Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1851-12-06

tnued or diminished, in consequence Of any dminuou
OF the revenues that may result from this act and Il
shall be the duty Of the Postmaster General to establish
new post Offices and place the mail service ON any new
mail route established, that may hereafter be estab
hshed, in the manner though this act had NOT
passed" And there having been large surplus to the
credit Of the Of the Department at the time OF
the passage OF the act it would have been the
intention OF Congress that the Postmaster General should
continue and increase the service the extent
II the old rates of postage and large annual increase in
the revenues had continued BY adopting this rule the
expenditures of the Department for the transportation
the mails must be increased from ten to fifteen per cent
per year. If the wants and interests of the country
quire it, unless other rule for the Of the
Department be sanctioned by Congress.
The other expenses of the Department 1.-THE principal
items of which the compensation Of postmasers and
their clerks necessarily increase ut nearly the
the business of the Department and its receipts for
postage when change in the rates of postage
The usual compensation of postmasters, being COM
mission calculated ut certain per cent upon the
hostages collected at their Offices increases in nearly the
proportion the Since 1876 the average
increase in hostages and in the business of this Depart
ment has been about thirteen per per year. During
the present fiscal year the receipts from hostages may
exceed two-thirds the amount received last year, while
the abors of postmasters likely be increased from
fifteen to thirty cent in consequence of the increase
IN the number of letters and Of other maiable matter
under the reduced rates of postage and the free delivery
OF newspapers in the counties OF their publication as pro-
yided by the act Of March 8, 1861
by the sixth section of that the Postmaster General
authorized in his discretion increase the commits
sons to postmasters in certain Ii desirable
that this authority should not be exercised until the
for the last quarter far adjusted and
tied to enable the Department to make reliable
estimate Of the amount be derived from hostages in the
present fiscal year. But the anxiety of postmasters and
the desire of the Auditor to fix the of commits
sons allowable to each postmaster at the time of settling
his accounts for the quarter seemed to render it exped
ent to FIX the of allowance before tho oetoaont of
those such settlement could not be
completed in less than three months after the expiration
of the quarter
An order therefore made on the Goth day Of Octo
Der last, Of which the following is copy
Increased Commissions to Postmasters."
Numerous applications having been made this Depart
ment for the allowance Of increased commissions postmas
of An act reduce and modify the of postage in the
United States and for other purposes approved March
1851 and having been clearly shown that in most the
abor of posmaste have been increased and their commits
sions reduced by the operation of said act
ordered That whenever the Auditor of the Treasury
for the Post Office Department shall have satisfactory proof
by affidavit otherwise that the abors of postmaster
have been increased and his reduced provided
for by said he shall allow credit such with
commissions according the following rules, to witt
l Where the commissions of such postmaster for the fs
cal year ending Both june 1851 did not exceed fifty dollars
the same amount Of commissions aloced for that year, 10Th
tey cent added thereto shall be allowed and credited
to the postmaster for the fiscal ending June 49, 1852
3D. Where the commissions of such postmaster for the fiscal
ending 30th june 1851 exceeded fifty dollars and did
not exceed hundred dollars the of
sions ao,ed for that year. oh fifteen per added thereto
shall be allowed and credited the postmaster for the fiscal
year ending 30h June, 1852
3D. Where the commissions of such for the fiscal
ending 30h june 1851 exceeded hundred and did
not exceed five hundred dollars the of conmis
sioas ato~ed for that year, m tcelre and half per cent
added thereto, shall be allowed and credited the postmaster
for the fiscal year ending 30th june 1852.
4h Where the commissions of such postmaster for the fiscal
ending Soth june 1851 exceeded five hundred dollars