Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1845-01-03
POST OFFICE REFORM.

The Post office Committee in the House of Rep
resentatves have reported bill for the reduction
of postage to five and ten cents The session is SO
short we doubt whether any measure of reform
will become law, and we are not anxious that at
present it should. We have full faith that lit
tie delay, and good dead of examination and en-
quiry, would make the English system of cheap and
uniform postage popular.
Another essential ingredient in any effective and
acceptable Post Office reform u.s. The entire abolition
Of the franking privilege. Few persons aware,
we presume, of the enormous abuses of the frank
ing privilege, the immense amount of free mat
ter transported through the mail TO all parts of the
country. The Rochester Democrat says
'The number of free letters mailed in the Post of.
fee in Washington, for three weeks during the ses-
sion of Congress in April, 1910, 466, ;S45 Num-
Der of documents--4,3ll94 S: weighing 359,579
pounds. Here were one hundred and eighty tons Of
ranked matter sent out from Washington in three
weeks And all this, as it has been before observ-
ed paid for by those whose business compels them
to use the post Office
Another essential ingredient in the reform rcquir-
cd and demanded is that the contracts for The trans
pOrtdtioH Of The mail should be lei TO the loicest re-
sponsblc bidder 'oithOut reference TO tho mode Of
transportation, except that be safe and ezpeditous
Under the present defective system hundreds of
thousands of dollars expended annually for the
transportation of mails in post coaches routes
where there is little or no travel to support them
and where, except for mail contracts, no stages
would be found Amasa Walker, in one Of his let
ters, speaks of route on which $4,000 per annum
is paid for the transportation of the mail in four
horse coaches, where the travel in the coaches does
not average one passenger per day The mere
rage of the mail, in the cheapest manner, would
not cost much over 1.-THE of this sum. And this
is only sample. 1t is all over the country -
Large sums Of money layished solely for the
benefit of stage preprietors, and this is of the
chief causes of the expense Of the present system,
and the necessity for exorbiiant rates Of postage
Let the mails be carried in the mode in which they
be carried the cheapest and the expenses of the
department will be decreased nearly one quarter.
1t is no part OF the business of the general gov
eminent to furnish travelling for the public, and if
it is, il should be done at the general expense and
not at the expense Of those who do business thro'
the post Office, as il is done. Neto the postage
Of the country pays nearly million of dollars for
the support of stages, and half million for the
ranked rubbish of members of Congress.
Any reform of the kind proposed, will be doubt
less stouty opposed by the South and South west,
whe:e large sums of money are expended in the
support of uuproductive stage routes, and where
stages could not be supported at all but for the gra
tuity given by the government 10 mail contractors
beyond the mere expense of mail transportation-
This opposition must I've encountered and overcome
by arguments and facts, and the justice of the
cause, unless the North as usual chooses quietly
and disgracefully to submit to Southern dictaton.
The following extracts from the Report of the
minority of the Post office Committee in the pres
ent House of Representatives at the last session,
contains some most valuable information which
should be well pondered:
Dividing the States, for the purpose of
general comparison, into two equal paris-the
North and the South-we find that the aver
age expense per mile of transportation on horse
back in the North is 4 71-100 cents, at The
South 67-i00; in coaches, North, 1900;
South, IL 63-l00; in steamboats, and railroad
cars, at the North, 10 1900; South, Is 6s-l00
the average of all kinds of service is at the
north cents, South 10 20-l00 cents. Every
kind OF service appears 10 be more expensive
at the South than in the North--the difference
of expense in horse service is over one-ffth; IN
coach service over one third; in steamboat and
railroad service over one-third; and the average
Of the whole is nearly a third.
We will now turn to the other side of the
question, and see what section OF country con-
tributes most literally TO pay the expenses of
the transportation of the mail. The table
shows that the northern hall of the United
States pays into the treasury the sum OF ST.
$4,000 annually, and the southern, 81 ,00O, 9l4
The amount expended annually at the North,
for mail transportation, is, 81, 40l 1877, at the
South, 81 ,546, l52. New York pays into the
treasury, $725,lS7; and receives back for mail
transportation, $3.50. 800; and the balance of
her contributions, amounting TO 1875, 1858, is
expended TO supply the deficiencies ol revenue
in other States. Massachusetts pays S246, 96I,
and receives for mail transportation, $ISi ,749;
the balance, $ll5,2l2 is expended in other
States. Pennsylvania pays 1884, S46; receives
$lS7 ,4S7; and contributes for the use of Others
$l47 400. Illinois is the only northern State
which is materially deficient in furnishing the
means TO pay for her mail transportation; she is
minus $65,9s6
Indiana is next in arrearages amounting 10
$9S,5I2. Alter payment of her own mail ex-
penses, andsupplying the deficiencies Of Illinois,
Indiana, and all the other free States, the
Northern section contributes $685., 463 towards
the expense of mail transportation at the South.
Every southern State, except Delaware and
Louisiana, fails to supply an amount of funds