The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1848-12-06
THE ANNUAL REPORT
OF TIE
POSTMASTER GENERAL

PosT OFFICE DEPARTMENT, Dec. q 1848.
SIR The post routes in operation within the United
in extent and the Transportation of the mails
over them was miles, costing $244s,766,
On railroads 1927 400 miles, cost'g 1884 1872
Agencies connected Herewith; g oss
In other modes not sps-
cited fa,.;an ssrvos
The table service for the year ending tho 30th
of june 184S made from the state of the service
~ R s
Of the routes in the United States Of $3.50 miles, aud
increase the amount of neutrality-suspicious. Of
$50 miles, but decrease in the cost Of transpor
There is, however, an increase in the cost Of
agencies, to be deducted, Of. ............. 1910
Leaving balance of saving in the cost Of our
inland mails for 1S4S compared with 1S47 of 235
But the cost Of foreign mails, which appears for
the frat time in the tables Of this year, L. 500
And deducting from this the saving above
stated. $3.50
Leaves an excess of cost for 1S4S 1s47 265
For this we have 2124,es0 miles more of annual
transportation of our inland mails, and the convey
anceof foreign mails every other month, distance
of 3 500 miles and back.
The new contracts made at the last annual lettings
for the middle section, embracing New Jersey, Penn
sylyania, Delaware Maryland, and Ohio, went into
operation the LIST July 1S4S and exhibit saving
for the current year, to end 30h Of June next upon
the cost of the same section for the past year. of 1
674 This is saving of nearly IL per cent. Notwith-
standing this reduction Of cost the service has been
been extended in distance 1893 miles further and in
this way and BY greater frequency q trips TINS sec
658e97 miles of annual transportation.
On LIST July, 1S45, the annual transp0r-
tation of the mails in the United
States, amounted to. 80 634 ,Z69 miles.
On the 3Oth June, 1916, to. ....... .37,S 9S414
Increase in service over the preceding
ON 10th june, 1917, amounted to :. .ss'ss7 500
Increase over preceding year. -. ,4s94S5 "
On 3Oth June 1913 amounted to l,Ol2,579 ="
Increase over preceding year. ...... 212i6S0 &C
Total increase for the years. 53IS,3l0
But the cost of the service was lessened as folio
On LIST July, 1S45, 1t stood at. 81 200 50a
On 30th June, lS46 ........... 2,7lo67o
Reduction from the preceding year. ...... slsssaI
On SOth June, 1s47, it stood at. .S2,45a oo1
Reduction from the preceding year S263672
Reduction from the preceding year S4235
Total reduction of cost in the years. .s45673S
This is exclusive Of the foreign mail service perform
The operations of the three years show that the mail
service has been augmented fseon per cent, and its
cost at the same time diminished 10 40 per cent
middle section will add to the service of the current
year, 65s,Ss7 miles more Of annual transportation,
while it makes reduction from the cost of the year
ending June 80, 1848 of S6l674.
The number Of mail contractors In the service dur
ing the last year was 4,O17, and the number OF local
and mail agents and mail messengers 248, connected
with the service railroads and steamboats,.
The service during the year has been performed by
the contractors with commemorate zeal and activity
the mails in due time In sections Of the country
where no turnikes or McAdamized roads, or bridges
the streams, exist at certain seasons of the
failures unavoidable, on the most improved
and best conducted routes Unavorabe weather, ice,
or snow the railroads. storms fogs on the rivers,
eight accidents to the machinery. must delay the
mails The speed now given on them renders 1t sell
dom possible to regain the time lost This has been,
and always must be, the case
There is at this time more service performed with
more speed, and with much regularity az at any
former period is It believed that more expedition
can be given on the principal mail routes until further
improvements are made on the roads without endan.
gerng the connexions necessary to be to insure
the prompt and punctusl delivery of the mails.
The foreign Service during the past year, has been
increased By an additional steamer, the Hermann.
being placed on the line between New York and Bre-
men, and monthly trips are now performed between
those two cities with regularity.
On the 18th Of October last, the Isabel placed
the line between Charleston and Havana in CON-
pliance with the contract with Messrs. Mordeoai
Gourdin, and will hereafter perform semmonthly
trips
The ocean steamers California, Panama and Oregon
constructed under contract with the Secretary of
the Navy for service on the Pacific have sailed from
New York for Panama, and the California Is expected
service for this department the ls Of
January next from Panama to Oregon.
The Secretary OF the Navy has likewise employed the
Falcon the line between Havana and Chagres, and
ehe is expected to sail from Havana to Cbagres time
for the mails to reach Panama. and be forwarded by
the California to the territories the Pacific coast
This department has made contract for the
taton of the mails across the isthmus from Charges
monthly mail from Charleston, by Havana, Chagres,
and Panama, to Oregon.
is to regretted that the Ocean Steam Navigation
Company have not, yet, been able to comply fully
with their contract for service between New York and
Bremen. But two vessels, the washington and Her
man n have as yet been completed The third, the
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