New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-01-06
AMERICAN AND FOREIGN MAILS.
Report Of the First Assistant Postmaster
General.
Posr-OFFicE DEPARTMENT.. !
CoNTRAcr OrFIcE. Saturday, Nov. is, 1850.


contract year 1t represents the extent OF the
service as it stood at she close of the year by the
number of miles of annual transportation, the only
common standard TO which il can be reduced and
it presents the cost Of the transportation in the an
nual prices at which that service was engaged. 1t
NAV be well to explain, that, in the nature OF
things it gives results at higher amounts than
what the actual payments of the year, under the
notifications and reductions that take place
would show.
As compared with q like table made for the
wear ending June 30, ls49, it shows an increase
in the service of the last over the preceding year.
in ell acknowledgements length OF routes within
the United States by lO,9e9 miles-more annual
transportation thereon by the difference OF 1897,
354 niles-more aggregate cost on transportation
within the United States by the sum Of S2s5sll
more cost in mail agencies and foreign service
bv S54343-making the total increase oil cost
s35O.o54. That increase, from ls49 to 1850, is IL
7.lO per cent in cost, and 4'lO per cent IN ser
vice.
The mail service in California, and the triAing
amount in Oregon performed within the last con
tract wear, were too irregular and too lmpertecty
reported and understood at the department., 10 De
embraced in the annexed table.
On the 3oth June last there were $685. United
States m all routes in operation; there were 400
mail contractors; 100 route agents q Local agents
and 376 mail messengers. Table will show how
they-were distributed among the different sections
Of the service.
In respect to the current year, commencing l st
July last attention is called to the annexed table
marked c. 1t shows the annual prices, and the
extent of transportation at which the mall service
in the southwestern and northwestern section OF
- ,,lo cai der at
the last annual lettings, held in April and May
last for the term of four years, beginning with
the LIST July, 1850. quarters performance OF
this service has already expired. The last year
service in those States and Territories, 70 Wit
Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa,
Minnesota, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ala
bama Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and rex
as-was the last performed under the contracts
that expired on the 30th June, 1850, and sums up
at Il 36s. s9s miles of annual transportation aud
S943, 500 Of annual cost.
The new service now employed In those states
and Territories, and in operation since the lstJuly,
1880 stands at 24l $40 miles OF annual transpor
tation, and 81, 1901 ss of annual cost-more this
wear than last by l,s72,9i2 miles and S23o,oso'
Here is one item-the difference In cost oftrans-
narration between the old and new contracts, IN
one of the four sections of the United States, that
will increase the expenses OF the present over the
Pss e re:1i Of the last periodical lettings The
miscellaneous daily orders Of the Postmaster Cen
5 SsS sh ms seres the three other
sections ofthe Union, for the first quarter OF the
alter aden g b asa d 5ns line ss0
Tie placing OF the steam mail packet Franklin on
the New York and Hayre route, will add the cost - "a
ola hslfmonhly line, for about ten months 6@'oo
The service ia California and Oregon, SO far as OH
cialfy reported for the current year, is..:... oVHV
There is reason to believe that the actual
amount will exceed that sum. The service IN
California is yet in q crude and unadjusted state
No routes have been established wlthlnlt by Con-
gress until a very recent date. No mail trans
portation has been authorized, except the tempo
rary service to be procured by the agent created
by the act of August IA, ls4s. What has been
obtained has been for short periods and on brlei
notices, and at high rates. The agency placed IN
charge Of this anomalous service has changed
hands three times. At so remote and dlulcult
point of operations, beyond the immediate reach
Of orders and advice from the head of the Depart
ment and its other Offices, what is most needed IS
an adequate knowledge and practical familiarity,
on the part OF the agent, with the principles,
rules and mode OF proceedings IN the arrange
ments of the mail service, in the letting OF con-
tracts and other details and this is not to be i'm
mediately expected, if the necessary experience
is yet 10 be acquired. Sufficient time has not
elapsed to receive information from the agent last
appointed; ,,,,..r ,,,,,. ~, s,nerc,,ure 70 swell
the expenses of this year over those OF the last
but the amounts of them cannot be stated with
precision. The steamship Humboldt will be placed
in the New-York and Havre service, at the addi-
tional cost of $4,000 per annum, but at so late
date probably as to bring but small portion Of
the expense into the accounts OF this year lt IS
impossible to anticipate what will be the amount
Of the current orders for the increase OF the ser
vice. in the three last quarters OF the year. Put
ting il at due proportion, which would be quite
arbitrary TO the amount of like orders for three
sections Of the Union, made in the first quarter it
I IL ~ H.
only part of that amount would fall into the pay
ments made this year and circumstances in the
service may arise, to produce a very different
amount Of additional allowance.
By an act approved September 81, 1850, Con-
gress created 7s3 new post routes. One-sixth Of
them, in number, may be put in operation this
year. at q supposable cost, we will say of $4,000
per annum, fyetwelfths Of which only will come
into the expenditure Of this year. To put this
service under contract requires en- advertisement
for proposals, and public letting. In respect TO
those new routes that lie IN the New.Engl and, New
York, and middling sections, advertisements for
bids may be Immediately Issued, and the lettings
thereon held at an early day ia January next
This preliminary letting could not well be enlarged,
in order to include in it those of more distant
States without seriously interfering with the pro-
ceedings Of the great annual lettings, which this
year embrace the entire service Of the Southern
States, as later period would have to be fixed
to allow the legal notices to be given to the dis
tant points. Therefore, the new routes in all but
the New England, New.York, and middle sec.
tons, and in California and Oregon, will have to
be disposed Of to contract at the annual lettings
next Spring, and go into operation on the lst Ju-
ly, 1851. But in the meantime, temporary con-
tracts might be made whenever parties proffer
proposals for that purpose. This last proceeding
viii involve an additional cost beyond what is
above estimated, and the amount will be further
increased by the new service that the California
and Oregon agents may succeed in placing under
contract within the year
recur to tho new contract service of the eur
rent year-that of the northwestern and south
western States and Territories-to point out the
character OF its increase in cost and extent over
the old service ofthe same section. which has been
superseded by it, We pay on that section TWEEN