Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1834-06-20
RzCMMo.s.D, VIRGINIA, FRxDAl; yy.vE 30, 1854

sor OF the present in his report OF
November l3 1927. that the Department., by a vigani
administration OF i,s Affairs, would be able supply all
Tue wants oil the community, and in few years pay
in'oh treasury an annual sum oil $500, 900 This es
mate seems TO have been grounded upon the rapid
crease oil the receipts for hostages, the mprovem
roads and OF and the great and
ing number OF passengers in the stages which add the
profits oil the contractor and thereby lessen the of
transportation OF the mail And your Committee enter
tain no doubt that had its affairs been prud
win view TO the public interest, The anticipation would
at this time have been realized; unless indeed il should
nave been thought expedicnt reduce the posages and
thus relieve The community from par, its presses bur
den IN the Transaction OF business, aud the general du-
sion OF knowledge.
In order 10 present this subject distinctly
Senate your Committee have taken, aud here present,
comparative view OF revenue and OF The
Department Tor the four years FIRST preceding and the
Tour years xt following, the time which placed
under the supern'endence Of the present Postmaster
Thsy find that, the Is, july 1925, there wa. sur.
pius iuhd oil $2S30S9 90
was according TO the statement OF the Tor
, 'ner Postmaster General. 2s9,i4 IL
But according 10 the statement OF the present
Postmaster General. it was reduced 10 $50, 4s9 90
Which, for the purpose Of the present cs,i-
mate merely, your committee assume to
be correct. And on this suppoon the
available funds Of the Department wsro
diminished in four years, 81 600 90
The receipts for hostages during that four
years, were 6,l67,5Io 90
And the expenditures for the four wears 622O 10 90
The amount OF funds sunk by the Department since il
came under the supcrinendence Of the present Posmas
ter General, beyond the amount oil its receipts is
LIST. The sum on hand, according to his the
LIST Of July, 1929, $23O4s
Anonn, Of debts on the Isi of April, 1884,
over and above its available funds, sos 625
Aggregate, Sio3tII4
Four ffths Of that cum supposed TO have been
expended in the four first years OF the pre-
sen, Postmaster General, ss27 .2n
And the aggregate revenues of the Depart
ment for those TOUR years, $s.73I o32
Making the aggregate expenditures for the las,
named four years, s9.55s 3os
Excess of expenditures over the preceding
four years, So 1886, 1874
Within tina, time, some new mail routes were establish.
ed and improvement made i'm pre- yiouslv ex
sng routes, but all these bear very small proportion to
The Increase OF expenditures Possessing
This Department has DONE those increased eleme of
prosperity and of usefulness il ia
your COMMITTEE that there must have besn some msma
nagement oil It's Affairs and lavish expenditure funds
10 reduce II in sosort time it's present con-
don aud TO render necessary the appropriation Of so
large sum as four hundred and fifty thousand dollar,
from The Treasury, TO enable the Postmaster General 10
redeem It's credit aud carry its essential operations
AND before determining whether they should recon-
meHu such appropriation Committee thought il their
duty TO ascertain as lar Pracc sbls The accuracy
the several official statements which were. made TO Them
as well as those which have from time time trans.
mitted TO Congress- touching the condition OF the Deoarr.
men ALSO that they should investigate The cause OF The
sudden insolvency oil this important department
Government which has here sustained itse from
It's resources which, in former years actually con
buied L. lo3 063 dollars TO the general revenues of the
country, and which was bat few years since in mos,
Hoursliing and prosperous condition.
The prosecution OF that inquiry attended with much
difficulty and embaTra.
The annual reports of all contracts enereI into bv Tho
Department within The preceding year, have in two in.
stances been wholly omitted by the pre- sent Postmaster.
General and, in third The port in too late TO be
referred 10 by your Committee. TO aid them in IN, ir
investigation No answer has yet been given by The Sc.
cretay oil the Treasury resolution Of the Senate sdopt
td OH the lli day Of March last, motion OF enc of
your Committee, which calls for copies OF the duplicates
OF contracts BIDS aud extra allowances which the law re-
quresi should be bled IN the office OF the Conptro Her
oil the treasury. The duplicates of contracts and bids
are said 10 have been consumed in the Treasury building;
and also communicated us by the officer emplov
ell 10 answer the call, that statement Of extra GLOW.
ances had been filed there by the present Postmaster.
General. Aud the report OF The Postmaster. General
which accompanied the Presidents Message ct the open
e OF me present Cong ess sppzes us that his prior
ports, as TO the liabilities and resources of the Deparmen
are erroneous Thus The checks few and in, as
they are winch TIE law imposes upon the Transactions of
the Department., having been in a great measure Jis,e
garded rendered abortve, and certain being
eit us To determine the accuracy OF the and re-.
ports issuing from IT, except by causing he
made in all where there were data 10 fcund eu,
aud by comparing these reports with themselves and
VIM each otheT your Committee adopted this rourte and
inns they believe have been able arrive at a conclusion
very nearly correct, the general value of those re
ports and statements.
In order account for the increase of expeoen In
transportation oil the mail, the Postmaster. General has in
hs several annual reports, scented enormous in
crease also OF mail transportation. In his report accom-.
panying The Presidents message OF December 1892 lac
states that the annual trans poriaon the mail on the 81
OF July, 1929 1900. 900 miles and in that accom-
panying the Presidents message, al the
oil the present session OF Congress- he slater that on The
LIST day OF Jnly 1883, 1t 26 S5i4s5 miles making an
increase of transportation from the LIST july 1929 To the
LIST July, 1888 Of 10 I54 49, miles
From the knowledge which your Committee possessed
OF the general situation and business of the
at those periods IL appeared TO them that the statesmen
carried the stamp Of improbabily upon it's very face
They therefore, for the purpose OF sscerAnng
as possible The state OF the matter called on the officers n
the Department Tor the particular data on which tev had
founded their estimates, aud asked ALEC for the ory
paper showing the calculations; but they were told ,har
those papers were all destroyed. Your COMMITTEES bav.
ing subpGnaed Doctcr PiDeas Bradley TO attend before
ihen and give evidence placed in hs hands the adycr
tsemens Tor mail contracts, and the contain ,e the
statement OF extra allowances gave directions Tia, Inc
should be furnished with all such oiinstion from the
Department a. would enable him make full and ,i,
ssmscj ana they Instructed him ~ make OUT and reuor,
10 them, under oa'b true statement the smount ol
lranspoi aiion IN miles At the periods above mentioned
Alter lac had proceeded very far with his estimates ard
wss nearly ready TO make his report your Committee wa
inofmcd, through tlcir clatman that the calculations
irom which The report Of transportation Tor 1882 was made
out had been iounh, and that copy could he furnished
" was accordingly furnished, but sie Tor your
Committee 10 compare il with the actual routes and y,
The advertisements and hooks Of the Department And il
I a.Htt .sa