Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-12-29

very fnctuatins varying from mere nominal increase
10 an advance Of 20 per cent IN single year. ,
Tho extension of the mail service, ana the aofa.e
n The popula,ion and business Of the country, are NV
causes of The ordinary increase ol the revenue bu
Temporary and extraordinary CIRCUMSTANCES o'ei'
o,,rt besa more permanent Of increase, 50 -"
ne 20 nreyent any material advance lhs has oteh ~"
o,s. Tho mast YEAR during which combination VI
causes have operated 10 impair Inc revenue =" Wv
nlr,me;it to nearly tie extent ot the average a "
crease. ,...c,, c,,ncos
r,h nar.rtmen, is not wholly To be attributed 10 ihe
deeiine of the revenue the past year: IL ~ III par m
result Of the too sudden and large extension OF 'e SET
vice during the years 1887, le3o ana 1857
bv the extraordinary surplus which accrued IN ie"o
and 1887 This surplus, on the 3oih june i0'o was
Tho Postmaster General in his annual report OF that
year. recommended reduction oil the rates OF Pos'se
,,aress did moi sanction that measure bu', oy tue
-, r. ,Lo ID July 1896 established about seven nun
d,cd nov post-rou;es, which II became inc auy oi .e
Department 10 put INTO operation ; nc ac',o" o' '
sub,.c; bv Congress was considered as in"S"''".
do 49,, The surplus which had accrued, and winch
-, .crue should be expended in providing aGd
.;n1,l ,,,, accommodations. he causes when iiao
nrosrc4d The above surplus on the '''h ci June 1861
con,nucI 10 operate during tne remahder" i ta' year.
ADD mar; Of the year 1857 and, as The new contracts
did ma, a, ;ao operation uniil after the Isl OF feoa
- Is.,- the revenue continued TO exceed the eXpcn-
d;turc. and on the Both Of June, lc.1, the surplus
amounted 10 $3.50 POS. During The session following
/
cd ab, seven hundred additional routes, whrh were
-, bc M, in operaton on the Isl Of luly, lof or be-
fore Il the revenues Of the Department would justify
IL Tie second Section of the act provides tha'
every railroad within the limits Of the lnea s'a's,
that now u.s. or hereafter be, made, shall be posi-
,or,. and The Postmaster General shall the
mail To ne transported thereon Prorded, lie can have
il done on reasonable terms, aud not paying 'iereor
in any instance, more than % per cenium over and
above what similar transportation would cost IN post
coaches.
The very liberal construction given TO this ac, by
the Postmaster General favorable TO the interests OF
the railroad companies did not satisfy the spirit OF Gu
pidy which belongs 10 corporate monopoiicsi ana II
was found ipracticabc II obtain contracts from seve-
raj Of the railroad companies. And Congress, by The
act of 3th January, le9, extended the maximum rate
Of compensation Tor railroad service 70 lhec hthdiea
dollars per me.
The new routes es,abli he'd by The act Of 1ih of July,
ISIS were mostly put into service IN le'J and con
tracts have been made f.! on the railroads Then
IN existence, and most Of those which have since seen
CONNECTED, al 81 compensation, varying from
twenty.fye three hundred per cent. above what had
been pnid for coach on the same routes In Eng
land the average rate nf compensation Tor railroad ser
vice is abont ninety dollars per nnc; and the highest
sum paid on the important routes one hunGred
and seven dollars per mile and the contractors
CURED convey mails as often, and al such times as
be ordered b. the Postmaster General Here, wlI
a rate Of compensation nearly two hundred per cent
higher has been found nprac.lcanr, on many OF The
routes obtain that control over The iinc OF the de-
par,ure ard delivery Of The mall winch - 50 essential
the and exercised On othrr routes IN no
GItnn the compensation pa:d 10 The Ta'foaa conpfnts
there considerable incidental expenses incurred i"i
tsayelns agents the important routes, for con
yeyinr the mails and from the al The ends 81 The
routes and for supplying intermediate Offices, not On
the line Of the roads The substitution Of railroad for
coach service, has borne very heavily on The revenues
! III thu Department
The net, routes established in $40 and ISIS, being
many Of them, sections Of the country where the
roads bad and the settlements sparse have yielded
an bearing but small proportion TO the ea-
pensc nf the transportation.
THIS great extension If The service, and the snbsutu-
ton of a higher and more expensive for cheaper
trade under the acts Of Congress referred TO- ana the
improvements on other routes, which the public ME
rests seemed to demand, since loa6, lave carried the
expenditures Of The Department, 10. three successive
years, beyond its accruing revenue.
In the year ending on the Both Jone,
I I-.S-, the expenditures were Sl,h2l 80 w
The revenue which accrued was 4,2.5p 77 40
Excess Of expenditure the revenue S3-G16o 90
The expenditures in the year ending
june 30. lS3o, were SI,G5i.7lS GnI
The revenue which accrued was J,311 ,b!l w
Excess of expenditure :i17 Ia 90
The excess Of the expenditures for these two years
was net by the surplus funds which had accumulated
IN lo3. and nearly exhausted all that surplus which
available.
In tue annual rcpor: Of my predecessor made in Dc
cenber SIS he says "1he general financial disasters
Of last wear have not reduced the revenue, rs might
have been expected, but have prevented most of the
anticipated increase, and thrown tho Department upon
lis surplus, most Of lis extensions. The in
dications are, TINT there will be slight improve
nent in the revenue of the fiscal year, the
preceding; bnt not enough to produce any material Ell
feet. An advance somewhat greater may be reasona
1c rtPu.
meet the increasing cost Of mail service and put into
operation the routes established at the last session
Of Congress 1t will hence be that, for more than
year come, the cur,aicn rather than the extern
sion, of routes operation, To be eS
pccted.
The anticipated increase during the year 1899, was
realized and amounted To 81 per cent producing SILL
SO Ru the greater increase looked tor IA 1910, has
essentially failed; and the quarter ending Both Of Sept
last exhibits actual dcc!enson M the revenue, a.
compared with the corresponding quarter O! last yea, ~
about per cent Tins uniavorah'e result las been
occasioned mainly hy tie second suspension o! the
banks in lar re ton Of the Union followed hy gene
raj depression of the commercial interests Of the conn
try: winch appears 10 have been apprehrnded at the
close Of the last rcar the PosmasleF-Grneral then
said alt POSSIBLE that the recent suspension OF spc
Gle payments By the banks, large portion Of the
Union may again check the increase III tue revenue
oil the Department, so to make re'rpnchmcn,s ne
cessnry: but, in any event. they VII, be lncnnsdera
BILE"
But the present apparently nn'aroTahle financial con-
dition OF TIE Department need occasion no anxiety II
can he sustained upon lis resources, and soon
placed in safe and prosperous condition. YETI to al
ford it temporary relief curlailmcnts Of service to
limited extent, are necessary Thus has already been
commenced, and wall be continued rs far as may be
found requisite place finances sound condition.
The cur,amens suspensions ofse,vcc will BE- made
so as to occasion little to the public,
injustice the contractors such operation VIII
admit Of As periodical retenchments unavoidable,
"A ftpp he
for Congress prescribe rule BY which all gencr
nj curtaiimpnts are to be effected, 10 ex-
ccu,ivc discretion and equal apporonrnen'
of the reduction Of service among The different sections
/ Of the cann;ry.
Il IL examining the which have placed the De-
partnrn IN its present condition, discover It's re-
sources, and lis ability not only to sustain itself but
probably, with the aid of remedial legislation to
admit of prospective reduction Of the tariff o.. let"
ter postage, which public sentiment 10 demnnd
Ihnse % be llnnl IN The amuci luc