Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1843-12-16
TwENTY-EIGIITH coNcREss--First Session
Dycun -nts accompanying tie Presidents Message.


Posr OFFICE DEPARTMENT., !
December 2 lo43
Sir-lt is cause of satisfaction to the undersigned, IN
submitting you stt,msnt of The condition OF the
Post Office Department and its operations tor the past
vear that he IS enabled say for the two years he
has had tn, honor of experimenting its alalrs, the an
mai current expenses have been met by ITS annual
revenue: that extension of the service has been
made, to The growth and spread OF our
population
source of revenue TO the Government, has not been
entertained by any charged with ITS management
since the termination of the last war; during snort
period of which increase of fifty per cent upon the
then "a es of postage imposed tor revenue purposes
Nevertheless the princIple upon which 1t was ofig'-
naily es,a5shed-that its expenditures should be IT.
ml,ed By lis Income-has been distinctly engfalteu
upon all the legislative enactnens concerning ITS or
uanz,ton and prescribing The duties oil those chaf9eo
with their admnist'ato
have thought this principle, upon wach the De-
partment has been esta,lIsied sound and safe one
for the Government, aud opposed to IT'S abandon
nlent II, however, the expenditures OF the Depart
ment were fixed by law, and appropriations from the
general Treasury annually made 10 meet them, mnch
OF that labor aud responsibility IN the supervision o..
the service, which rest upon It's Chief, would be
emoved
1t is no small task t, say nothing of the responsible
,,u SO to adjust the mail service of the United States,
s TO accommodate the wants OF the community, and at
The same time produce, by its own operations, the
revenue meet It's own expenditures ms renscuon
suggests me the proprety here OF dong an act OF
Justice to those who have been associated with me IN
this Department, by frank acknowledgment OF the
able assistance which they have gwen by their constant
and Jealous laLoss; thus enabling me 10 give to the
country the best service which the means oi the De
partment would allow.
The amount of annual transportation OF the mail, as
nsce.taned on the Both June, 1912. "a $50, 99l
miles the cost Of which was S3llO,1o3.
The amount OF annual transportation on the iU.h
June, lS43 81, 2a52 sos miles the cos. OF which
was 81, $40 Esd
1t wi! be observed, that the of transportation
for the last year less by S34 400 than IT was for
the previous year, whilst the transportation throughout
the year greater by ii6,Sl4 miles.
The number OF Post Offices supplied IN 1872 was
1882 and the number supplied in lS43, 1854
To accommodate the service 10 the extension of pop
ulation reductions in the sections, and
an extension increase in other portions q! The Unioa
were rendered necessary.
The aggregate of these reductions 1884, 233
and the amount of additional and service
$685. For more detailed statement of service
refer your Excelency to the report Of the first a.sis
tan. Postmaster General. No. l.
For similar reasons, 1t became necessary TO discop
tnue in the year preceding LIST July, Si3, 400 Post
Offices, and to establish, during the same PERIOD Isl.
The total expenditures of the Department, for the
fiscal year, ending the Both June, 1872 stated in
sentatives, uudsr dove no of Fehruary IS43
were S4,975,370 ~. In this amount, was included
1892 664 ST. for debts paid oat OF the SPECIAL aPpro-
prialion, at the Extra Session.
The total expenditures OF the service, tor the year
ending Goth June, ls43, 81 ,7i7 30, including
payments account of debts due by the Department,
Tor which the Appropriation above was made
The amount Of gross revenue, for The year ending
the Goth June 1871, as atsd IN my annual report OF
Sd December, 1912 was 81 379,3l7 - That o. lo42,
was Si546,2i6 Is
The revenue of Sl so fr as the returns exhibit the
amount, for the year ending 30'h june, rs $',229,-
925 13.
A consderabl, portion Of the current revenue Of
The Department. for the years 1872 and 1913, has been
absorbed in the payment OF demands, claimed by De-
putty Pos,mas.ers, for expenditures IN previous years,
by The allowance Of credits therefor, in the settlement
of their accounts which credits, so allowed, have
been charged the expenditures OF those years-the
probable amount at which, IS not less than So0OOo
II will at once occur, to the impartial mind, that
public service complicated and extensive as that of
the General Post Office, requiring the harmonious
operation Of twenty thousand and officers, scat
tered the cxten, Of our territory, must be
subjected occasional, If not veXatous interruptions,
by the nfdety of some OF ITS agents, and often by
causes, which exefton can overcome, or foresight
avoid
1t the duty OF the head of this Department. under
the regulations and restrictions OF law, 10 provide by
contract for the transportation and regular delivery o.!
the mails This duty performed once in four years
IN each of the grel, divisions of the Union, and from
time 10 time. as the public exigences require, bonds
with schedules for the arrival aud departure OF every
mnil are taken the Government to provide fer
the continuous travel of the mail in unbroken connec
ton by the division of time and distance in suitable
proportions When failures the regular delivery oil
the mails, arising from negligence of Contractors or
their Agents, take place, the law is gdy enforced by
fines and deductions from their pay and when that IS
found inefficient 10 produce strict performance OF the
contract. the higher and only power gwen to the Post
Master General of annnng ,hs contract, is exerted.
When the extent of our territory, aud toe condition
and nature Of the public highways and channels Of IN
for admiraton of The general regularity Of tie system,
shan OF just complaint at occasional failures.
Upon two If the great mail rou:es-the from
Washington city 10 New Orleans. the other from Bal.
Gmo.e to CinciDBa,,-t'iere have been experienced,
within the last few months, Irregularities The
vices which have given rise to complaints maniieS
through the public press. The o these failures
have been investigated, and whsre they have been
found to from neglect nattenon on the part
of Contractors The proper and only correct sc has been
applied.
Many of the failures, however, on these two lines,
have been caused by obstacles wholly beyond the
potency of the vigilant Contractors overcome.
The mail upon the grca, Southern route is transported
by railroads and STEAMBOATS, from w lshlngton city TO
New Orleans, with the exception of the distance be-
tween Madison, in Georgia, and Mobile, in Alabama
Between these points it is transported in past coaches
daily. The whole time allowed is days eight and
halt hours, in Winter twenty four hours al
lowed
That portion OF the route between Mobile and New
orleans, anu between Charieston and W wilmington,
which performed by steamboats,, is difficult: often
Distracted by high winds dense fags. II failure
occurs, from any cause, between Washington city and
b;adisop, Georgia. where the stage line commences, q
double mail is thereby thrown upon the stage service,
which is cftcn too large TO be transported single
stage. portion thereof is necessarily left, for The
time, which produces confusion and rreguiary in the
delivery at Mobile and New Orleans FOR several
cessive days. From not unlike these, irragu-
lares and failures have taken place the great West
rrn route.
The service between Baltimore and Cincinnati is on
railroad 10 Cumberland, and double line of daily four
horse post coach:s to Cincinnati.
This mail in the Fall and Winter season, though il
is transported from Cumberland 10 Wheeling the
mountins at running speed of seven miles per hour
cannot be brough'o the Ohio river before dark Here
difficulty presented which, yet, the Department
and the Contractors have been unable 10 oTcrccmc.-
The proprietor OF the ferry the river be
induced TO encounter The dangers Of crossing The mail
stages in the night. La Winter and in great portion
Of The Sprinr and FALL when the mail arrives nj Wheel,