New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1846-12-12

under the new AK, as compared with the
preceding. -VS,n2A 10
The revenues as ADORE stated include the pos.age=
paid matter which went free through the mails
prior 20 passage Of the late law Of which no account
kept prior 10 the commencement Of the last fiscal
year.
The dninution Of the revenues OF the Department
arises principally from the Lose letter postage which
"hen compared with that Of the preceding year
amounts to sI55a3 o. being The enti.e oss sustained
b. the Department except S24 l05 81
No nconsderaole portion Of this deficiency IN tue re-
Of the pas, year mar BE- traced 10 other csIses
than reduction of the rates "a postage By the act OF tne
Sd March l3iJ
FHst-Expres5es sui continue 10 be run between
principal citie5 with much regularity as the mails
and il believed collect and transport letters Tor pay
out Of tue mails in numbers The penalty pro
yded by Las for the commission OF such offences can
rarely be enforced the want Of sufficient proof The
writer the receiver and the carrier, refuse u testify
against each other because by SO doing they may SUB
iect Themselves similar penalty. lue agents OF th'
Department have authority 20 arrest the offenders
aud seize upon their uags trunks and have them es
arnined before proper tribunal and hence convictions
seldom take place, and If they do, recovery OF the
money after Judgment from inability Of sCcn offenders
10 pay : uncertain az the convictions
SecOaG-Advantage is taken OF that provision oil the
law wics limits the eight of single letter to hall an
ounce to the correspondence o. third persons and
even packages oil letters addressed 70 different indlyGu
AIS are collected together and placed under single cover
and directed to some third person for distribution by
which means 100 letters thus euveloped- weighing
ounces are charged under 200 miles 20 cent? and over
300 miles 81 60 when the Department Is entitled to re
ceyc under the law dollars, according 10 the dis
tancc. These practices seldom be detected and
when detected the only penalty is the payment Of the
true postage The Department is thus compelled TO pay
for the transportation while those who collect ana Gis
tribute receive the profits.
yXjrd-Adyantnyc is taken of that provision OF the law
which authorizes letters in relation to the 70 be
taken mniroucs free OF postage 10 cover cores
pondencc in relation 10 other matters. Ihcy arc gene
rally marked the outside OF the letter IN reiOg 10
ihr rargO free. Agents unable 10 detect the m
position Those engaged in the practice refuse 70 dis
close the facts and the carriers themselves arc often
ignorant the truth OF the case and the offenders
escape with impunty If that privilege had been re-
scied the bills Of lading open letters relating 10
the cargo much abuse would have been aTodcd or the
principal Railroad and Steamboat routes.
Transient newspapers advertisements, printed or htho
graphed circulars. in great numbers. addressed 10
Posiniasiers and others not ordering them which are
called for md II called for refused to be taken from
the offices.
These and similar practices 10 cvade the payment OF
postage within the immense mass OF dead letters
averaging annually between and half ard two
millions in number cucumber the mails unnecessarily
and without any profit to the Department
To remedy these evils respectfully suggcs; that the
law be amended as to make the single letter we'gn
one quarter instead OF the half ounce except IN the case
OF letter weighing less than hall ounce and written
upon q single sheet of paper.
That the same power be given 10 Inc p o Department
to prevent violation of the revenue laws as is now CIV
en- to the Secretary OF the Treasury against smuggling
That all letters passing mail routes which relate
the cargo, be free when they unseacd and sub
ec to the inspection OF the T. u agent "hch irhuo Is
suspected And tina; the postage newspapers be- 50
adjusted ms to approach more nearly the cost OF Trans
por,aton and delivery and be made more equal ana us
AS between the publishers. This may be accomplished
without any material interference with the policy OF dis
dominating intelligence among the people by their gen
.rhl circulation
When this policy was fret adopted newspapers were
few in number and published in the principal cities, and
low hostages seemed necessary secure the object and
the fixed without much regard TO the size or
weight; the distance they were 10 be transported
while the letter postage YVES nude high 80 as to cover
the expense of the transportation OF both The reasons
upon which this policy founded have in some meas.
ure ceased. New papers are now published IN tue
principal villages throughout the Union and furnish the
OF information To almost every nelshborh"od The
injustice written correspondence by taxing with the
transportation o. newspapers has been partially removed
by the reduction OF the rates OF letter postage From
this act OF justice injury has resulted TO the commu
large by transferring the cost OF transporting
newspapers upon the general revenues No satisfactory
reason now exists why those who buy and sell newspa
papers should have the cost OF transportation paid out
OF the revenues collected from the great body oil the
people.
