem che knowledge which your com.
mittee possessed Of the general situation
and business Of the department at those
periods. it appeared to them that the
statement carried the stamp of improba-
bity upon its very face. They there
fore, for the purpose of ascertaining as
nearly as possible the state of the matter,
called on the officers of the department
for the particular data on which they had
founded their estimates. and asked also for
the original papers, showing the calcula-
tons; but they were told that those pa
pers were all destroyed. Your committee
having subpenaed Doctor Thomas Brad
ley 10 attend before them. and give evi
dcnce, placed in his hands the advertise
ments for mail contracts, and the book
containing the statement Of extra allow.
ances, and gave directions that he should
be furnished with all such information from
the department as would enable him to
make a full and fair estimate; and they
instructed him to make out and report 10
them, under oath, a true statement Of the
amount Of transportation, in miles, at the
proceeded very far with his estimates. and
was nearly ready 10 make his report, your
committee was informed, through their
chairman, that the calculations from
which the report of transportation for
1882, was made out bad been found, and
that a copy could be furnished. 1t was
accordingly done, but came TOO late for
your committee &c compare il with the
actual routes, and with the advertisements
and books of the department. And il con
taius nothing Of itself to enable US TO de-
termine on IFS correctness. II stands,
therefore, on precisely the same ground
with that Of the annual reports above
mentioned, and requires the same eyi
dence 10 sustain il.
The report Of Doctor Bradley 10 whose
diligence, integrity. and knowledge of The
subject, we have the fullest reliance, IL
hereto attached, verified by his oath. II
shows that trahsportaiions of the mail on
the lst OF July, 1929, just aEer The de-
partment came under the superintendent
OF the present Postmaster General. was
l5,209,039 miles, being l,509, $50 miles
more than it is stated in the annual re-
port above referred to: and that the trans
portation on the Ist Of July, 1888, was
21.156,S4i, instead Of &c $50 4s5, being
5,697 ,65l miles less than the Postmaster
General has reported it.
Thus. by undertaking the amount of
transportation at the time he came into
office. and exaggerating it since that time.
the Postmaster General has fallen into an
error, as TO the amount which he has in
CiCdSCu TIC tdHspOTthifUD VI iudii, W
no less than 7,206 600 miles.
Your committee not having performed
personally the labor of this part of the
examination, cannot vouch for the aecu-
racy of the above estimates, but they be-
lieye them 10 be nearly correct; and il they
err, that the error will be found TO be in
approaching too near, rather than in de-
parting too widely, from the statements in
the official reports Of the department.
The annual expense of transporting the
mail under existing contracts, with all i'm
provements, was. by the report OF the
Postmaster General of the 30th Nov 1888.
set down at 2,03S, 2S9 AZ
The Blue Book of Septem-
Der, 1882, gives the az
gregate Of all mail con-
tracts and extra allowance
at 1892, $40 II
Making a difference Of ex-
penditure not accounted
for, of SAO,396 %
This difference is wholly unexplained
No answer has yet been given 10 call
made by the Senate, on the 18th day OF
March last, on a resolution offered by one
of your committee. for a statement of the
sums paid for transportation and extra al
lowances, If any, omitted in the Blue
Book, which would have enabled them to
present an explanation of the discrepancy;
and we can perceive Of no mode Of ac-
counting for it, consistent with the cor
rect administration of the department.
and careful and accurate examination Of
the papers which issue from it, and under
It's official authority.
Your committee has also caused to be
selected from the report, (of extra allow
anees J made by the Postmaster General
TO the Senate on the 5th day Of March
LAST, all that have been there set down as
subsisting allowances since the 29th day
of June, 1888, which ought TO include all