The New York herald., 1850-06-09
INTELLIGENCE BY THE MAILS.

WAsIIyc ros. June z. 1850.
Reduction Of Postages-Mr. Rask,s Rpovt ant
Bin.
Mr.. Rusk, of the Post Office Committee of the
Senate, has introduced report and bill on cheap
postages The bill provides the following rates -
Sec l. Half ounce letters, Two cents for any dis
tance within the United States, If prepsid, and i've
cents II not prepaid.
Sec Provides for boxes of deposite, and car
rers in large cities a, cent per letter, prepaid.
sec. . Newspapers same as at present. Hand
bills to be charged as letters
Sec. 4. F'anhiug privilege abolished Expenses
oi all Congressional matter 10 be charged to tho
contingent fund, and paid out Of Il
Sec. o. The Postmaster General To draw upon
The Treasury for deficiencies, KINDER certain lmta-
Ious.
From the accompanying report of Mr.. Rusk, we
make extract or two.-
That the postage arising the business cores
pondence oi the goYernment in all its branches should
be paid from the public treasury there can be
doubt; but the commlttee propriety in
making department. which WAS instltutei Tor pablic
convenience. and intended itself by its
resources. bear the pen-es OF the govern ment at
large The PAYERS of postage are M.
to the treasury in common with their fellow citizens
for the supp ort of the goyerument Thru Why IL may
be ked should they pay ali the postage uf the govern
mspt in the form of Thanking wheu the business thus
paid for has reference to th' or 1t has they
have already furnished fand out of which the neces-
sary expense Of correspondence connected with 1t
thould be paid. Tie commitue have taken great
pains ia collecting statistical information respecting
they may have fallen short ot absolute accuracy they
believe the Te'ults OF tar investigation to be
of the evil which it PRODUCES appear, that during
the 50th Congress there were frsnkei by members-
IiS~ss Iio"ss sDseeRs. dos%Pse'' 4i gIssiies' 5s
Senate documents. ......-.....:... 2jl,434 -
Senate speeches estimated by comp irison
with the House. .'..... ........... 2Vo,Doo
3lo727 lbs
There are two hundred and ninety members of Goa
gress and it s reasory,b be to snprose that they
ceve and frank stle"st thouaud l ttfrs zach during
two years; making IN the aggregatr Two hundred and
ninety thousand letters. postage OF 1--WE cents ON
onelaf and two cents the other halt would amount
to twenty-five thousand seven handred and MY dol
lars. In 16I5 the nail matter sent from ant received
at the executive olices amounted to ds- hundred
thou and sew en- hundred aud sixty seven dollars.
II Is proper to remark that. although different pc
riods referred in the above there
be serious dif, in 1919 the business could
not have been less than in 1915 and. therefore the
assumption the part Of the COMMITTEES Is likely to
be below rather than above. the ae ual am ount.
Nocasnal observer can be of the immense loss
TO the department occGsoncd BY the credit system,
and it btcomss proper for tine eommitts. to furnish
data by which the enormty OF thn evh may be esti-
They have caused inquiry to b. made ami have
Rscertained that IN the year 1873 the nuber letters
returned to the dead letter oflcs in Washington
million seven hundr,d thou-and ia 1919, there
were t. men one hundred THOUSAND and in the
present year. 1870 accord Dg 10 the same rate OF in
crease, there will be two million dve hundred thou
sand. or these one hith only paid Letters.
Taking the present year as the basis ri calculation,
there will b. two millions of uppad letters, tho
including advtr tisc uents, viii be about three
hundred thousgnd dollars TO which may be
Gldcd the expense Of six clerks to open them
six thousand dollar fhes. loses are exclusive of all
the labor Of r,maiDg and forwarding them TO wash
irgton With reference % the transpDrts stion by mail
Of moderate sized parcels 1t Is proper 10 state that the
present rates Of portaion by Messrs Adams Co.
express gents. follows To ST. Louis box weigh
ing three hundred pounds, 81 90 To Cincinnati So
TO Louisville. Kentucky So so ior which they take
the box TO the house or store and deliver without
additional expense.
IT, then books be this low by express,
there be why the Post Oiice Department
cannot afford 10 transport and deliver them at cent
ounce. which would be $40 he hundred pounds.
Persons the frontiers d. sirug books can send to
the large AtlaGtc cities and procure them, and have
them delivered at home Tor - small addition To their
cost and thus avoid the prices which they
are sold by the retailers sometimes quadrupls tho
amosnt Of the arst cost.
The following table shows the iition Il the de-
partmept during the years s!3 and iSi3 and proves
conclusiyey that the reduction which took place in
1si5 has, under the numerous Disadvantages
arising out of The credit stem and the frEnking pr
vtege, been ATTENDED BY the mot salutasy eonse-
Queness.-