The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1849-12-05
$i,s92, l66 90
6Yl,6S2 10
100000 90

r.' ."s- S57S3sis 10
Deduct expenditures before stated 4,75O,lss ls
Leaving balance the sOh June 1885, of Sl.O3s7iO 81
Rate Of postage.
Ii seems long have been the received principle in
this department that IFS expenses should be always kept
within the income furnished by postage, and all exer-
tons NJ the Improvement and extension OF the service
to be limited to- and fall within such receipts The opin
to be that the General Post Office, being for the dissent
nation OF intelligence and advancement OF business, is not
proper subject OF taxation; that no burden TOR public
should only be such will pay the expense Of the
conveyance, and delivery OF the matter on which the
postage is laid These views are in no way incompa-
Bile, and may both be successfully regarded-proyded
reasonable compensation be made to the department for
The service il Peromsby those Tor whose benefit such
service is required.
II must be quite obvious that there can be no practical
BILE method Of ascertanng the expense Of mail service
each particular letter paper as il uctuaes with the
cost in each different section OF the country but what is
the proper proportion OF each class OF service may be set
tied with good degree Of Justice il. when ascerained il
is 10 bear its fair proportion, and that only.
The classes OF service now required are three: the
care transportation, and delivery-frs OF letters, sec
ond Of newspapers and pamphlets, third Of maer car
ried without compensation. is by postage on the two
first classes OF service that the whole expenses OF the
department are sustained.
The whole number of letters charged with postage
passing through the mails the past year, reckoned on
the postage received, ageeaby 70 basis heretofore ap
proved, amounted to sixty.two millions.
762; newspapers and pamphlets Ssl9,016 il is well
known that the postage the newspapers and pamph
let's in proportion their weight and numbers, is in
very great degree less than the letter postage they
do not pay their proportion OF the expenses Of the ser
vice. Il therefore follows that the letter postage pays
not only for IFS own cost but also for what The pa
The other operations and services OF the department,
GLIDING the expense OF all the matter earned for the pub
lie without pay from government This brings US 70 in;
que what the extent OF this class OF service rendered
without from the EMPLOYERS.
First, what is the nature and amount OF this ranked
matter -.
mail matter sent from their respective departments, and
receive free all them directed Under the act OF 1915,
account kept by the post office of the city OF
Washington OF all such matter received by the depart
ments for the year ending June 30 1885, but account
Of the matter sent from them The postage on that
ceived, at the present rae was s25oSs3 49, and the
amounted to ,7e7 e6. lex doc. 81, ID 2oth
Cong In ls47 this mode Of payment was abolished,
and the only SINCE Tor THIS se,cs rendered %
hundred thousand dollars per annum II Is always to be
recolleced that no amount OF appropriation, however
large to pay for franked matter will ever IN any degree
age actually pays the whole expense OF the department
whereby snch appropriation remains as surplus with
drawn from the treasury :, -. ,p, u., g., ,r,;..
no payment is made TO the department. consists In the
letters, papers, and documents franked by the members
Of the Senate and House OF epresenatves The amount
OF this matter be asceained with entire accuracy
as much is forwarded of which account is kept BY
report from the Clerks Office OF the House OF Repre-
sentaves il appears that during the two sessions Of the
30th Congress- ending in March last the extra number
OF public documents for distribution 37o,35o and
their weight was 467,762 pounds. Printed speeches,
folded for members TO frank 500, which est
mated al one ounce each, ,53l pounds The onehaf
Of this shows the annual amour, Of this matter from the
House of Representatives the two past years This does
not include the written correspondence Of the members
or the mail matter by them received No report direct
from the Senate has been received but BY report IRON
the post Office in this city, appears that during the year
ending June 30, 1919,
The number Of free written mail matter sent wa: 4si2l0
The number Of free written mail matter received ,o 90
ois,1ss
Making i,3os5O'
Printed Senate speeches M,oD
Printed Senate documents iIO,It6- b65 81
House documents 3,4fs, %
s,saoos
| The letter postage and pamphlet postage to which THU
matter would have been subject ii not ranked, 10 com
| puted by that report at s792,7o9.
II should be recolected that the Post Office Department