Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1845-02-27
MORNING, FEBRUARY 27, 1S4a

TO do tlss by reducing our charge Tor
letter-carrying from threc-fold, AS ii new
is, TO double the rates charged by our
coopotI,ors, as he proposes lndvld-
uals have not succeeded in taking the
business from the mail By such course +;
they underbd to get business, and do
the same to regain it when lost IL is a
new idea that this may be easier done
by prosecution for penalties, as this bill
contemplates. Nobody should expect
10 succeed in getting custom for the mail
| by prosecuting or prosecuting the people
whose support il wants. There nre OBJ
/ vIous reasons against trying such an ex-
pertinent
! The only objection 10 reduction
which all admit will secure the busne SIS,
! is, that ii will throw the Department on
tho Treasury for support. Those who
urge this, are forced To confess that II
don't support itself now, tha, It's revenues
diminish annually, and, that reduction
| which shall not secure the business will
still more embarrass il +; therefore, with
! no reduction, or with but an inadequate
one, the Department must be supported d
| from the Treasury, If sustained at all
! TO persist then IN our present system. or
to make but a partial reduction, will ac-
complish none Of the objects which We
desire and propose. We shall neither
satisfy the public, nor relieve the Treas
ury. II will satisfy the public and re-
gain the business. OF this there can be
no doubt, for all the petitions and resolu-
tons before Us ask for reduction, and
very many of them for uniform rate Of
postage. Whether or not, it will also ac-
complish the other object, that OF obtain
! ing sufficient revenue 10 sustain the De-
partment, cannot be seen so clearly be-
/ f0rchand 1t must remain To be proved
! by trial. But we are not without the
means Of forming an opinion upon this
| branch Of the subject. These means
are afforded US, by the trial Of low post
aye IN England, and upon this expert
meut rely for demonstration that tho
/ proposed reduction to five cents will Ell
| able the Department eventually to sus-
!, tain itself, without aid from the Treasu-
Try.
H BY the report Of our Postmaster Gen.
eral upon this subject, it appears - Tha
the annual income of the Post Office o
I England, is in round numbers, (in dot
4 lars,) $780, ,204
From which | deduc. the post
aye received upon foreign
n letters, the expense OF
these being paid ior by
\ the Admiralty on about
! seven millions letters, at
! the usual rate Of postage
\ of one shilling and Id. is Sl,o90,3ll
I Leaving for the income on
inland postage S5,s6e,893
The expenses Of the Depart
men. are 4,739, l29
Showing an annual profit
from a penny rate of post
age, which is the present
English rate for all dis
tances, OF Sl,I3O, ,764
This is the result in England, where
the cost of the Department IS greater
than ours, taken from facts officially be-
fore US.
This result in England leads us very
naturally to enquire, # similar results are
not to be expected from a reduction Of
postage in this country. 10 ascertain
this, we must institute a comparison be-
tween our Department and theirs.
The expenses OF our Post
\ Office Department arc a
n bout Si,2OO,OOO
In this is included the cost Of
Transporting public docu-
ments and other printed
Il matter for the various De-
partments and for Con-
\ gress, making at least 25O,OOO
Leaving for the expense in
+, CURED in the service Of
/ the people generally $4,000 ,0OC
j, Ii The same results accompanied re-
I ducton of postage in this country as II
! England would the postage received
! de(ray The expenses Of The Department
! This is a question of arithmetic, aud IL
, easily anewered.
II iGa population Of twenty eight millions
4 Chat of England, at a penny postage
i for all distances, yields revenue oI
B, $685. 1872, what will a population ot
II Al -.