Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1849-12-13
5,320.09S
Total.

zoo.
1t should be recullecied that the Post Olfic
Department is not only required to mail an,
transport this mat or, often requiring the hlr
OF additional coachos and teams, but is also sub
ject to tue actual payment OF money. contribu
ted entirely by the letter postage in The follow
ing manner:
by law, two cents each is allowed every post
mnslcr for the delivery Of free letter or pack
0ge II his income does not exceed $4,000 pc
unnum The proportion Of thtse free papers de
llvcrcd by Postuasers of $1,000 income, vii
not exceed one-teutll. Two cents each on tn,
FOREGOING number, deductng one tenth, wa,
SV5,lGl which is actually paid to Postmaster
Tor delivering this free matter out of money re
ceved for letter postage.
Thus it appears, that for the delivery of nine
tcnths Of tie millions Of printed speeches ftunkc,
and transported in the mails without conipensa
ton, (the printing of which cost about one cen
each there is paid two cents EACH not by III,
person WHO sends. or by the person who receives
Vt, or by the country us for public service, bu
by those who pay postage on their private cor
respondence.
1t rests entirely in The wisdom of Congress tC
decide whether this rranhing by its members j.
a valuable public Serrice proper TO continue, anL
1t Is not Intended To make any remark on tina
topic. Were 1t abolished, there would probably
be very much less OF such matter printed. But
The postage on the remainder, together with thi
on the correspondence OF the membcrs and the
relief oI The cxp"n,c Of transportation and dev-
cry oil tins iranked matter, would enable the De-
partncnt to sustain Itself, tough the passage
we're maternity reduced on letters.
But IT Congress continue this frankiug, as
valuable public service, 1t is bat Just and proper
fhat The letter correspondence, Ivy reduction
ON It's postage, be relieved from It's support, am
tiat provision be made therefor III the same
thluncr that other branches of the public service
are sustained.
Another great additional ,Iein1nd OF public ser
vice by the Post Office Departments wthuu
compensation, Is made this year. that is The
transmission OF all the blanks, returns aud cor
dependence required Ia takiug the census u
1880. Thrre Thousand reams Of these blank,
are already ENGAGED.
1t has been said that the newspaper and pam
phct postage is not in proportion 20 the cost o
Their transportation, but 1t is not therefore to bC
understood, That any Increase of that postage Il
proposed. Ii his long been regarded sOunt
pnoHc policy to promote the circulation OF thos,
puoilca ions by cheap postage, and 1t may be ad
Vsable to proceed further III this lollcy esprc la
" IN Promoting their circulation IN The vicinity
o: lheir places Of publication, provided no decid
ca injustice be done 10 the Postinasers within
the same vicinity.
1t would be desirable 10 have a fixed sun
granle { from the Treasury for this public service
as to tree rnatter and then the postage so reduc
ed and arranged as tn provide for the reminder
but that course Ia impracticablc, as the money
from the Treasury cannot be drawn, until tina
from postage Is hrst exhausted; and therefore
The only safe way Is to make reductions on post
age from time to time, until Justice is pro-
duced by leaving balance 10 be annually dr9wr
from the Treasury equivalent to the public ser
wees performed aud no extent of reduction
that does not produce this effect is sufficient, S,
long as public service is required to be perform,
ed free OF postage.
VIVA! should be the degree or measure Of tn,
reduction j.! postage AT tins time, is entirely
Question To be- settled by Congress- but it It
proposed respectfully 10 submit what would b,
the probable effect Of one measure Of rednc
ton.
The most obvious and prominent feature row
in our p stage, is the double price 10 cents =
charged on all sing lie letters carried over three
hundred miles.
The reduction Of this ten cent postage, ant
charging oil slugte ,etIers AT ) cents each woul,
much simplify the manner of accounting. ant
render the same both more flcile and perfect
would remove the dissatisfaction arising from lht
great difference ~ the postage in different ulIi
ceS, even IN tho same vicinity; but separated b,
TINS arbitrary line, and would prom9;e aud en-
courage the correspondence and Intercourse b,
halI between the most distant paris O the coun
Try winch most need aud demand It, IN precis,
proportion us their other means OF cumnunica
ton are slow and unfrtquent
The next enquiry Is, What would be the eff
icct uf this proposed reduction on the rec, ina
from postage, aud how would 1t affect the Urea
sury.
Il ,l,l.
The Departments, 10 nsC ertaIn with much precis
ION, the number Of letters passing annually il
The mai under this charge of ten cents Ever
II the nunber of ten cent letters were actually
known, 1t would still'be impossible /, deiernin,
how many OF them were ten cent letters frou
Oeing double. Hence arises the great differ
ence IN the estimate of loss of revenue from sucl
reduction as was presented in The report Of IN,
Postmaster General last year--to wit, S7I5Ie9
and that of the FIRST Assistant $30G, 73S.
From careful examination now made of lh
data IN the Department, IL is estimated that lh,
whole number OF charged letters sent through
Inc mails me past year was 62,000000, and o
tins number about l5,500,000 were subject t.
the ten cent postage, on account of distance. -
1t then tile reduction were to bring no more let
tiers into The mail, the dimnulion of revenue
thereirom, the hist year. would be S775O0O
1t is already shown that the surplus on tht
hrsl day OF July last was 1861 ,G82 20, aud tina
on the hrst July mex. win be SS557l0 81, wheel
will undoubtedly increase in future years by nat
ural accumulation, and by increase Of the nun
Der OF letters arising iiom this reelection,
therefore follows that such reduction will in IN,
hrst year occasion no charge on the Treasury
aud II Is extremely uncertain whether its opera
ton can ever produce that effect. brief tIia
Of thus experiment will show It's effect. and if /
shot Id not produce any important druught on th
Treasury, then further reductions OF posag
should DO made. Whether any further reduction
should be made, and a corresponding provision
iron The Treasury adopted until after tins ha
been tested by experiment, is respectfully sub
milted.
RA l. ROAD SERVICE,
This is a constantly increasing service. L
the curcn. year, the length OF ralIrold routes
6l3o miles, being an Increase within two year
OF ll49 miles, aud it Is almost daily increasing
as new roads are being completed On thes
routes The mail Is now transported, 5,740 o.
mIles annually. 1t 10 true that this service
done VITA more despatch than the same amour
OF service IN any other way, yet II is ut muc
greater cost. The law of 1915 requiring Til
service to DC cassed, and fixing the maxinur
compensation, has IN some degree reduced ia
cost There is one feature pi this service whic
frequently em5arr0sses the operations of tn