Washington telegraph., 1850-01-02
From the louisville JoatruuL
REPORT OF THE POSTMASTER
GENERAL. -

|
How :he Sun procured copy of thi:
very important and interesting documen,
/ is not stated We make the subioinec
abstract of it;
The number of post-offices in the u
Suites at the close of the year ending
June 80, 1849, was 16,747; there have
been 921 established and 333 discontinued
within the year-makng an increase al
5SS.
The number of postmasters appointed
within the year ending June 80. 1049
was 6,333 Of that number. 2,7S2 were
appointed in consequence of designations;
1873 of DEATHS 204 of changes of sites OF
Offices; 2,103 of removals; IL of commits
sioDs expired and not renewed; 26 of COM
missions renewed: % becoming Presiden-
tia appointments, by income exceeding
| 81 ,O00 and 921 of new offices.
In 1045 important changes were made
by law in the postage and mail service of
the United States. One Of those changes
was a large reduction Of postage. An
other, and almost equally important one
to the pecuniary condition of this Depart
ment, consisted in directing all mail SER
regulation reduced the contracts of 1915
in New England and New York. the first
section let under that law, more than
$25O000. Another law o: 1915 was that
requiring classification of the railroad
service, and fixing the maximum price of
those classes. The effect of these laws
greatly diminished the price of mail trans
portation, and aided i'll bringing so soon
the expenses of the service within the
income derived from the reduced postage;
so thatnow, though the amount of service
is greatly enhanced, Its expenses bears no
corresponding proportion
The mail contracts, which are for four
years, are made one section in each year;
so that the whole service had undergone
The process OF reduction, under the opera
ton of these laws, in June 1913. There
fore, the condition OF the department Is,
as it was expected to be, found most
favorable to its expenses at the close of
the year ending June 30, lS49 The
actual cost of each mile the mall was
transported IN the year preceding June,
1912, wis eight cents aud Que mill, aud,
under the operation OF the laws OF l04o,
the cost per mile OF the mail lranspofta-
tions, in June last, was five cents and SIX
mills, making difference OF two and one
half cents per mile, being more than one
quarter
The number of mail routes in the u.
States, on the first day of July, 1S49, was
4 943 and the number OF contracts 4, 4,l9O.
The length of these routes was l67,703
miles
On these routes the mail was trans
ported 42,547 ,O69 miles at the cost OF
50 42S,515 which makes the average cost
of transporting the mail last year tive
cents six mills per mile. 10 this should
be added the transportation of the foreign
mail, by Southampton TO Bremen, and
the mall from Charleston and Savannah
to Havana and also the transportation OF
the mail across the lsthmus OF Panama,
all of which is done at the expense OF
this department, to The amount ol $780,
692
The gross revenue for the year, ending
June 80, 1919, amounted TO S4.9Oo,lIo 2S.
The expenditures Tor the same period
amounted to S4,479,127 l3. The excess
of gross revenue for The year is therefore
S426,l27 15 which added to S2bo. 900 90,
the sum remaining uneXpelded OF the
approprlatlons, under the aot OF she Sd OF
March last amounts TO S69l, ,6o2 TO-
This last sum is the amount OF the revenue
of the past year as yet uneXpended.
Owing to the Increase III the service
and the increased cost of transportation
on railroads, the cost OF carrying the mail
in New England and New York has been
increased, and the Postmaster General
estimates that the cost OF the service tor
the current year, ending June 30, 1880,
will be Increased $96,9Sl, also by the
cost of new routes ia other sections or
dered by Congress, $o7 1888, aud by ex-
tensions and Improvements ordered oy
this Department, about S20, ,0S3. TO which
must be added d probable sum OF SoO,UOo
for California. and sum to meet Otllef
contingencies OF $2oOOO. These addl-
tions to the expenses of The service OF the
last year will constitute the amount OF
the current expenses OF this year. Ihe
whole expenditures OF the service OF the
Deparrmeut for the current year is estl-
mated at S4,75O,13o 13
lO meet inns eApeHuiI"c' III
to the $780, 900 appropriated to pay tor
the franked matter OF the Department
the entire reliance is in receipts from post
ape. The Postmaster General says that
the effect from reduction OF postage mas
passed, and the two preceding years show
little more than the regular and haturai
increase keeping pace with the grown
of the country. The great increase %
last year was unnatural he ie'lei poo'
age for the year ending in June last SHOWS
an increase over that of the previous year
of Is 2-lO per cent, and the aggregate
;noraase from all sources is IA 10 per