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

SUCH the distributing of to persons not
entitled to the fankng privilege the franking Off
cal letters which such; the the frank to
innumerabe circulars benefit of others than
the parties who frank them and tile rankng of letters
other persons, presented of the existing
abuses All these should, in my judgment be prohibit
ed by severe penalties, and conviction for such Of
fence should deprive the oendero ranking privilege
IL is also proper that the attention. of Congress should
directed to the fact that the penalty of FIVE hundred dol
lars imposed by the existing law is found insult
cient TO prevent the counterfeng Of Trunks either with
or without the assent of the person whose frank
terfeited. 9ssAM
Authority should be given to the Department to in
crease the compensation of its special agents California
ana oregon to an amount more nearly corresponding
with the general high prices of those sections These
agents. acting at points remote from the central ogan
cation of the Department necessarily be invested
with large discretion and implicitly relied upon for the
information on which the action of the Department in
respect to those portions of the country must be based
The highest salaries authorized to be paid are en-
rey inadequate and the services of competent
men assurances have been given that authority to pay
higher compensation for past well future services
would be asked os The early passage of an act autho-
sfzing the Postmaster General to allow them Just COM
pcnsaton for their past services and adequate salaries
for the future, is earnestly and urgently recommended
The Postmaster General should be empowered to
authorize the special agents in California and Oregon
specyey to receive open and decide upon proposals for
mail service and in the presence and with the aid
of such Postmaster the Department shall designate to
open the dead letters accumaflaed from time to time,
90
value and 30 return to the Department those containing
vaiuables, ander such regulations and instructions
may be desmed proper
An extension Of the building occupied by this Depart-
ment fohe better accommodation of its several bureaus
the AUDITORS Office, and the City Post Office recon-
mende in my last annan The reasons then urged
for such extension constantly acquiring additional force
The of the Post Office building now unreas asably
crowded will be entirely insufficient for the accom-
mediation Of the business Of this Department andof the
Auditors office. Indeed it is now and durin 1.-THE last
Ff0n1
the City Post Office, where the papers of thAators
Office exposed loss by fire and other causes Large
quantities, too, Of important papers, from necessity
packed in the halls and in the basement cellar of the
main building where they exposed ta mildew and
gradual destruction They should not be exposed
the loss Of the papers of the Department and especially of
the Auditor, would be public calamisy and would be
irreparabe respectfully ask that it be earnestly and
urgently recommended to Congress to take immediate and
eectual for the extension of the wing of
the present Post Office building for the erection of its
north front, as originally contemplated
The accommodations for the Post Office of this city
entirely unsuitable and insufficient Situated the seat
OF the National Government and appropriated chiefly
the correspondence of its various Departments con-
nualy visited by the representatives of foreign Govern
ments and strangers from every part of the world It's
present condition is only unsafe but decidedly scre-
dabe to this Department and the country. Some i'm
proyements made during tho hast fiscal year have afforded
partial and temporary relief from the evils before expe
rienced for want of but other arrangements of
credabe and permanent character should be made.
In my last annual report also recommended that the
laws for the government of the Department and its officers
which are numerous and complicated have been enacted
at different periods, and contain many obsolete and
ctng provisions should be revised An entire revision
Of these laws and the passage Of single act containing
all the provisions of law relating to this Department and
officers would give greater efficiency its operations
| Such revision is again respectfully recommended.
again renew the recommendation that the Assistant
Postmasters General be placed upon the footing in
to salary the Heads of Bureaus other Depart
cannot but regard the invdious discrimination
now made between these ocers-whose duties certainly
require equal capacity and whose abors admitted to
exceed those of officers of like grade in other Depart
mentsas homogeneous and detrimental to the interests
i of the Department. @
The increased business of this Department consequent
upon the rapid growth of the country and the extension of
its correspondence made it necessary in 1916 to assign
to the Chief Clerk of the Department the duties appropr
ate to the head of bureau. These duties have since
been greatly increased and it submitted that he should
have the official and salary corresponding with
his duties To bestow them would be to render but
Justice able and faithful officer who has served the
i Department long and well.
The foreign desk of the Department has become of
great Importance requiring more than ordinary capacity
labor for the discharge Of its duties isrespectfuy
suggested that authority should be given to increase the
compensation of the officer performing them to that of
principal clerk by adding $500 to his present salary
| The annexed reports from my First and Third As
sstants, will present useful and interesting details Of
the business their respective bureaus well show
the necessity for small increase of the clerical force of
the Department Believing that such increase required
for the dispatch of the business of the Department with
prompness and accuracy recommend the increase which
these reports suggest.
In conclusion desire again to acknowledge my oblga-
tons to the Assistant Postmasers General and the clerks
of the Department for the zeal and assduty manifested
by them in the discharge of their aborous duties and
especially for the cheerful willingness with which many Of
them have when necessary for the dispatch of the business
of the Department abored beyond the usual office hours
and in the discharge of duties not pertaining the desks
to which they had been assigned
N. X. HALL, Postmaster General.
To the PRESIDENT