New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1848-12-25


Hon. CAVE JOHNSON p " Gsnerai
Sir: Ia obedience 70 your cal FOR a statement
OF the views respecting tue Rates Of Postage the
changes 10 the mode Of performing Post Office business
which bad presented 10 you IN several conversations
a. the result Of ny examinations abroad and my &C
quaintsnce with own system, have the honor %
submit the following You have referred my oppor.
tunes Of witnessing the OpersOn OF the best conduct
ed Offices in Europe As the information respecting
them on other points than those aoove-nsmed may be
Intercollegiate was obtained, IN pursuance OF your in
suucuons while attending under your directions 70
the business OF our Postal hrrsn gements viii embrace
them In this communication with such notice Of the
history and extent VI our Poet Oce establishment
as will snow the gratifying comparison il holds with
those Of other countries.
l. Inform Cheap Postage
When in London. 10 l547 met with Rowland Hill
The explanations OF the principles and operations Of
the Penny Postage Reform several interesting points
by its founder drew my mind with increased earnest
ness 70 the confederation Of uniform rate and the
duction OF postage.
The principle Of uniform rate Of postage in England
is sustained by the following argument An average
that viii defrsy the cost OF transportation the
short routes, will ia the aggregate defrsy the whole
cost Of trsDsporion for the whole service consists In
their respective localities Of short routes The long
routes made up by the connection combination
merely OF the short routes That Circumstance
additional expense consequently there is no ss0n.
looking 10 the cost Of poftatOn the only element
OF Ostage for making any additional or farther charge
upon letters conveyed the long distances That
\ RUE OF easy hfpAt htON 10 tat Britain ana which
works there, It's natural result chesp postage
for having area Of no, 100 square miles pop
ulsiiOn Of 27OOOOOO pretty equally difused and per
vsded by active commercial and manufacturing bus.
meas Il has no unproduct8ve routes, and produces
large correspondence 10 maintain limited system Of
mail conveyance. But the most important circum
j. that in reducing their postage from high
70 low and uniform one, they changed s nature from
that Of tax which IL had been previously yielding
net revenue 20 the Crown nearly equal to 100000
sanuslly) 70 that Of freight the price merely OF
trans OfatOn. including delivery. &c. Now with US
the proportions reversed Our population assumed
% be 2JOO0OOO Al this time 10 spread over an area
within the Orgsnized States Of 1872 900 square miles
We have consequently numerous unproductige routes
many Of which yield revenue lees than the half Of
their cost This circumstance, and the fact that the
postage papers fails 10 pay the cost OF their
transportation by about onethird and that this item Of
expense and the cost Of Transporting frauked matter
through the mails upon the postage assessed
upon charged etters 10 postage the character
OF tax. Make such dispositions Of the burdens !
have referred 10 as will relieve postage Of this cbsrsc
terchaDge its nature they did 10 England that Of
treigh-reduce II 10 the simple element of rapsporta
uou-then We may successfully emulate the example
OF England IN Postage Reform, relying on the more
elastic energies Of young and growing people t. make
up Tor the Disadvantages OF greater territory and
population We have q cOuntersctng advantage 10
possessing much larger family and friendly corres
pOn0ence IN proportion TO numbers and growth and
development will rapidly augment the growth Of bust
ness letters am well Satisfied, from general est
mate that the surplus cost OF the uuproductve routes
the expense OF transporting newspapers beyond
the postage upon them deirsys, and the amount that
free matter would come to If charged with postage
could not be ess, At the most moderate calculation
than 100000 The official CORES pODdence Of the De-
psrtmeuts OF the Government Including Congress il
the public correspondence. Why should the public
pay for it individual pays for his It's the duty
OF the Government TO the citizen 20 establish and main
tain routes under a great variety of circumstances
notwithstanding they may be unprOductive portion
OF that guardianship and protection which HE aleei
snee entities him to snd public policy requires that
the diffusion Of public intelligence through crcula
lauou Of newspapers be chespened 10 De placed
within the reach OF ALL Butts II Just thst this should
he done At the exclusive expense Of class citizens
who have no more interest In the matter than the
OF the public
suyposiug Congress should provide some other WAY
for raising this 100000 than BY assessing IL as tsx
exclusively upon the postage payers OF private
pondeIce, then what would be r. CURED would be let
postage revenue equal 10 the actual cost of the
transportation of letters Of the amount indicated 10
the following estimate Assume the expenditures of
the Department at the amount OF last year put for
easier statement, a, round sum am aware there Ia
be increase Of mail service but there specia
items OF expenditure for last year, sufficient with the
savings IN the middle section TO make sum here stated
answer. viz "a 100000.
