The New York herald., 1851-12-03

DsYssa0eak 40 skisay e b ssaibsd to ths No
49, Ss.ss.asnt, fsundsd under the osnstisutisl
The frUt Congress assenSlsd under our prsssus
consultation passed "An act for the temporary o.
tablshment of . post Office" approved September
y, l7e0. This act directed the appointment Of Q
Postmaster General, and was to continue In force
until the cad Of the next session of Congress. Un-
der its provision, Samuel Osgood of assac husetts
was appointed by President w ashington Post IN as.
ter General of the United States, and this wAs the
6rst appointment to that office; Thirteen other
persons have since been appointed Ofthsss there
were appointed from kentucky three; from Goa
necticut, Ohio, and New York two each; and from
Pennsyvanis, Georgia. Tennessee. and Vermont
one each.
The earliest reliable statistics of the General
Poe. Office those for the year 1870, when the
number Of post Offices was seventy'fve; the extent
of post routes ,675 miles and the Of the
the Post Once department can be traced in the
tables hereto annexed, marked B and G..
In connection with this brief reference to the pro-
gress Of the department, it may not be improper
partment materials for interesting history Of the
origin and progress Of our post office system and
that is intended if time be found to complete
the arrangement ofthem. to present these materials
to the Con gress in such form as viii, perhaps,
induce their preservation.
The cost Of transportation has been much TO-
creased within the last two years. The new con-
tracts, made under the letting for the northwestern
Of Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa,
Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Misss-
sippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas, and tho
Territory Of Minnesota, which letting took place in
April, lS50,) increased the annual cost of trans
portation from the lst day Of July, 1850, about
1926 900 and the subsequent failure Of bidders and
contractors, together with the new arrangements
usually consequent upon the change of service
which follows letting, added largely to the in
creased cost ef this service. The rates of such
increase we're about 10 45ths per cent in service,
and IS per cent in aggregate cost. Much Of this
increase is doubtless attributable to the unususl
scarcity and high prices OF the grains in that
section during the year 1850.
The new contracts for the Southern section, Gem
braclng the States of Virginia, North Carolina,
South Carolina, Georgia, and Fiorida,) which were
made under the lettings in April last, show an in
crease Cup to the Both day of September) OF 947,-
707 miles Of annual transportation, and Of SCI S4l
in the annual cest, the transportation and cost
under the contracts which expired with the 30th
day of June, 1851; being an increase Of about II
80 100 per cent in service and s7-loo per cent in
aggregate cost.
Erie rairoad of the railroad from Cleveland to Co.
lumbus, and Of other railroads in tho different sec
ticns of the Union; the establishment Of two daily
lines carrying the mail from Baltimore, by the way
cnnati the increase of mail facilities the routes
leading from the Atlantic cities to important points
in the West the greatly increased mail facilities on
the Ohio and Mississippi rivers and in almost every
proyements viii continue to add, largely to the OK
tent and consequent expense Of our NAL transporta
ton. The placing of the steamers franklin and
Humboldt" on the New York and Havre line has
foreign mail service, ehargeable upon the revenues
of this Department
Until the passage of the act Of March 8, 1851,
the increase in the cost of transportation occasoned
by the increase and extension OF the service, had
been been almost entirely within the discretion of
the head Of this department The act declares that
"no post Office now in existence shall be disoonti-
nued, nor shall the mail service on any mail route
in any Of the States territories be discontinued
or diminished, in consequence Of any dininutien Of
the revenues that may result from this act; and it
shall be the duty of the Postmaster General to o.
tablish new post Offices and place the mail service
hereafter be established, in the same manner as
though this act had not passed" And there having
been a large surplus to the credit of the revenues
OF the department at the tme Of the passage Of the
act, it would seem to have been the intention Of
Congress that the Postmaster General should con.
tinue and increase the service to the same extent
as If the old rates of postage and large annual
increase in the revenues had continued. By adopt
ing this rule the expenditures of the department
for the transportation Of the mails must be in
creased from ten TO fifteen per cent per year. If the
wants and interests Of the country require it, unless
some other rule for the government Of tho depart
ment be sanctioned by Congress
Tbe other expenses OF the department (the prin-
cipal items OF which are the compensation Of post
masters anu tnelr cierks) necessarily increase AT
nearly the same rate the busnsss of the depart
mert and its receipts for postage when no change
occurs in the rates of postage. The usual compon-
sation of postmasters, being com mission sA!cu-
lated Ut certain rates per cent upon the post1ges
collected at their offices, Increases in nearly the
same proportion as the revenue. Since 1876, the
average increase in postagee and ia the business Of
this department, has been about thirteen Ter cent
per year. During the prasent fiscal year, the 70
ceips from postages may not exceed two thirds the
amount received last year. while the lAbers Of post
masters are likely to be increased from fifteen to
thirty per cent in consequence of the increase 10
under the reduced rates Of postage, aud the FREQ de
livery ofnewspspers in the counties Of their pubhca
,ion, as provided by the act of March 3, 1851.
INCREASED COMMISSIONS TO PosTMAsrKss.
Numerous applications having been made to thi.
Department for the allowance Of increased commits
sions to possma authorized under certain con
disions By the sixth section of "An act to reduc
and modify the rates Of postage in the United states
and Il having been ole arly shown that in most case
tho labors Of pestmasters have been increased, an
their commissions reduced By the operation OF sal
| net
By the sixth section of that act the Postm aste
Gene al was authorized, in his discretion to increa
the commissions to post masters in certain
was desirable that this authority should not b.
exercised until the accounts for the last quartz
| were so far adjusted and settled as TO enable tn
| department to make some readable estimate Of tn
| amount to be derived from postages in the presen
fiscal year. But the anxiety Of postmasters an,
the desire Of the Auditor to 6x the amount of com
missions allowable to each postmaster at the tim
Of settling his accounts for the quarter, seemed Il
render IL e1pedient to fix the rate Of allowance be
fore the settlement Of those specially
such settlement could not be completed in less thar
three months after the expiration Of the quarter.
An order was therefore made on tho 18th day o
October last, Of which the following is copy
II s ordered, That whenever the Auditor Of tn
treasury for the Post Ofice Department shall kav,
sstisfactory proof, by adavitor otherwise, that tn
labors Of any postmaster have been increased an,
his commissions reduced, provided for by said act
he shall allow and credit such postm sster with com
missions according to the following rules TO wit =
ist Where the commissions OF such postmaster
for the fscal year ending 30th June, 1861, did no
exceed fifty dollars, hesame amount OF commission
allowed for that year, with twenty per cent adde,
thereto. shall be allowed and credited TO the pos.
master fer the FISCAL year ending June Both, 1852.
I'd. Where the com missions of su ,h postm astcr
for the fiscal year ending 30th June, 1851 exceeded
6fy dollars, and did not exceed one hundred dollars
| the same amount of commissions allowed for tha