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

4
desired amount OF revenue. trie .ess than
TIE Enzish penny, according the l-ga standard 90
the relative value u Brush and American coin Ano,
IA Frw ~ their advantage. especially in their Lish
rates Of foreign and transit postage which average
yfonAniy % cents per letter aud amounted In -il %
>3u-3 go Ne achieve much more sr1uols under
taEins y slccessiul 9Th the cent rate than Wss &C.
cnmptshed By the b~rist experiment Considering
the vsstness n territory md The magnitude u our
system Of malls md the si greater extent - which
Il must BE- carried cents here vii Be far cheaper
rate u omparson . service performed. than penny
Ia England
There one point BOT touched q ia ihe fore going
caicui stioDtne possibility that the present salons
% POstmasters. when ca.f the reduced amount Of
revenue Dot give sl-1cifnf compensation tlt IN
refpect . trst We can o. ss retlr--a sit and SEE
Inece vii PROBABLY RI recovery ga the second year
from the fall o. revenue OF the .rst year giving =
c-o portion q increase beyond that o. the regular
growth Of the Department And this may n u s-.cri
the means 81 enarsng the commissions If IL shall be
Z found Necessary
Tie sane policy c0nmends uniform rate for news
papers. which would put - 0u- lowest Denomination
o; coin cent tie single ueWtp-p@r. rot exceed
two ounces ia weight where regularly ..sued o. sub
scrioers. Transient e~spspers and pamphlets would
charge with the etter Il reduced - three cents
with this restriction Ia al that GIT q the
newspsper BE- limited % twO OUNCES and pam phets
three ounces With power % the Postmaster General O.
classify small periodical pamphlets issued % su5scr.-
oers with newspaper
Our ses postage rates are confused and mulrfsr
Gus There q 4 cents postage On private chip
letters II delivered a. the port and cents IN addition
20 10 and II addressed elsewhere There Ia cents
packet rate for the West India Islands or Islands 10 the
Gulf Of Mexico and specific rate n j; cents for let
ters 20 and from Havans-fhen there = % cents
rste % Cnagres 80 cents 20 Panams and sd cents %
Astoria and other places on the Pacific Fl the terri
tory Of the United States and finally there Il TIE %
cents packet rate 20 the European ports and the matter
Is made more complex by sut Getting some Of these
rates % the additional charge ~ inland postage and
relieving others from H. Let al ses.gong letters pay
one uniform rate the whether conveyed By pr.
vste ship or Government packet whether from or %
the port or an Interior post Office 10 u important ths
the power should be possessed by the Executive Of
arranging with foreign countries Uniform trant rates Of
postage with the privilege OF preparing While 10 would
promote convenience - have International arrange
ments that would allow O. optional payment IN either
country the direct cores pondence between them
still that i lot indispensable. But To respect % cores
pOudeuce between two countries that must be- convey
Cd across the territory OF third nation there musi oe
international cement between thst tnr1 country
and Of the others - enable the letter Co reach
Destination unless the party has 40 sgent DO the Inter
medisie country 20 pay 80 least the transit postage.
The superaddirion Of rates should be- avoided Let
the ship postage pay from its departure 20 IT, drs
nation wherever i msy be- 10 the United states 10 %
80 much more Satisfactory 90 the parties to know "a
military IN a stated amount what the charge s and the
simpicston Of the accounts IL s'one sufficient
con
u Government retains the prerogstve OF exclusive
usi conveyance 10 must prov d. for the transport0n
OF unpaid well as prepaid matter. But u y 90 o.
the expenditure between the parties simpAfes the
snd lesfen= the LABOR - P0stmas'ers There
fore postage of twice the amount of the prepaid
should be imposed on the letters of those who instead
Of paying Il themfelves put the Government o. the
trouble of collecting II Of the other party This night
be modified s0mewhs', the better % sdspt % %
case
II. Changing the node OF mailing tffcrs and
Hersp0Peu bagemg mails and f0r-ardmg
them 10 distant ofces.
