New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1844-04-27

/
Duties TO- the People.
N...7Ie Rates Of Postage. tCon,inuca
To he Editor et TIE Tribune:
Hence all postage must be in proportion 10 the
cost OF transportation ON letter parcels
double the cost OF t.ansporistion-and on printed
parcels" the cost Of disappointment course,
this postage, in starting areform, should allow for
liberal cost Of transportation.
But how are We to attain a definiteness OF this
cost Of transportation We have planned some
tables which VIC think Will develop at once what
that cost Is, when once we ascertain what the
Department nou knolcS: to ,cit-lst. The cost
per mile OF transporting mails per horseback,
sulky, two and four horse carriages, steamb9G:
and steam car. I'd. The average weight of mails
transported by each OF those convcyanccs-and
Sd. Where the mails are frequent and the weigh,
of mails below our estimate, to diminish their
frequency, till their average weight should eque!
what should be the average weight of ma!
matter. 1t is needless and worse than useless to
have frequent mails through a country where 4
servant of Post Master comes oct and tells the
mail driver, las in some sections myself have
often heard Master says be don't want the mai
to-day, and on moves tie daily nlsil, riding Or
Buncombe.
But to our Tables, seen below J they are 50
adjusted that when once ascertained Il J the cost.
per mile of Mail contract, and o. the average
weight OF Mail matter.
The same column will indicate (st) the cost
per mile at the same rate for transporting ID.
or other weight and I'd, the distance quarter,
half or one ounce can be carried for one cent at
the same rate: thereby the observer may detect
what is the expense to the Department of trans.
purtation and what siauld be the postage of Il
half or one ounce at that rate for any given mum.
Der of miles; viz The entire distance on printed
cels'-the other half of letter parcels meeting ali
expenses other than transportation.
To illustrate it: say the transportation per mile
of a Mail weighing 500 pounds costs the De-
partment 25 cents. In the left hand column no.
tice 500 lbs pass the eye on The same line till
it meets Is cents, then at the topot that 2j cents
column is seen that cent will pay at that rate,
the transportation of quarter ounce ,2s0 miles,
of half ounce GAO miles, and of an ounce 800
miles. What, then, should be the postage If
we allow nothing for weight Of Mail bags ono
ounce printed parcel postage should be one cen,
for 800 miles, on half ounce letter parcel, post
age should be one cent for hall of GAO miles, i. c..
for 800 miles printed parcels postage being just
al H.
Mails weight for Mail bags, and VIC have the
postage on printed parcels cent for three quar-
tiers of 800 milcs-i. e. 40 milcs-and the same
hostages for the same distance on letter parcels
OF half an ounce; that would be, on letter par,
GELS Of half ounce ) cents for .fuc times 2lO
miles, or ], 200 miles. How very different from
our present postage! Even on our great thorough
fares, the Mails on which average l TO tons and
at only about 25 cents per mile each way, or as
they arc daily Mails over the same miles, 50 Gents
day-or SlS2 so per mile a year for transport.
ing the Mail. Steamboats, and Cars from New.
York City TO Buffalo receive for annual Mail
transportation per mile $3.50 to $3.50, or me
dunn 5000 per mile, and the Mails average much
year, or 81 cents day for transporting , tons
Mail-so near so cents per day per mile that, for
all practical purposes, we call it so cents. Then
the tables below show that one cent pays the cost Of
transportation of a quarter Of an ounce 5,l20
half an ounce $3.50 miles, and one ounce ESQ
miles, But allow literally on this great thorough.
fare, and say instead of 81 cents per mile for
each days transportation, that it costs ST. day,
and the average daily Mails are two tons !; | cent
still pays transportation OF quarter of an ounce
1850, half an ounce 1880 miles, and an ounce
GAO miles.
But suppose ranking be abolishd and Mails di.
minsh three quarters so as to be only one quarter
their present weight, which is great deduction,
and the Mail transportation the same. We then
have on this route, between New. York and But
falo, Mail freight daily Of | 900 lbs. (half ton,
costing 81 cents per mile-or, allow literally,
costing 81 per mile. AT that rate our Tables in.
dictate one cent will pay transportation of quar-.
ter of an ounce 6i0 miles, half an ounce 800
miles, and All ounce l60 miles-same as aboYe
in another estimate. How enormous must be
the profit Of the Mail Department between New.
York and Buffalo, 4S0 miles, % cents on letter
parcels OF less than half ounce for what costs
the Department less than three cents. e., over
500 per cent. profit, as our very wide margin for
expense of contingencies Should VIC reduce
our liberal margin 10 real cost, and instead OF
half an ounce, our parcels, which do not exceed
fooscap sheet, weighing seldom three-cishihs Of
an ounce, and we have postage OF % cents for
what costs the Department on our wide margin
less than cents or over loo per cent. profit
What tax-what an oppression, of the people
to pay electioneering franks and expenses Of po-
litical-working Postmasters
Concluded on Mcndayl
TRIBUNE JOB PRINTING OFFICE,
No. To NASSAU-SrREET.
All kinds of Job Printing, such as
PAMPHLETS MAMMOTH SHOW BILLIE