The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1843-01-07

/ the postage Is not prepaid. ms Is e'"s' Vi
letters which are usually sent from one place 10
another by private conveyance and are dropped
or deposited in the post office Tor delivery Beside
the intrinsic justice of imposing upon such let
tiers postage where the Department As charged
NTH the risk and trouble OF delivery, II rs be
lieved that such an imposition OF postage would
tend TO lessen the temptation TO seek for chan
nels of private conveyance over mani lines, 10
avoid The payment Of postage II is not pro-
posed TO prohibit, as is done IN most Of the Eu-
ropean governments, the sending by private con-
veyance letter. but if letter, so sent, shall be
deposited by the bearer in post Office, to be de-
livered, then 10 charge il with postage
Ii would be difficult 10 estimate the amount
which would be derived from this new class Of
letter postage, but il is the opinion Of some in
telligent postmasters that not less than $4,000
would thereby be added TO the revenue.
Under the hope that Congress will al lis pre-
sent session, by proper legislation, protect the
| Department against innovations upon its rights
| and consequent loss of revenue, | respectfully
recommend the adoption Of the distances and
rates of postage above, in lieu of the present
| Ii Congress will relieve the Department from
the amount now paid annually for railroad uans-
poration by permanent arrangement with the
great leading lines of Accommodation, and
also regulate the ranking privilege and restrain
it within proper limits, then | am prepared TO
meet the demands Of public sentiment and re-
commend a further reduction of letter postage
| all lattars Ib,rty pIas
The inquiry, what effect such reduction
would have upon the revenue of the Depart
ment appropriately suggests itself
The answer to be given involves several con-
| sideratiODs.
| In the first place, the Department should be
relieved in its expenditure of the sum now near
ly equal TO hall million per annum, and which
is liable TO be increased at each period for the
renewal of contracts for railroad transportation
Deduct this sum from S4,235,0 52, the current
expenditure of 1912, and it leaves 50, So2, 1874
as the probable future expenditure upon the pre-
sent basis of service. Upon the hypothesis that
the letter correspondence through the mail shall,
under this reduced rate of postage, increase at
the rate Of 20 per cent. only upon the number
of letters sent through the mail in lS36-the re-
venue from letter postage may be estimated at
s2,621 ,243 %. To which is to be added the
amount, to be received from newspaper postage
| 1872, 1928, and the amount from fines and for
FIXTURES, 1896. This will give gross revenue
of S3,l94,237.
1t must be admitted that this reduction Of
postage will be followed by considerable in
crease of mail matter The rate Of increase is
matter of opinion and speculation. | confess
that do not allow myself TO hope for greater
increase than twenty per cent for years TO come,
though others, whose opinions entitled to
respectful consideration, estimate a greater in
crease, varying from twenty TO fifty per cent
Assuming the increase of mail matter to be
twenty per cent, consequent upon the proposed
reduction, the amount of gross estimated reve-
nue. will be as above 1914 237
Total amount of expenditure for
1912, exclusive of S432 SOS
paid TO Railroads, S3,SO2, 4S4
This S3,S024s4 may therefore, be as
sumed as The average amount of future expen-
diture.
|
nue. upon the amount of mail matter in 1886.
and the future expenditure by that of 1912, the
proposed reduction of postage would cause a
reduction Of revenue of over half a million OF
dollars below the expenditure of the Depart
ment.
II, however, the increase of mail matter shall
be equal 10 forty per cent. upon the basis Of
1886, as some confidently believe, this would
give further sum of s436S73 49, To which
amount, may be added $50, 900, the probable in
come from the proposed postage on drop let
tiers.
In the foregoing estimate Of income and ex-
pendlture, have adopted the amount of mail
matter of 1886, and the amount Of expen-
diture for 1912. There has been no account
taken of the number of letters which passed
through the mail during the last year. An est
mate of the number may be made by the amount
Of letter postage received during the year 1912.
That amount was s3,953,3l9 81 To produce
this sum, would require 81, 295, 972 letters charg-
ed with postage, to have been delivered through
the mail
II A calculation Of revenue based on this num-
Der of letters, upon the supposed reduction of
postage and the probable increase Of mail mat
ter, will be more likely TO give the revenue to be
received, than upon the number of letters de-
livered through the mail in 1886.
Postage on 1921 900 letters under 30 miles at rate
Of scents on single letter, 1851 ,095 90
On 25s74O72 letters at 10 cents 2,527,407 20
Add 20 per cent for probable increase
OF ten cent letters, sos AL 50
From newspapers 572,22s 90
From fines and forieiiures 7G6 90
Total aggregate revenue, 3,956977 IS
Average future expenditure, exclusive