New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1842-06-29

Pol Office Refnrif:.

Post Once Reform.
The public interests have for many years de-
handed n thorough revision of the rates Of Post
age. The postage on letters has been too high
the Franking Privilege has been grossly abused
and the postage on newspapers has been most IN
equal and unjust The revenue of this Depart
rnent might have been considerably increased, an'
the interests of the country promoted by reform
in all these particulars. The pres. for lonl
while has urged the matter loudly, but with htil,
effect, upon the attention OF Congress. Hopes o
an eneciual remedy of these evils have at time,
been awakcned-bu, they have Invariably been dis
appointed. Towards the conclusion Of Mr. NAN
BUREY's administration Mr.. Pitt was sent to Eu
rope as Special Agent to collect information with
| regard To the Post Office Establishment IN the va
| rious nations of the old world; and hi. report,
submitted 10 Congress in the early part of the
son of l34l-although he did not sufficiently con
.dcr the wide and essential differences between the
couatrcs upon whose systems BIS recommended
lions were based. and our own, nevertheless en-
bodied many suggestions which deserved a much
more careful consideration than they received.
| But from that time until the present We believe
the ,ubicc, has received 10 attention in Congress.
A bill Is now before the Senate, reported b, Mr..
MFRRIcK of Maryland, which coniains some i'm
por,ant suggestions And though We cannot coin
! eide with all its recommendations we yet deem
many of them founded on essential justice ard well
adapted il carried into effect, to accomplish greatly
needle reforms The bill first proposes to establish
the rate, Of c,crpostnge asfolows for Jingle let
,crs not over 30 miles, fire cents over 80 and not
exceeding $50, ten cents, over lj0and not exceed
ing 400 tren'y cents; over 400 trenty.fre cents.
Double and treble letters to be charged according
| y. This is al Improvement upon our present rates,
but We are inclined 10 believe that still further
reduction would be better, Mr. Pliu recommend
ed tina, there be only two ratcs--under 800 miles
| fire cents and over 800 ten cents This was OBJ
viously going to the other extreme His scheme
might do for Great Briiain-ihough We believe the
penny postage system has failed there. Bat cur
territory is far too vast-our population too sparse
our mail routes far too anprcauctive for the sue
cess of such plan. We see no good reason for
stopping at 500 miles; many Of our mail lines are
Of twice that length-and why should letter be
carried to Cincinnati for twenty-five cents-and
perhaps thousand mile, beyond lha, for nothing
La our Judgement rates something like these
under 80 miles three cents under 100 sSc cents
under 500 ten cents under 1000 fifteen cents; un
der 1900 twenty cents and over 1900 twenty-five
ts,--woud be far more productive than either
the present or those proposed. The reduction &c
the standard OF our Federal coin is 50 clearly -
pedient that We wondcr it should not have been
done long ago
Mr. Mcrriek's bill next relates to tho publish
ers Of periodicals, and provides that they 'haiI
keep register Of all puYcr- sen, by nai.-notin;
the day when and the offices from and to when
they are sent. These registers are to be certified
Nv the publishers, and transmitted quarterly TO Inc
General Post Office Department. and on then au'
,hori,v the Department l. 10 charge the Foslmas'
! tiers having charge ot he Offices TO which the!
shall have been sent. II ANY Publisher refuse oI
neglect to make such quarterly returns, the Post
master General may prohibit the transmission ei
hi. papers by mail. There - rather more sense
in this than in some Of Mr.. rhu' suggestions
upon the came point--but il is still both impraoti-
cable aud unjust. Docs not the Department know
that thousands OF newspapers and periodicals 90
through the mails sent by persons not in the least
concerned in their pubhca,ion' And Why should
a country Postmaster be made accountable for the
postage on hundred paper. which, though pro-
perry sent may fail to reach him, through the
fault of the mail agents themselves And why Is
nothing said about cHsHrth the safe transmission
and delivery OF these papers on which postage i'
to be levied at ali events
The third section euacts that after september
10th, all newspapers embracing certain number
OF square inches, shall pay single postage; whiie
all whose Dimensions exceed those named. shaI
pay one cent additional for every additional i've
square inches The priociplc of this reoommen-
dA'on We decidedly approyc-,hough the sum
charged on large sheets We deem decidedly oner-
Gus and oNorbitant. Ii is pslrsbly just ,ha, Ia
pcrs the size Of a bed-blanket and nearly b,a,v
should pay more postage than those Of reasc,sbl.
dimensions but the rate proposed. unIe., there
be a mistake in the paper from which we copy i.
out OF all reason. II i. more than hundred fold
greater than the original charge. man in max
ing the paper hall an inch wider than the legal
size, would this rate more than treble IL post
age MIR. Plus suggestion was 20 charge b,
weisht--and this too was liable TO serious obice-
| tions
The proposed regulations OF the FranAing Privilege
src Jast The President, Vice President, the E,-
presidehs or their widows, and the several Sec
'e'sries ARE the ouly persons designated who may
Iransmi and receive letters. Packages, &c. through