New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1849-12-05
WHOLE NO. 300


Ahd transported IN TIE mai, without eompenss
Ooc' 1ihe printing Of which oosE shout oas ceal
eA-h thefe IA paid two cents each. ncs oy the per
'o9 ~no seods or by the person who receives q
y me country AZ for pGbic service, Eat BY
'hose wno pay postage on their private CORES
pondsnce, Congress" 70 decide whether this frank
! inS ~ ia members 10 valuable puMic serrtcs
proper 70 continue and il is DOT attended 70 make
/ any remark en- that topic. Were il sb,ljshed
soefs would proosniy be very much le.s Of such
matter printed Bat the postage On the rsmsiaA.
I e. together with that ca the corresponsenre ~
TIRE members and the relief CT The expense Of ,hs
syorsRt,on and delivery OF this ranked matte
| would enable the Department - sustsia itself
| though The postage we're materially reduced On
/ letters. BatH Congress continues this fraakins
az valuable public service. IL ia but jast ara
proper that the letter correspondence, by reduc.
ton 90 is postage be relieved nom its support
ana that provision be made therefore in the sane
manner that other branches OF public service is
sustained.
Another great additional demand Of public SER
vice BY the Post Office Department without com
pensstion 10 made tnis yesr-thst 10 the transmits
ycn Of all the blanks, returns and correspondence
required In tsking the Census Of 1850. Fhree
thoGssnd Of .hese BLANKS are already engaged.
|. has been said thar the newspaper and pam
phet postage 10 not In proportion 70 the cost Of
their transportation but IL 10 not % be therefore
understood that sny increase Of that postage 10
proposed. IL has long been regarded IS sound
pubic policy % promote tho circulation CT these
publications by che.p postage, and IL may be sd
vslbie TO proceed further j. this policy. especially
IN promoting their circulation in the vicinity o.
their place. OF publication, provided no decided in
1't'cs be dooe 10 the poS;nss,ers viesin the same
vicinity.
Ii would be desirable 20 have a fixed sun
granted from the Treasury for this public service
80 10 free matter, and then the postage reduced
snd arranged IS to provide for the remainder. bat
that course is lmpracticable, a. the money from
the Treasury cannot be draw until that from post
age 10 hfs. exhausted, and therefore the only safe
gay 10 To make reductions " postage from time a.
time until justice 70 produced, by leaving balance
% be annually drawn from the Treasury eQlivs-
ent TO the public service peri,rmed And Nc *
tent OF reduction which does nos produce Ihis
elect 10 Sufficient 30 long as public service 10 re-
CURED 10 be performed free of postags.
What should be the degree or measure OF the
reduction OF postage At this tuis 10 entirely
question 10 bo settled by Congress bat Ia 10 pro
posed respectfully 70 submit, what would be the
prob able effect OF one measure Of reduction
The most obvious and prominent feature now 10
oGr postsse 10 the double price, ten cents obtained
on all single lst.ers carried over 500 miles. The
reduction OF thls ten cent postage, ard charging
az fiaes letters At fya cents each. would much
simplify the manner OF accounting and render the
sane 5c,h u;ore iscile and perfect would remove
tho dlsssti'isesiou arising from the great differ
snce in The postage in different otices, even 10 The
sane vicinity, but separated by this arbitrary line
and would promote and encourage the correspon
deues and intercourse. o. mail, between the most
distant parts OF the country. Witch most need and
demsnd IT, 10 precise proportion 90 the other
means Of INSTRUMENTATION are slow and unfrc-
qG-rt.
The next inquiry Ia, what would be tho effect
Of this reduction on the receipts from postage, and
how would it affect the Treasury.
it is no; possible. from sny returns or data in
.he humber OF letters passing annually II The
mali under thii charge OF 10 cents Even il the
number Of 10 cent letters were actually knovD.
u would stlll be impossible 10 determine how
many VI them we're 10 cent letters from being
double. Thence arises the great difference In the
estimate Of loss OF revenue from such a reduction
as was presented in tho report Of the Postmaster-
General ast year 10 wis ls7
And that OF the First 300 73e
From a careful minetion now made u the
data in the Department, u is estimated that the
whole number Of charged etters sent through the
mails the past year, was 62,000,000, and Of this
number sbou. 10, 500, 900 were subjected to the
ten cent postage, on account OF distance H. then.
the reduction were TO bring no more letters into
thy mail inc diminutDn Otrovssue sAcr On siio
ifs, year. would be- $4,000.
IL is slreAdy shown that tho surplus. on the let
lay Of July last was s69l 6s2 TO- and that, on the
st day of July next, will DC ss55,7lO 81, which
will undoubtedly increase In future years, by nat
ara accumulation, and by lacrosse OF the number
Of letters arising rom this reduction. will, la the
hrE yesr. occasion 40 change IN the Treasury and
L 10 extremely uBcertsin whether it's operation
can ever produce that effect. brief trial Of thii
experiment will show Us effect, and Il II should
GOT produce any important drsit on the Treasury,
then further reductions Of postage should DO made,
and = corresponding provision from the Treasury
adopted until after this has been tested by exper
iment IL respectfully submitted.
RAILROAD SERVICE.
Tni. 10 a constantly Increasing service. In the
carrent year the length Of rtifosd routes is 6,lJs
miles, being al increase within tso years Of ,lv
miles and it 10 almost daily increasing u new
roads are being completed. On these routes the
ell IL now transported 5,749.040 miles annually
70 10 true that this service 10 done with more dis
patch than the same amount Of service ia s0y
ether way, yet is Is at much greater cost. The
az Of lsi5, requiring this service TO be clsssed
and fixing the maximum compensation, has IN
como degree reduced the coast There 10 one Tea
.ure Of this service which frequently embsrssses
the operations Of the Department la all the or
binary mail contracts, provision Ia ade that the
time OF arrival and departure and connection oil
The mails is sgbjec. 10 the order OF the Depart
ment This feature has never been admitted by
the railroad prnPnetors To BE- Inserted 10 their con-
tracts. IL lie provided in them that II any change
10 made without their consent, they may abandon
the contract. This often depriyes the Department
"
msD,s IN the time Of the transportiOn Of mails as
the public convenience requires and subjects II 10
censurs by these who know not this circumstance.
ToEKIGS MAIL sksvTcx.
The Mall serves BY the way VI southampton 70
Bremen has been, uader IN contract with this
Department., carried the psss year BY the steam
.hips w asbinstJn and Hermann, for the sun Of
sHo hundred thousand dol srs, sndthe gross sm0on'
realized ia psissge from that service ios the lear
ending October fgb vss scl,llt 20. The gross
,a.oger from lss June, s47 20 October IT'D. lsis,
~.s s2s Ge2 81.
Notice has recently been received rom the pro
prieiors that this service viii be Suspended anti
Fsorgsry next, IN order make tho necessary re-
pairs nov required Tor ths safety Of these steam
ships.
The Mail from Charleston via Savanna 20 Ia
v..s uodes ne contract with .his Dep s-;nen. nAs
been carried since the 18Th q October le4s, In
the steamer Isatsi with good degrees Of resg
isri,y, ats co,, Of s35056 %. No other iorsign
mai - carried by contract with tots Department.
By. contract With the Navy Department, m'de
> rec'ioo 81 l.E, provision was made Tor carr
ing 4 mail twice 10 each month oeswesn New
YORK ana New Odesss VtG Chsrisst0n, skvAnnAn
and Hsvans and also los the sporssion between
Havana anu Chasres. IBIS Was entered opon ia
Dscsnber, ls{s and bss been partially 2sriormed
Under = Ike contract with tho Navy Dspsr.nspt,