Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1834-06-13

mated by the Chief clerk, especially at Time
when the departments insolvent and borrow
inc from banks, and overdrawing its deposites
daily, and even descending to ask the credit of
individuals to sustain it in its most necessary
functions.
But admitting the sum estimated by your
committee to be due from postmasters, the
credits Of the department will stand thus
Amount of available debts for postage accruing
within the LIST day OF Jan. 1884. S03,725
Do. do for hostages accrung
in the quarter ending the 1st day of
April. 1884. 2O5704
Funds deposited in solvent banks, 1856
Making the aggregate of credits CON
sdered available, $685.
The amount of debts due on that day, as sta
was - - S, 123, 600
Balance against the department on final set
Element of all its accounts, would be 5000, 625
The above estimate due By the department, is
taken entirely upon the credit or the ofhcerS OF
the bureaux to which the superintendent OF
those accounts properly belong. They profess
to have given them with all practicable accura-
cy, and your committee, having no particular
reason to doubt their correctness, have not
gone into an investigation with view to test
Them
With respect to the credit and outstanding OF
claims of the depart ment your committee
could not place the same reliance on the gene
raj estimate presented them. The amount was
much larger than they had reason to suppose
correct from their knowledge OF the general
course of business in the department.; and their
investigation has satisfied them that the error
was even larger than they at first anticipated,
amounting, as has been already shown, to up
wards of $500,000.
Your committee have also made, and here
So ri fXY NON
ditures of the department for the last quarter of
the year 1888, by which it will be seen that,
without some real and substantial reform in the
management of its concerns, there is little
prospect that it will eXtricate itself from the
present embarrassments.
1t appears, as stated above, that the
receipts for hostages in that quarter
amounted to 1857
The transportation for the same quar-
ter amounted TO $5227l4
Incidental expenses TO 1885
Total expenditure, $3.50, 100
Excess Of expenditure over the reve-
nue. $50, goo
-
Which continuing in the same ratio
| throughout the year, would bear an
| annual deficit of $40 $40
! An opinion was expressed by the immediate
4
| predecessor of the present Postmaster General,
| in his report of November Is, 1927, that the
department, by vigilant administration of its
affairs, would be able 10 supply all the wants OF
| the community, and in a few years TO pay into
the treasury an annual sum of 100000. This
estimate seems to have been grounded upon the
rapid increase of the receipts for hostages, the
| improvement of roads and means of convey
ance, and the great and increasing number of
passengers in the stages which add to the pro
fits of the contractor, and thereby lessen the
| cost of transportation Of the mail And your
committee entertain no doubt that, had its at-
! fairs been conducted prudently, with view to
the public interest, the anticipation would at
| this time have been realized; unless, indeed, it
! should have been thought eXpedient to reduce
! the hostages, and thus relieve the community
of a part of its present burden in the tranac
| ton of business, and the general diffusion of
| knowledge.
! In order to present this subject more distinct
| ly to the Senate your committee have taken,
| and here present, a comparative view of the
revenue and expenditures Of the department
for the four years first proceeding, and the four
years next following, the time at which it was
placed under the superintendent of the pre-
sent Postmaster General.
| They find that. on the 1st July, 1925, there
was a surplus fund of 1888 0S9 90
| That on the 1st July, 1922 the sur
! plus fund was, according to the
statement of the former Post
master General, 289, 40 II
But according to the statement of
the present Postmaster General,
it was reduced to 230499 90
Which, for the purpose of the pre-
sent estimate merely, your COM
mittee assume to be correct. And
on this suppositon, the available
funds of the department were d.
minshed in four years $4,000 90
The receipts for hostages during
that four years, was 6,167,519 90
And the expenditures for the four
years $3.50, 119 90
-
The amount Of funds sunk by the department
since it came under the superintendent Of the
present Postmaster General, beyond the amount
of its receipts, is
1st. The sum on hand according to
his statement on the 1st of July,
1929, $23O,4S9
Amount of debts on the 1st of April,
1884, over and above its available