The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1849-12-05

Treasury further reductions Of postage should be
adopted until after this been tested By experiment.
IL respectfully submitted.
RAILROAD SERVICE.
This is q constantly increasing service. In the cur
rent year. the length Of railroad routes IL l3S miles
being an increase within two years OF a.4S %rs' sna
completed On these routes, the mail Is now trans
ported 674eo4o miles annually IT Is true that this
service Is done with mere despatch than the same
amount Of service In any other way yett at much
greater cost The law Of ls45 requiring this ssrvcsto
be classed and fixing the maximum compensation has,
in degree reduced the cost There Is feature
OF this service which frequently the opera
trsos provision is made that the time OF arrival
departure and connection OF the malls subject to the
order Of the department This feature has never been
admitted by the railroad propretors to be inserted In
their contracts 1t provided In them that If any
change is made without their consent they may absn
don the contract This often deprves the department
Of the power to make such changes and
in the time of the transportation Of mails as the pub
lie convenience requires and subjects II to censure BY
those who know not this circumstance.
FOREIGN MAIL SERVICE.
Bremen has been under the contract with this depart
ment carried the past year by the steamships Wash
pgtOn and Hermann for the sum OF two h9adred thou
sand dollars and the gross amount realized IN postage
from that service for the year ending Got Ala, was
sci 90 The sross amount from LIST June, lsi7 to
October 4th, 1S4S, was S29,0S2 81.
Notice has recently been received from tae propre-
tors that this ssrvce will be suspended until February
quired for the safety Of these steamships
The mail from Charleston via Savannah to Havana,
under the contract with this mas bean car
label with good degree II regularity, az cost OF
$50 os6 e No other foreign mail Is carried BY con-
By contract with the Navy Department, made by
direction Of law, provision was made Tor carrying
mail twice In each month between New York and New
Orleans, via Charleston Savannah and Havana, and
also for the transportation between Havana and Cha
ores. This entered upon In December, 1913, aud
has been partially performed. Under u like contract
with the Navy Department steamships are carrying
the mails on the Pacific, between Panama and Cslfor
mia, in each month By treaty the government
New Grenada is bound to transport the mail across
the Isthmus This service, more particularly ON the
Atlantic and the lsthmus, has been very mpsr-
fecy performed and the connections have been very
unsuccessful This the Department has not been able
entirely remedy, the contractors not being within
its control Exertons have however been continued,
and such have been male and assurances
received as to give good decree Of confidence ina.
mails will hereafter receive regular despatch through
this entire route of great and increasing Importance
By the present organization Of the Post Office Depart
ment, established in 1885, the mail service In the
United States sustained by appropriations entirely
Congress by the act of March Sd, ls4T entitled can
act providing for the building and equipment OF four
ing the erection, by individuals Of war steamers;
80 that, on the emergency OF war they might be
ready for public use Contracts were ordered , ana
| steamers; from New York, via Havana, to New
Orleans and from Havana to Chagres one from Pans'
| ma to California and Astoria and one between New
York and Liverpool all which, requiring thirteen war
steamships, were to carry the mall and to receive,
when completed, the sum Of sS74 900 per annum from
the Treasury. Whether this policy is to be continued
or extended IL entirely question for Congress- but 1t
seems proper to observe, that any change by which
this Sd oil be declared mail service and tb, great sd.
ditobal d. manc be made claim on the Income from
po.tage will greatly embarrass and sndanger the ope-
So great is the cost Of building and sustaining these
vessels and small the postage to be derived there
FROM that II WILL " so ordered, defeat the present sys
tenn Of sustaining the mails within this eounty-put
an end to all extension Of Its accommodations all re-
auctions Of postage and all improvement Of Its
dition Is much to be hoped that proposition SO
disastrous in Its consequences will be entertained In
course Congress may think proper 10 pursue In re-
ation to thore war steamers their support while con-
tinued must be drawn from the Treasury provided
when adopted, and as Is nov done.
The transportation Of the nail the Is.hmus,
beip. in foreign country, Is the proper subject mat.
ter treaty and IL not within the power OF this De-
partment. II f however respectfully suggested that
NADIA ia very tardy and carsisssly performed and the
compensation under the treaty probably Inadequate
Reliable information has been received, that they
would willingly yield up this service. new arrange
ment should Immediately be made by treaty, rrsce'
cable permitting tbs service TO be performed by our
cling IL under the direction Of this Department The
amount required By the treaty to be paid to New Ora.
vided for BY Congress, has been paid by this Depart
| ment up to this time.
No steamship has yet been despatched on the mail
service from New York to Liverpool, under the
tract with the Navy Department, but 1t 10 expected
Since the last sssion Of Congress. the postal treaty
with Great Britain has been carried into fun opsr
by regulations settled In pursuance Of ths treaty by
| this Department and the Post Office Department OF
that country, which regulations have been promuga-
ted. The leading feature OF that arrangement that
which none is paid pass through Is. ss bet se .p
the two countries and despatched aud delivered in
account is kept In each Of the postage collected for
the other, which is periodically settled The effect Of
performed by the British steamships the sea hostages
belonging 20 them makes the balance in accounting
largely against us The operation q this no injury
NJ we actually receive all we pay; but it Is stated in
order TO explain that all this postage goes into the
account Of postage received In this Department and to
swell Its apparent amount when IL 10 subject always to
the annual reduction Of this balance payable to Great
Britain. Whenever our mail steamships shsl perform
| expected, IL will tend to correct this balance.
The Efforts to extend this arrangement through Eng.
land to France, have not been successful.
MAIL ssRyicE IN CALIFORNIA.
by the third section Of the act Of Congress entitled
AN act TO establish certain post routes approved Au
Ruxt Il 1slsn the Postmaster General authorized
TO appoint fostmssters at places on the Pacific, In
California and TO spPoint agents for making arrange
suce Of mails in California and Oregon Under this
act q, early as November, 1sls postmaster sp-
and sent that busiscss That postmaster entered
on his duties, and, for time, attempted their dis
chsres but fading as he writes no sufficient income
from the portage 70 the expense Of room and as
sitsnce, or even for mis- support he resigned No
port from those agents has ever been received In April
last another agent sent, who imme datey depart
cd and entered upon his duties and also another post
mater for san Francisco who has also arrived there
and from Information received from them aud others
there 10 good reason 20 believe that ell reasonable
ertobs bcos made to give TO the people there all
the natl facilities the limited means legally appca-
bic, will sfoid
The Laws regulating the Post once duties end SER
vice In many respects. III adapted 20 the circun-
stances and diton II that country Many letters
have been cent there for perions passing tue overland
route and n the 20 b. treated dead let
the end a the second quarter after their srri
val, they would be cent back before those persons
would arrive there Indeed the sending dead let.
the Department here those letters mailed from
Office 20 another In Califrns would be verse than
useioss No sufficient pecuniery means are at the
oommsnd of the Department for this service The
price labor Of personal service and the rent required
for Office room such that allowance suthsr-
ized BY law secure . fost-Ofhcs in Califorus.-
Nor the nails be transported within the country
for pepsaton which the postage received there
will fufnifb.
No sufficient returns have been received by which
to determine the errense 81 what has already been
done but fully appears that provisions must be made