The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1849-12-20
Report of the Postmaster General.
The number of post Offices in June

333 discontinued. During the year end
ing in June there were 6,333 postmasters
appointed, 2I03 removals. In 1S45 it
cost the department cts. per mile to car
ry mails, but they are carried for S cents
now on the average. In July last there
were 4,943 mail routes, of l67.703 miles
making AZ, ,547 ,O69, ,049, and the reve-
nue. 34,9O5,l76. The current year will
cost nearly all that can be received, unless
some 400 tons of franked documents be
.curtailed, which are usually poured out on
the country without much benefit 10 any
one. This does not include the letters
sent by Congressman, or the matter re-
ceiyed by. them. The Senate matter
alone. if taxed with postage, would pay
$4,000.
The classes of service now required are
three; the care, transportation and delivery
first of letter, second of newspapers and
pamphlets, third of matter carried without
compensation. 1t is by postage on the
two. first classes of service that the whole
expenses of the Department are now sus-
.tained.
The whole number of letters charged with
postage passing through the mails, the past
year, rockoned on the postage received,
sgreeably to a basis heretofore approved,
amounted to siXty-two millions.
On all these letters. the postage collected
was $3,ss2, 1852, on newspapers and pam
phlets SSl9,916. 1t is well known that
the postage on new spapers and pamphlets
in proportion to their weight and numbers
is in very great degree less than the let
ter postage; SO they do not pay their pro-
portion of the expenses of the service. 1t
fol hot thn lott
pays now not oaly for its cost, but also for
what the letter postage falls short of It's
proportion, ard also for all operations and
services of the Department, including the
expense of all the matter carried for the
public without pay from Government.
Congress is to decide whether the frank
ing by its members is valuable public
service proper to continue; and ii is not
intended to make any remark on that topic.
Were it abolished, there would probably
be very much less of such matter printed.
But the postage on the remainder, together
with that on the correspondence of the
members and the relief of the expenses of
the transportation and delivery of this
franked matter, would enable the depart
ment to sustain itself, though the postage
were materially reduced on letters. But
If Congress continue this franking it is
but just and proper that the correspon-
dence, by reduction on its postage, be re-
Heved from lis support; and that provision
be made therefor, in the same manner
that other branches of public service is
sustained.
Another great additional demand of pub
lie service by the Post Office Department,
without compensation, is made this year
that is the transmission of all the blanks
returns and correspondence required in
taking the census of 1850. Three thou
sand reams of these blanks are already en-
gagged.
II has been said that the newspaper and
pamphlet postage is not i'll proportion to
the cost of their transportation, but it is not
to be, therefore, understood that any in
crease of that postage is proposed. 1t has
long been regarded as a sound public pol
icy, TO promote the circulation ofthese pub
lcations by cheap postage, and may be
advisable to proceed further in this policy
especially in promoting their circulation
IN the vicinity of their places of publica-
ton, provided no decided injustice be done
to the postmasters within that same vi
cinity.
1t would be desirable TO have a fixed
sum granted from the Treasury for this
public service as to free matter, and then
the postage so reduced and arranged as to
provide for the remainder; but that course
is impracticable, as the money from the
Treasury cannot be drawn until that from
postage is first exhausted; and therefore,
the only safe way is to make reductions
of postage from time to time, until justice
Is produced, by leaving a balance, TO be
drawn annually from the Treasury, equiv
alent to the public service performed; and
no extent of reduction, which does not
produce this effect, is sufficient so long as
public service is to be performed free of
postage.
The most obvious and prominent fea-
ture now in our postage is the double price
ten cents, charged on all single letters car
ried over three hundred miles. The re-
duction of this ten cent postage and char
ging all single letters at five cents each,
would much simplify the manner of ac-
counting, and render the same both more
facile and perfect-would remove the DIS
satisfaction arising from the great differ
ence in the postage in different offices,
even in the same vicinity, but separated
by this arbitrary line, and would promote
and encourage the correspondence and in
tercourse by mail. between the rmost dis
tant parts of the coultry, which most need
and demand 1t, in precise proportion as
their other means of inter course are slow
and unfreouent