Appropriation by Congress for the object
slated 81 ,OVOUOU
Newspaper postage not quite equal 10 that of
lastyesr, AS something OF decline may be
Appreciated. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 10000
Then there remains for letter postage to pro-
duce ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 2o5o 600
Total ...................... ~ 100 900
Now the INQUIRY arises how can thi. rate OF letter
postage be reduced and furnish this annual amount of
S2b50OO0i The snswer sm well persuaded is to be-
iouno IN the data which our experience in this
very matter furnishes.
But II may be satisfactory TO show what eject upon
the reduction Of the rate Of postage hiss had
in Great British well In the United States IN
Great Britain the former high rates averaged "a per
single letter This produced al amount OF revenue on
the last year OF their operation,
i
The pre.en, rate is Id uniform and
the revenue produced the hrsi
year, le4V, was.--......--..--.. l,3o9.to4 - "a
Loss OF revenue. 12l l59 . ll.d
Here ss reduction in rates OF So per cent causing
decline IN the aggregate OF ~ 7.l0 per cent After
lspse OF years there sii remains decline OF revenue
o. sSso7 55 l5s Otd equal 10 sS7l S97 So or 10 Der
cent The decline in net Is much greater than in their
gross revenueand take this 70 stste that the
whole mail packet service Of Gres; Britain as well the
Home the Foreign is charged 10 the Admiralty sn6
not - the Post Once. In the publications OF the cay
this large Item Of mail expenditure is omitted Coo
sequenty exaggerated net balance Is exhibited IN
their Post Oree statements The net revenue Of ls47
was hut so 499 IS Sd after deductng the Of their
steam packet as well 81 other mail trans poraiion am
srsuned IN being able % state that our experiments
furnish demonstrations Ia favor OF low postage q
decidedly more encouraging character in respect O.
revenue Prior 10 lsi5 letter postage in the United
states stood At various rates averaging the respec
tive amounts this yelled IA. the single letter
The reveoue they Produced speak Of letter postage
revenue only-the last year OF their operation lS45
wSs---- =, ocO. lsl >
Posts reduced 70 our present and
10 cent rates, the nrst years revenue OF
which, lsiS 81 697 a
Loss in revenue. --..-. ....- -. SIS 80 a
Being reduction Of slt per cent.
Now the reduction in that produced this decline
Sot per cen,the present and 10 cent rates being
averaged 81 o cents per letter according - cscus
ton made rather imperfect dsta % De sure) OF the
several amounts yielded BY those rstes respectively
The decline ia revenue here less In proportion the
reduction OF the rate than II IS in England by or
per cent The next years revenue, 1877 realized Al
sdvsnoe upon that OF ls-6 OF 10 per cents per cent
represents the general progressive growth Of tse De
partmcetas u does the rso OF lacrosse TIE poyaa
uoa OF toe Ualted Ststes and there was coass 4ensy
recovery from the the nrst years iAl OF rcvoDus t.
the extent Of IS per cent But this ceased with ths
second year for the increase OF the OF l>fs
over that Of si, is be- in the ratio OF the general
crease Of the Department about per IL Is stu
sVS-li : less than Toe revenue OF lS45 The forcgo
ias statement is Of letter postage exclusively.
We have seen tea, SCI per cent OF reduction OF the
postage rate causes decline OF Pig per IN the
revenue uniform cent rstes ~ per cent less than
the present rates syersged Q, cent The reduction
70 revenue that p per cent reduction would pro
aeco would De- seeordinS 10 tAs fo>.oing proportions
Sao per cent and teis proportion dodueei from issi
wears resen0e would leave S1ocSt>s0 Is This J.
>tot,O y more revenue for the next year thsn The
preceding tsols calls for snd shows tsai the rate