The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1848-12-25

the tests of all our experience that it would net
yield the desired amount of revenue. Two cents is
. tribe less than the English penny according to
the legal standard of the relative value Of Bri-
tish and American coin. And in view Of their
and transit postages which average probably twenty
cents per letter. and amounted, in ls47 to e76,
We achieve much more arduous undertaking, II sue
cessfui, with the three cent rate than was accom-
plished by the British experiment. Considering the
vastness OF our territory and the magnitude Of
system Of mails and the still greater extent to which
Il must be carried, three cents here will be . far
cheaper rate In comparison to service performed than
one penny in England.
ealculations-tbe possibility that the present commits
sions to postmasters when cast the reduced amount
But in respect to that We can do as beforswait and
see. There will, probably be recovery the second
year from the fall of Of the first year. giving
proportion Of increase beyond that of the regular
growth of the department. And this may afford the
means of enarging the commissions if it shall be found
The same policy commends q uniform rate for
newspapers, which would put at lowest demo-
mination Of CON- one centthe single newspaper
to subscribers Transient newspapers and pamphlets
would charge with the letter rate reduced to three
cents with this restriction In all cases. that the weight
OF the newspaper be limited to two ounces, and pam.
pallets to three ounces with power to the
General to classify small periodical pamphlets issued
to subs cribers with newspapers.
Our seq postage rates confused and multfarous.
There is six cent postage private ship letters If
delivered at the port two nts addition to in
land, If addressed elsewhere. There is Q ten cent
packet rate for the Wet India Islands, islands in
the Gulf of Mexico and specific rate of twelve and
twenty cent rate to Chagres thirty cents to Pana-
ma and forty cents to Astoria other places en- the
facnc WITHIN Inc territory ofthe United States and
the European ports. And the matter is made more
complex, by subjectng of these rates to the ad
charge OF inland postage and relieving others
from 1t. Let all sea-gong letters pay ono uniform
rate-the same, whether conveyed by private ship or
government packst-whether from to the port Of an
In imn fayt hat tbop
should be possessed by the Executive of arranging
with foreign countries uniform transit rates post
promote convenience to have nal arrange.
ments that would allow of optional payment either
country on the direct correspondence between them
STILL that Is not Indispensable But in respect to cor
respondence between two countries that must be con-
veyed across the territory of third nation, there must
be an international arrangement between that third
country and Of the Others enable the letter to
reach its unless the party has agent
the intermediate country to pay, at least the transit
postage.
The super. addition of rates should be avoided Let
the ship postage pay from its departure, and to its
1t much satisfactory to the parties to know
Familiarity In stated amount, what the whole charge
Is, and the simpfcation OF the accounts Is alone
sufficient reason.
If government retains the prerogative of exclusive
mail conveyance must provide for the
Of unpaid well pre- paid matter But it is wise to
induce the prepayment of postage 1t better adjusts
the expe nditure between the parties-it smpes the
accounts and lessons the labor of postmasers There
should be imposed on the letters of those who
of paying 1t Themselves put the government to the
trouble OF collecting it Of the other party This might
be modified the better to our coin
H.-CHANGE THE MODE OF MAILING LETTERS AND
NEwsrAPERs-BAGeINo MAILS, AND FORWARDING
THIN TO DISTANT OFFICES.
Our forms, CONNIE ncing With the post bill are com.
plicated; and vet the object for which thew are
Is not obtained for they provide no checks practi
cshy Ihey 90 not secure thorough accountability
on me part Of the postmasters like feature of nse-
mr. Of bo0u
which gives all the postmasters and clerks on the
route access to the Of the bag 1t is the
purpose Of distributing Offices to consolidate the small
mails from the various offices within their DISTRICT for
distant points, into large Ones that portion of the
despatch and greater safety, and then at the proper
points, to separate them for their respective desna.
tions yet they have the effect, in cases. to
withdraw mails from their direct course and other
wiee to delay them, simply to be distributed thus,
in thpusands of instances causing additional deten
tons and creating pense to the department. in
injury to the service. Numerous alterations and COR
rections have been made, and numerous attempts
Ripg. forwarding and accounting are all based upon
the plan Of mailing and there all the defects of our
system have their root Nothing but radical change
In the infancy ofour post establish ment when the
offices were few it may have been possible agreeaby
to the evident design of the arrangement to compare
at the General Post Office the post bills with the &C.
count of mails sent and the of mails sent out
Of one Office with the accounts of mails received of
another, and rice But this has become mprac
ticable, and has been So doubtless for the last fifty
years In practice, therefore, without the de-
sired checks to procure complete the
part Of the post offices Our system was borrowed
from the English bat theirs, ct this time, possesses
not feature in the referred to, that
responds to ours. After longer experience probably,
ofthe defect: we ARE now suffering they at length
abandoned the old system as incurable and adopted
Each post efice in the kingdom Of Great Britain
Uondon, Edinburg and Dublin excepted) is furnished
With list Of what is called its nding Offices
Ar 6va ana all
TO Others The post bill contains but two items
the amount Of paid letters and the Of unpaid
blanks provided for that purpose The receiving
postmaster counts the letters, and enters in
two other blanks, provided in the bi,. the
amount Of paid and Of unpaid and signs It. II
his entries disagree with the mailing postmasters
his assistant countersigns, and the last entries
taken at the accountants office as giving the true
smounte. Here is q check at the outset. Each post
master 10 furnished with blank called, monthly
voucher. One side Is to contain the amount Of all
letters rent. arranged under the heads of his
pondipg offices, in columns Of paid and unpaid; the
other side the amount Of all letters received under
received, in columns of paid aud unpaid and each
entry 10 to be made opposite the date of mailing as
well on the received side as the sent side As the
Offices from and to which each office receives and
sends mails are designated and generally but few
in number, there is no difficulty in keeping this ac-
count, and in comparing the accounts sent, of one
ing Office and vice Here Is the second check.
The first by the neighboring postmaster the last by
vouchers sent in to the General Post Oce after
the expiration Of each month. and with them only
those post bills wherein there is q discrepancy be-
tween the entries Of the mailing and the receiving
Postmasters. The examination us and corrections Of
errorsafe made on these voucheB and at the end of
the rtsr the account is closed By quarterly return
from Ne postmaster and the ledger entries ut the Gs-
neral Post Office. What there Ii in the foregoing
that We have not, is the principle of mailing to
designated Offices only the simple form Of the post bill
the principle and practice of the receiving postmaster
ehee king upon the mailing postmaster and eT.o-
tus comparison, by means of the monthly vouchers,
between the accounts of mails sent and mails
hus securing accountability by complete system Of
checks.
But post Office must have letters to send to other
post Offices than its four five corresponding offices
How are they, ty the English regulations mailed and
forwarded? As Yellowstone more Of the corres-
pondpg offices OF each Office Is designated its for
wardng Office. II the letters to go beyond are paid
Their amounts are entered the post bill to the
responding forward Office, which enables 1t to check
That amount being charge sgant the mailing post
master III they are unpaid they are tied up with the
other letters, but entered on the post bill The