Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1835-12-31

cr exceeded S390,000; that a considerable,
portion oil the revenue OF SOME of the large offices,
Tor the present calendar year, had been anticipa-
ted by drafts discounted in banks, which tie, Ind
been instructed III pay at maturity, that additions
al allowances had been recent, authorized TO u
considerable amount that IL pro, ide the means 10
meet the demands on the Department AT v ash
'nsien, created by tie $, stem Of accrptancts up
wars ot two III, usand Of tie most consid. rai.
posi- ices had been directed To dcpositc their IN
con n banks; and that these means proving IN
sufficient, the Department was subjected 10 CON
III ual cnbarrassmcnts ~ devi>ng WAYS and means
| to meet Heterogeneous. At the same time ii wa>
believed on all hands, that the current revenue Of
the Department considerably exceeded its current
expenditure, aud that ilr aggregate of debt was
III progress OF dlmnnton. In this state of things,
II was deencd cNpedrnt to make effort 10 ca
trcatc the Department from its embarrassment =.
The measures resorted to for thatpurpose, were as
follows, VIZ
l. A suspension OF all recent allowances from
the credit OF the Contractors.
= y refusal 10 accept or pay any drafts drawn
on The Department, except by special arrange
mrnt.
g. The application of the income of the current
quarter TO the payment Of hat quarters expenses,
u
prr-exiSiing claims.
4. The introduction of system which SHOULD
effect more prompt collection and application of
the current income OF the Department.
The allowances suspended amounted to about
SloI 900 WITHOUT reference TO their merits il
was believed that preference ought to be gwen 10
other claims in making payments.
The dIscont'nnance of atcfptanoes was essen
'ia 10 enable the Department 10 command its
meas. revenue arises wherever the mails are
carried, and would seem l,iouslv appropriate,
AS well as convenient, thai the services of con-
tractors should be paid for in the sections Of
Try where they are rendered, and, as far as prac-
'icable, out of the income which they produce.
But the practice of suffering the contractors to
draw for their pay, subjected the Department to
the Inconvenience of collecting its funds from the
post Offices throughout TIE Union, and transfer
ring them 10 w a.hneton To meet the drafts. The
>'owness and uncertainty of this operation made it
IN insufficient reliance to meet It's acccptance>
produced the necessity of locking elsewhere
for the means, and rendered it difficult to man
aye its finances with any convenience OF rcgnIari-
Bvpaving the expenses of the current quarter
Al IFS close, and announcing d termination to pay
IN like manner al the close of each succeeding one.
applying only the surplus TO the discharge of for
Department would inm dialcly be Gle, aled, and
thencrf,rvard sustained.
Orders to dcpos in banks and drafts on post
masters in favor ut contractors, constituted the
system of collection found in operation. tpuards
o! two thousand post offices bad order 10 dcpoSitc,
and upwards OF eight thousand were instructed Ia
retain t,ir hostages until drawn upon. MANY oi
The dcposrc offices were dilaorv, and dcta, alton
amore them was moi uncommon. Many Of the
other offices were not drawn upon for several quar-
tcrs, account of the snallnrss of the ir income,
other circumstances. The necessities of til,
Department compelled it to draw on the more pro-
.ducivc Offices al the end Of each quarter before
thrir accounts could be adjusted and its drafts
being prcdicacd estimates, could NOT be for H.,
exact sum in hand. To avoid the danger OF pro-
test, in consequence of drawing for too much. u"
Treasurer generally drew for too little, thereby
leaving small balances in all the draft Offices also.
There were, consequently, balances remaining in
he hands OF more than eight thousand posin'asters,
which, though generally small, amounted in the
aggregate Ia large sum.
For the purpose of promptly bringing into action
the means ofthe Department. at the end of each
quarter, the undersigned divided the Offices INFO
thrtc classes. The first class called " Collection
oHces," upwards of nine thousand in number.
The postmas,crs OF this class have been instructed
whole amount due to the Department on account
OF the pusagcs of that quarter, 10 the contract,
who carry the mails along their respective routes,
and forward their receipts to the Department.
The contractors are Instructed to forward ac-
Acknowledgements, setting forth the whole amount
received from cath and all the posnascrs, and 10
report forthwith every postmaster who fails t"
paw, and his reasons therefor, il known 10 them.
To secure promptncss and fidelity on III" part OF
the contractors, they permitted to collect only
from 50 many posnasers rs may pay them about
srvcnty-G five per cent. of their qnartcrl, comp"n-
saton, and they are informed that tie balance will
not be paid them until they shall have collected
from every office on their list, shown, by t.
porting the delinquent postmasrrs, that they iia'"
used due diligence do Sc, and are not in fault for
the failure.
The second class, called DeYosifine OBces,
about five hundred and fifty in number, are m
stiuctcd to dcposiic their income IN banks q ar
rerlv, monthly, or weekly, according 80 rs mo mt.
This class embraces all the large Offices, and most
others which can conveniently dcposite as ply TO
contractors toocthrr with the most considerable
Offices on interior routcs, which yield surplus
revenue, and whose proceeds cannot be used IN
pav,ap the contractors who supply them.
The third class, called - Draft OGcfs," about
two hundred and fifty in number, embrace Il ose
not convenient 10 banks. whose proceeds car not
be paid over contractors at the close "i the quar-
ter without danger of their being ovcrpail but
NAV generally be drawn for in whole, or in part,
to nav the balances due after giving the contract
I A. II,