Our forms commencing with the post 0li.. are com
pcated and yet the object for which they made
Z not obtained tor they provide no checks practically
Iney DO not secure thorough accountability on the
part of the Postmaster Ike feature 0i insecurity
extends 10 mode OF bsggn the mails which gives
al the Postmssters sud their clerks the routes
cess 10 the contents Of the bag 10 u the pur
pose of distributing ofces 20 consolidate the small
mails from the various Offices within their district for
distant points into larger ones for that portion of the
route common 10 them with view u more certain
dispatch and greater safety srd then 70 toe proper
points 10 separate them for their respective dcsna.
tons yet they have the effect ia numerous cases 20
Withdraw mails from their direct course and otherwise
20 delay them simply 10 De distributed thus IN thou
sands OF instances causing additional ictent0ns snd
creating expense to the Department in distribution
commissions. for doing that which IS injury o. the
service. Numerous alterations and corrections have
been made, and more attempted but the defects sre
not removed. The scheme Of baggine forwarding and
accounting are an based upon the plan Of mailing and
there all the defects OF system have their root
Nothing but radical change Can resch them.
In the infancy of our establishment when the Offices
were lew 10 may have been possible sgreeably % the
evident design Of the arrangement 10 compare al the
General Post Once the post bills with the accounts OF
mss sent and the accounts OF mails sent OF one Office
with the accounts OF mails received Of another and
rice But this hAs become imyracica5e aud has
been co. doubtless for the last fify years In practice
therefore, without the desired checks secure
complete accountability the part of the Post Offices
Our system was borrowed from the English but theirs
possesses at this time not feature, in the particulars
refe rred that corresponds with After longer
experience probably OF the defects are sui
ferng they At length abandoned the old system in
durable, aud adopted new one
Each Post Office Ia the Kingdom OF Great Britain
london Eduburg and Do 10 eNcepted) il furnished
These are usually some or and u can natl 10 none
0th0s The post bill contains but two items-the amount
Of paid letters and the amount Of unpaid letters entered
by the mai iug postmen IN two blanks provided for that
purpose The receiving Postmaster counts the letters
sud enters ia two other bsnks-provided in the bill
amount OF paid and unpaid snd signs IL II bis entries
disagree with the mailing Postmssters his assistant
cOuRtersgus and the last entries taken At the
counrant- utnce giving the true amounts Here Is
check s the outset ksch Postmaster IS furnished with
"a blank called The monthly voucher One eide j. O.
c0ntsin the amount OF Oil letters arranged under
the heads OF his corresponding Offices 10 columns of
pad and unpaid the other side the amount Of al letters
received under the heads 81 the spending Offices
from which received 10 columns Of pad and unpaid and
each entry is 20 be msGe opposite the date of mailing
vel the rtceipti side the side. As the
otces from and q which each Office receives and sends
oeI there NJ difficulty 10 keeping this account sud 10
comparing the accounts sent Of Orice with the
counts received OF It's corresponding Office snd race
Here Is the second check TIE first By the ne %
boring Postmaster the last by the accountants at tue
General Post Otce. These vouchers sent into the
General Post Otce sfler the pirson Of esch month
aud win them only those post bills wherein
there is discrepancy between the entries of the
mailing and the receiving Postmaster The exsmi.
nations and corrections Of errors are made On these
vouchers and a. the cad oi the quarter the
closed BY quarterly return from the Postmaster and
the le ger entries a. the General Post Oce What there
s IN the foregoing that have the principle Of
mailing 70 designated Offices only the sample form OF
the post bill the principle snd practice Of the rtceiy
ng Postmaster checking upon the mailing Postmaster.
and an e.ecius comp aTison b. OF the monthly
vouchers between the accounts of mails and mails
received, thus securing accountability BY compl te
system Of checks
Bat Post Ohce must have letters ~ send 70 other
Poet Orccs than It's four hve corresponding Offices
Hon are they BY the kBg'lsa regulations mailed and
forwarded IS follows Oue or more Of the CORES
pondug Offices Of esch ofice j. desgnsted - ts for
warciug Office. II The letters 10 20 beyond paid
their amounts entered n the post b the cores
ponding forwarding oface, Which enables - check
That amount being charge against the mailing Post
master II they are unpaid they sre tied up with the
other letters, bat are not entered the post bill The
paid letters beng fully checked sen; by the for
~sIdlng Office, through the forwarding Office ~ - cir
Gle OF corresponding oces q their destination without
f.rfn her frf.rr