The republic., 1850-12-03
No. l46.

|
Will doubtless again engage the attention Of Con
gress at its approaching session; and, with an ear
nest desire that our rates Of postage may be re
duced to the lowest point that s prar rticable with
out calling for contribution from the Treasury
beyond what should be paid for the transmission
and delivery Of the official and public correspond
ence, recommend that the inland letter posta ge
be reduced to three cents. the single letter, when
prepaid, and be fixed at the uniform rate of five
cents when not prepaid; and also, that the Post
master General be required to reduce this prepaid
rate to two cents the single letter, whenever il
shall be ascertained that the revenues OF the
Department, after the reductions now recon-
mendcd, shal! have exceeded its expenditures by
more than hive per cent for two consecutive fiscal
years j also recommended that the postage to Cal
ornia and Oregon be greatly reduced, and that
the postage charged on other sea going letters be
made more simple and uniform. With the numcr-
Gus rates now charged-some with and some with
out the addition OF the inland rates-con fusion and
mistakes are frequent and unavoidable therefore
recommend that twenty cents the single letter be
charged on all correspondence to and from the Pa
clfc coast, South America, the eastern continent
and its islands, and points beyond either; and
cents the single letter all other goin letters
without The superaddition of inland posta gre, in any
case, excepting, however, all cases where such sea
posta ges have been shall be adjusted at different
rates by postal treaty already concluded, here
alter to be inade and power should be given to the
Postmaster General, by and with the advice and
consent OF the President of the United States To
reduce or enlarge the rates, with the view OF
making better postal arran gemens with other gov
einments. or counteractiDg any adverse measures
affecting our postal intercourse with other coun-
| tries.
also recommend that the provision which i'm
poses an additIora al haf-ce postage upon newspa
pers sent more than hundred miles and out of
the State where they mailed be repealed, SO as
TO leave the uniform inland postage newspa pers
sent to subsrcribcrs from the Office of public aton
at one cent each.
The postage upon pamphlets, periodicals, and
other printed matter, (cxcept newspapers,) may
be sImplihed and some what reduce ed with adyan.
ore tn he Depa rtp for
phlet or periodical of the weight Of two ounces or
less, and one cent for every addiu nal ounce. or
fraction OF an ounce, is recommended the inland
rate upon all pamphlets. periodicals. and other
printed matter; instead of the present rate of two
and half cents for the first ounce and one cent for
every additional ounce, or fraction of ounce.
For the sea going charge on such matter, and on
newspapers, vice the inland rate to and from the
points to which IT Is proposed that the letter postage
shall be ten cents, and four times the inland rate
where the letter rate is twenty cents, is deemed
Just and proper rate. This would, in some cases.
increase the postage on printed matter sent to the
Pacific coast and by other sea lines here the
postage Is not already fixed by postal arrangement;
but the postage TO California, g above proposed,
would hardly equal the price now charged by PR.
vate expresses for the conveyance of the
weight, In packages Of less than one hundred
pounds, to San Francisco
Ii will be perceived that the reduction proposed
in the postage upon printed matter is not large
The reason Tor the greater reduction Of letter post
age is found in the fact that the rates OF postage
|
| when compared with the letter The nvsras
postage on letters Is estimate at about three dol
lars and sixteen cents per pound. and on newspa
pers pamphlets at about 81 teen cents per pound
Alter the reductions proposed, the average inland
postage on letters will be about 81 50 prr pound
when not prepaid, and s so per pound when pre-
paid.
The reductions in postage now recommended
will, If carried out reduce revenues OF the De
partrnent for the first three or four years At the
end OF that period the OF the De partment
under the reduced tariff Of postage. will probably
| again equal its expenditures. 10 meet the def
/ cheney winch must follow this reduction the sur
/ plus revenues already accumulated may be fret
applied and, after these shall have been enhaustc
an Appropriation from the Treasury will be re-
quired, unless Congress shal ocenl il expedent TO
abolish the existing privileges Of sending and re
ceiving Tree matter through the mails, or TO in
crease the annual appropriation now made TO the
Department, for the conveyance of a part of such
free matter, to sum equal to the revenues that
would be derived therefrom, If all free matter were
charged with postage.
The continuance of the frankine priviIepe-a
privilege which may be properly considered as
| the privilege of the constituent rather than of
the r. preventative may be dictated by enlight-
ened public policy and required by the public i'm
terests; and the same may be said Of the privilege
possessed by newspaper proprietors Of sending and
| receiving exchange newspapers free of postage.
But II these privileges continued il s respect
fully submitted that this Department should be
paid for the conveyance Of the matter sent free
der them, by appropriation from the public
|
spondence OF the country Ifa sum equal the post
age which would be charged on all free matter,
were 1t chargesbIc with postage, should be snnu-
ally appropriated and paid TO this Department il i.
believed that such aspiration and the accumulated
surplus revenue would enable the Department TO
sustain itsel Notwithstanding the proposed reduc-
tion or that the appropriation required would be
ncOnsiderable 10 inerposc no serious obstacle ~
| the adoption of the measures now recommended.
! In case reduction Of postage shall be made, it
] is suggested that IL should only take effect from
I of lIlg fhati . Inf,
operation at the commencement Of the next fiscal
year This is desirable for the purpose Of blin
the Department TO present the fiscal results Of the
! reduction with clearness and accuracy in future
reports, and alec for the purpose Of giving time
| prepare the forms, instructions. and blanks, which
will be necessary in consequence Of the change in
| the rates of postage.
Any reduction Of postage is likely TO increase
the labor, and reduce, for time at least, the
pensation Of the several postmssters IL is there
! fore, recommended that power be given to the
Postmaster General 20 increase the rates Of corn
mission at the smaller ofbces, TO insure the
services OF competent and faithful officers.
The term ne,ospaper is not 80 fully defined by the
existing lavs upon that subject 60 enable the
Department 10 decide, without embarrassment and
difficulty, vbethera particular periodicals. is
/ 10 be deemed newspaper; and, though various
decisions in particular ceses have, at different
times, been made in the Department, they have
not relieved the question from perplexity and EN-
barrnssment.
There was manifest incongruity in the laws
! fstaDhsnlng thc tnfiOrnla steam ship lines, IN
! providing for conveyance Of the mails twice
month from New York, New Orleans. &c, TO
Chsgres, and a conveyance Of the came only once
a month from Panama north along tho Pacific
coastC
Soon after the close of the last session Of Con.
gress, my attention called TO this subject by
| memorial from the representatives in Congress
| from the State Of California and Territory Of Ore
gon, insisting that a semi monthly mail servi,e
should be regularly organized and performed on
/ the Pacific portion of that important route. The
contractors the route had air adv sofa vie ded
| to the complaints and wants Of the public. as to
take occasionally a second monthly mail, but for
want OF legal authority TO make comp nsation for
such service, its performance hsd never b. en-
! properly organized. II voluntary merely,
and only occssi NAL.
The action ofthc Department was urged in view Of
the pfovsions of the recent act Of Congress making
an Appropriation for actual mail service per ormed
or to be performed. by mail steamers, but did
feel st liberty to rnakean order which might divert
portion of that appropriation TO the payment Of
services not within the contemplation Of Congress
when the appropriation was made. Anxious, how
ever, 10 Afford 10 the State the requizite mail
fsciitice, an arrangement ~ns made with the con.
| =. 4, 49,. a