The ow hostages on newspapers without regard to
size weight the distance 10 be taken. operate unfair
Is between the publishers themselves by enabling
those papers published in large commercial cities 10
compete with the village press tor circulation IN their
respective localities while the sending papers free tor
thirty miles the place OF publication coan,eracts
this Acknowledgement alike unjust 20 the
other and both unjust TO the community Ms the burden
OF both is thrown upon the Treasury.
As az; Of justice between the publishers them
selves the rates postage should be regulated accord
c 10 the size or weight OF the paper and the distance 10
be carried reservinc the right to them OF taking their
own papers over mail routes out OF the mails; ana as
an act of Justice the community these rates should De
so high as 10 cover any deficiency which the reduced
rates Of postage letters may make "a to render the
income OF the Department equal 10 rs expenditures
Transient newspapers or those sent by Others than
the publishers 10 the subscribers as they are usually
in lieu OF letters should be rated higher than other
newspapers,
Al printed mater passing through the mails should
be prepaid and all letters prepaid or rated with aouoe
postage
Some such amendments OF the late Jaw are .elieyed
to be necessary 10 give the cheap postage system slr
trial by securing the Department It's legitimate reyen
ucs aud adopted by Congress II confidently believed
from the reductions which have been msde IN tue sec
tons already let contract, anticipated saving IN
III. other two sections, with proper economy IN the
other branches ofthe service that there WI oe 40 need
calling upon the Treasury Tor farther AID alter Inc Isl
July, Isis when The Whole service VIII ce PaSe" VI"
der the new law
Table exhibits the expenditures quarterly under the
appropriate heads From this il Will BE- seen that The
annual averaged expenditure IRON the III JuI SD 20
30h June, ISIS amounted io----..-.. >ii99oSS -
And the expenditure for the year ending
:Slrh June l>i6, the FIRST yesr under the ~
new law, the OF u-+,SS' -
Making reduction Tor the l-st year under
the new law when compared viii, the
annual average expenditure OF the nine
preceding years ui l!9.2SU 80
And when compared with the expenditures
OF the previous year areductop Of @3o.iSi a.
The whole expenditure tor the year ending
S0th June 1876. amounted to ...-..---. i,O-l.29. -
The income for the time, including
the hostages pSid by the different branch
es OF the Executive Government. snaoun,
ed To- Observation-Disclosures S,ie',lsS -
Leaving deficiency OF income OF Sj97091 =
The deficiency supplied by drafts from
the Treasury the service required tsOuN "
Leaving balance on hand on the Isl July.
OF MONEYS drawn from the Treasury dE
ring the fiscal year, Of. ..-..-..-- a.SU2
The tables submitted BY the Isl Asst 2 NJ. General
accompany this report marked l. . 5 and furnish
minute and interesting details OF the service
The mail service Of the L. : exclusive OF IeXss, Is
performed by $3.50 contracts 49, post routes 'he as
sresae length of which 1909 miles Us transport
ston throughout the year ending the 3oth jane last
amounted 70 3; sSill miles and the engagements 10Y
such transportation. stated BY the year amounted Il
SS66JS1S This exceeds the amount O. service TeA,
dsrec the preceding year in the length oi routes 49,
miles IN the annual transportation o; the mails 10
miles bat il Is less than the expense OF the preceding
wear o! the sum OF SSe9l3 There is, however Sie%
excess in the cost OF mail agencies OF the last over the
i. ~. 81 1.l. N,t tY-rGiN .ts' FrSn