Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1850-12-07

ment of Deputy Postmaster General and an Auditor
to reside in California, proposed by bill reported Al
the last session, might aid in removing of the diff
cuties but would give organization which would
that service from the service in other parts of the Union
and liable 10 many objections. Ii is, therefore,
specially suggested that Improvement SYSTEM economy
and efficiency would be introduced, if Congress
should authorize the Postmaster General send temporarily
the Pacific officer Of the greatest knowledge and
experience in mail arrangements and in the principles and
rules of the Department governing the making of
for the purpose of being there associated with the local
agent in organizing the service the and placing
proper basis for the future charge and management Of
such agent the local agent is be continued in charge
of the service his salary should be increased amount
better corresponding with the high prices prevailing in Cal
ifornia. e
In view Of the time required to communicate with Ore
and newly acquired territories the following modi
cation of the post Office laws is urgently recommended:
l. That the contract and fiscal year for the Post Office
Department respect the service in California Oregon,
New Mexico, and Utah. be changed and that it
and end three months earlier than for the rest of the
Union that the returns accounts and all other state
for the last quarter of the fiscal year in that portion
Of the Union, be made the General Post Office in
Washington, in time, after being duly audited, to be
braced in the annual reports submitted at the opening of
Congress
3 That authority be given the special agent in that
country oen San Francisco the dead letters returned
from the offices in California and Oregon and there dispose
of them, done at the General Post Office, under
such regulations and restrictions the Postmaster General
may prescribe For this purpose clerk, clerks, with
suitable salaries, should be allowed to the special agent
considerable reduction of letter postage and the adop
ton OF uniform inland rate is desired by large portion
of the people of the United States Interesting and able
reports recommending different degrees of reduction,
made but not acted upon at the last session of Congress-
The subject will doubtless again engage the attention OF
Congress at its approaching sessions and with an earnest
desire that of postage may be reduced to the low
est point that is practicable without calling for contibu
ton from the Treasury beyond what should be paid for the
transmission and delivery of the official and public
reduced to three cep the single letter. when prepaid and
be fixed at the uniform rate of five cents when not
and Also that the Postmaster General be required reduce
this prepaid rate to two cents the single letter. whenever
shall be ascerained that the of the Department.
after the reductions recommended shall have exceeded
its expenditures by than five per cent for
tive fiscal years. also recommend that the postage Cal
ornia and Oregon be greatly educed and that the postage
charged other seagong letters be made simple
and uniform With the numerous rates now charged
some with, and without the addition of the inland
and mstake,are frequent and unavoda-
BILE. therefore recommend that twenty cents the sim
gle letter, be charged all correspondence to and from
the Pacific coast South America, the Eastern Continent
and its islands, and points beyond either and ten cents
the single letter all other seagong letters without
the superaddition of inland postage, in any case except
ing however, all where such postages have
been shall be usted different rates. by postal treaty
already concluded, hereafter be made; and power
should be given to the Postmaster General by and with the
advice and consent of the President ofthe United States
reduce enlarge the rates, with the view of making
better postal arrangements with other governments
eractng any adverse affecting postal inter-
course with other countries.
also recommend that the provision which imposes an
additional half cent postage upon newspapers
than hundred miles and Of the State where they are
nailed be repealed to leave the uniform inland postage
newspapers sent subscribers from the office ofpubca
ton, at one cent each. ..... ....
The postage upon pamphlets periodicals, and other
printed NATTER Except newspapers) may be smpifed
and somewhat reduced with advantage to the Department
Two cents for the pamphlet periodical Of the weight Of
two or less, and cent for every additional
fraction of once is recommended the inland rate
upon all pamphlets periodicals. and other printed matters
stead Of the present rate of two and half for the
first ounce and cent for every additional ounce fac
ton of For the seagoing charge such matter
and newspapers twiD the inland rate to and from the
points which proposed that the letter postage shall
cents and four times the inland where the letter
twenty cents deemed just and proper This
would in increase the postage printed matter
the Pacific and by other lines where the
postage already fixed by postal arrangement but the
postage California above proposed would hardly equal
the price charged by private expresses for the convey
of the weight in packages of less than one hun
dred pounds, to San Francisco.
It will be perceived that the reduction proposed in the
postage upon printed matter is large The for
the greater reduction of letter postage found in the fact
that the rates OF postage upon printed matter
ceedmgly low, when compared with the letter rates The
average postage letters estimated about three dol
lars and sixteen cents per pound and newspapers
pamphlets at about sixteen cents per pound After the
reductions proposed the average inland postage letters
will be about So 50 per pound when not prepaid and
81 SO per pound when prepaid.
The reductions in postage now recommended will, if
carried out reduce the of the Department for the
first three four years. At the end Of that PERIOD the
of the Department. under the reduced tariff Of
postages will probably again equal its expenditures. To
meet the deficiency which must follow this reduction the
surplus already accumulated may be first applied
and after these shall have been exhausted an appropriation
from the Treasury will be required unless Congress shall
deem it expedent abolish the existing privileges of send
ng and receiving free matter through the mails, to
the annual appropriation made to the Depart
nent for the conveyance Of part of such free matter to
equal the that would be derived there
rom, if all free matter were charged with postage
The continuance of the franking privilege privilege
which may be properly considered the privilege of the
constituent rather than Of the be die
lated by enlightened public policy and required by the
public interests and the may be said of the privilege
possessed by newspaper proetors of sending and recev
ing exchange newspapers free of postage But if these
privileges continued, it is respectfully submitted that
this Department should be paid for the conveyance of the
matter sent free under the by appropriation from the
public Treasury rather than by the private CORE
spondence OF the country. If equal to the postage
which would be charged all free matter, were it
chargeabe with postage should be annually appropriated
and paid to this Department is believed that such appro
pration and the accumulated surplus would en-
able the Department to sustain ITSELF notwithstanding the
proposed reduction that the appropriation required would
be so uncomfortable as to nepose serious obstacle to
the adoption of the measures recommended.
In reduction Of postage shall be made, it is sug
gested that should only take effect from and after the
3oh of June next that it may go into operation at the
commencement of the fiscal This is desirable
for the purpose of enabling the Department present the
fiscal results Of the reduction with ceaness and accuracy
in future reports and also for the purpose of giving time