Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1849-12-13
Postmaster lGemeraps Report.
. SYNOPSIS

IN advance. IL is an able document. but the
details OF il would not int crest our readers. We
append the following synopsis of H. ae - 60.
The report states, that The whole number OF
Post Offices in The United States, June 80.
IS49. was 16,747; 92l new ones having been
established and 333 old ones discontinued
within the preseniyear.
There were 6,333 Poslmasters appointed
within the same year.
The effect ofihe Post Office laws Of ls45
have been such as to reduce the expenses of
the service, though greatly increased within
The income derived from pos,ages
The cost oftke Mail service previous 10 lS45
was cents mill per mile; now il is cents
and mills per mile
There were 4 ,943 mail routes, comprising in
all l67,703 miles, up TO lst July. iS49. and
4,l90 Mail Contractors. The whole cost of
transportation on these routes was So, ,42S, SIS.
The mails by sea cost $255, ,692 additional.
The gross receipts for the year to 3Olh June,
ls49, were S4,705,l76. TO This add appro.
priaion by Congress OF $500, 900, and we have
The whole revenue 81 ,905,l76 The gross
expenditures were Sd 4,479049, leaving an ex-
cess oi revenue OF S426, ,l27. to which add the
amount of appropriation by Congress not used
$265, ,555, showing the SUN of 60 | ,6S2 balance,
The estimates for the coming year are thus
sci down
The probable revenue from posages, &c.,
will be, for The year ending June 30, 1850,
S4,S92, sc. Add 10 this the previous balance
on hand, S69l ,6S2, and the appropriation for
free mail matter, and we have gross receipt
Of S5,7S3, ,64S. The probable expenditures
are pu, down a, S4.750,l3s. This will leave
a balance 10 the credit of the Department, June
30, 1850. of ST. ,033,7l0. So that, even at the
presen, low rates of pos,age-rates that, il was
thought, a, first, would bring the Department In
debt every year, there is nett profit to be ex-
pected of million per annuna.
The carriage of the mails on railroads and
in steamboats,, averages cost Of nine cents per
mile. Where il is carried, on horseback and
in coaches, the cost averages three cents per
mile.
The increase OF letter postage last year was
Is 2-l0 per cent, and the whole increase was
Ia l-5 per cent. Ii is not thought that such an
increase VIII occur every year. Only 9 per
cent. is considered The natural increase 50.
The number of lellers paying postage, last
year, was sixIy-two millions This is an av-
erage of over three letters 10 every man. woman
and child in The country
The postage collected on these letters was
S3Ss2, ,762. On newspapers and pamphlets,
SSl9,0l6. The letter postage has 10 pay not
only lis own expenses, but most Of The expense
Of carrying The newspapers, &c.
The franked or free matter that goes through
the mail is enormous. For the year ending
3Oth June, 1916, the free mailer received by
the Public Departments, would have pad
S950,36 The amount sent was, at least,
equal making a sum OF S500,767. This does
not include The franked letters and documents,
and speeches of The Houses OF Congress.
The extra number of pub. does. of The Two
last sessions Of Congress, was $40 $50 Weigh
ing 467 .762 lbs; printed speeches, 6,5S2 500,
weighing All ,5ll lbs And this does not in
clude the letters sent or received by the men,
bers of Congress.
The whole amount OF free written and print
ed mail matter sent and received by Congress,
during The year ending June 30, lS49. is put
down at 5,32O,9S, which should have paid a
postage of s792, 200.
Besides this, sos, I6I has 10 be paid TO post
masters TO deliver this free matter. And this
year all the blanks, returns, and correspondence
used n taking The census of 1850, will uave
free also. Three thousand reams of blanks
are already engaged.
Congress aPpropriaies 100000 per annum,
TO paw Tor The Whoie oil inis extra expense,
Tearing The post Office 10 pay the other half
million and more out of It's profits This is
unjust.
The report intimales that il is good policy 10
keep the newspaper and pamphlet postage at
their present low rates, and advises reduction
OF let,er postage
Five cents for all single letters, whether
within or over three hundred miles, is suggest
ed as fitting price.
or The ffty-two millions Of letters transport
ed last year, fifteen millions are supposed 10
have paid tho double price Of ten cents. Had
ihey been carried a, five cents, the post-oihce
revenue would have been diminished SITE, 1000.
The profit of million last year, will more than
Justify such reduction.
The railroad mail routes, this year, are 6,l3o
miles, an increase, within two years, oil .l49
On these routes the mail is now transported !
$4,000 miles annually. The railroad man
agefs refuse TO subject the time and departures
of the trains 10 the order Of the Department
This occasions trouble.
The foreign mail ser0sce does mol look SO
well. The receipts for postage 10 and from
Europe was, from June, l647,'o October 4S.
$40 os2: from October, '4S. 10 October AZ,
~c,,,. .pi,os, ;s S000 600 Der annum.