Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1842-01-08
REPORT or THE POST MASTER
GENERAL.

GENERAL.
The greatest merit this document pos.
sesscs is lis brevity.
The number of Post Offices in the Uni
ted States is l3,4ss.
During the year ending on the Both of
June Isl the mail was transported on
railroads and steamboats, 3,946,450 miles,
at the cost of $5s5,s43, on horse and in
sulkeys 12,O>6,sG2 miles, at the cost of
$7sl,sO7 in stages and coaches ] 1861,
2l3 miles, at the cost Of 81, 19l, 635; max.
ing a total aggregate of annual transport.
alton Of "a, ,525 miles, at the rate Of
cost of $3, l59,37j.
The expenditures and increase Of the
Department for the current year are est.
mated as follows:
Total amount of revenue de.
rived from hostages fines, and
other sources $4,3so,OOO
Expenses of mail t%ransporta.
zion 3,l45,OOD
Commission to postmastcrs, if
the rates Of per centage re-
main unchanged 1,oI5,ooo
Ship, steamboat, and way
letters 10000
incidental expenses, including
blanks stationary, print
ing, DC. 100000
Total estimated expenditure I,49O,OOO
Total estimated income 1.3sDDOO
$4,000
Thus it will be seen that the probable
amount OF expenditure will exceed the
amount Of revenue, as estimated by
$1,000.
The Post Master General complains that
the revenues of the Department arc rem
dered uncertain and much decreased by
the increased facilities which the travel
upon railroads and steamboats, furnishes
for the transmission of letters and newspa-
pers by private conveyance; secondly, III
the great extension, to say nothi & of the
abuse, of the ranking privilege; thirdly,
in the recent establishment OF what are
called private expresses, upon the great
mail routes of the United States; fourthly,
in the frauds practised upon the Depart
ment, in evading, by various devices, the
payment of the postage imposed by law.
He desires congress TO remedy these evils.
Mr.. WICKLIFFE saws he has instituted
divers improvements in the service; a.
ticularly IN relation to the commissions of
Deputy ~Postmasters, which he thinks will
enable the Department to continue its
present amount of business without calling
upon the General Treasury for assistance.
Greater caution is to be taken hereaf.
ter in appointing fit men as Deputy Post
masters, and requiring bonds for the faith.
full discharge of he duties.
The Postnast,r Gcneral is opposed to o
rduction Of postage upon letters at this
time.
He suggests he propriety of "free.
postage" on newspapers, and a "dlscrlml
nation between newspapers proper, and
those mammoth periodicals which assume
the shape and name of newspapers, buI
are, IN tact, the republication Of books
reviews. and novels, sent through the post
Office, nUt always TO subscribers but lr
large masses to agents, to ,end In the
markets of the more distant cities, town.
and villages, which greatly increase thu
weight Of The mails and the expense o
transportation, without a correspondent:
remuneration to the Department"
The greatest embarrassments to the De
partnleut have arisen from making con
tracts with the various railroad co,npanie.
for the transportation of the mails. Ether
is now PAID" says the report, to the differ
ent railroad companies, annually, owe
$4,000 for the service, without powe
in the Department to regulate the travel
arrival and departure ofthe mail; and con
slant and frequent difficulties, both in en-
tering into and tao execution OF contracts
are presented"
Upon this subject Mr.. WlckliGe says:
ut has occurred to me thai the presen
was a most favorable period for the adop
ton Of some measure by Congress, where
BY to secure to the United States the RICH
to transport the mail upon these roads i
all time to come, free of any annual charg
upon the Post Office Department, by tn
advancement of a sun in gross, whic
may be agreed upon, to each OF thes
} companies, or such of them as may b
willing TO contract. Many of the rallroa
companies, and some Of them coAstitutin
most important links in the great chain
intercommunication between Boston al
Charleston, owing to the great dessnp.