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

keys and stamps mail depredations and
special agents, clerks for Offices (of post Ia
masters and miscellaneous items, with
124 per cent added, (such expenses
cessarily increasing with the increase of
mail matter transported) ,767, 967 60
Amount added to the usual annual cost of
mail ockssand keys by changing the same $4,000 90
list Of post Offices 10000 90
Cost of postage stamps - $4,000 90
Total estimated expenditures for the current
year 81, 12s, 44s So
These expenditures are to be by the balances
standing to the credit of the Department the receipts
from postages and the appropriations made by the acts
Of the Sd of March, 1847 and the 81 of March, 1851
These will be than sufficient to meet the expenses
of the current fiscal year. but further aid from the Trea-
sury will be required for those of the succeeding year
The of postmasters for the two first quarters
under the act of March last will be settled by the
Auditor and the aggregate of their receipts reported be-
fore April May Until the accounts for two quar-
ters at least settled reliable estimate of the
venues of the current year can be made is believed
however, that the whole amount which it will be necessa
to draw from the Treasury in aid of the revenues de-
rived from hostages, will not much exceed for the two
years ending June 3d. 1853 that which would be collected
upon matter free, if such matter charged with
the ordinary rates of postage.
carefully prepared report from William A. Bradley,
Esq., postmaster of this city, and which is hereto annexed
estimates that the free letters and other free matter sent
the first day of July last if chargeable with postage at the
rates then in force would have yielded the amount OF
$780, in addition the actual revenue of this De-
partmcn and that if charged with postage Mt the present
rates the amount would have been 81 1876, 920
1t will be remembered that this does not include the
free letters and other free from or received at
yearsin which there is Presidential eecon) the free
matter sent from the Washington post office is much less
than in the year when that election occurs. Nor
does it include the free circulation of weekly newspapers
in the counties of their publication the free crcua
ton of newspapers magazines and other periodicals by
way of exchange between publishers all the free mat
ter now carried in the mails charged with postage
even at the present rates. from million to two mil
lions of dollars would be added annually to receipts
from hostages.
In my annual report recommended certain reduc-
ed rates of posage under the operation Of which, it
foreseen large deficiency of revenue for few years
would occur 1t was supposed that if those rates
adopted the accumulated surplus to the credit Of the
enues of the Department and annual appropriation
from the Treasury equal to the postage at the usual
rates, upon the matter then Free would be required TO
meet this deficiency and would be nearly quite su
ever only partially adopted by Congress in the
the act of March g. 1851
The rate recommended for ordinary inland letter post
age adopted but six cents when prepaid and ten
when unpaid made the single rate of letter postage
to California and Oregon instead Of twenty cents re-
commended The rates Of postage most printed matter
reduced much below the rates recommended weekly
papers allowed to circulate free Of postage in the
counties Of their publication; and the free exchange Of
newspapers, periodicals. &C. was greatly increased.
The reduction in the rates to California and Ore
gon will greatly diminish the revenues from that
statement of the Auditor shows that the number of
letters received and by the New York. New Orleans
and Chagres line during the month of September 1850,
112 O85 and the postage thereon $44, co. and
that the number of letters received and sent by the same
line during the month of September 1851, 1884
and the postage thereon under the reduced rates, only
$12, 85481.
1t was supposed that the reduced rates Of postage
printed matter recommended in my report would diminish
dollars per The rates adopted, with the free
circulation Of weekly newspapers within the counties
where published and the very great extension Of the p
vege Of free exchange between publishers WILL it is be-
lieved diminish that at least FIVE hundred thou
sand dollars per annum unless the quantity of such mat
ter be increased more than is now anticipated.
Notwithstanding this diminution beyond that which
would have resulted from the adoption Of the rates
mended change in the present rates Of letter posages
deemed advisable.
It was recommended in my last annual report that uni
form inland rates without regard to distance should be
established on newspapers and other printed matter 1t
was Immediately urged that the postage recommended
would be UNEQUAL and unjust and that newspaper
ried Fifty miles only should be charged with the
postage rs one carried twenty-five hundred miles. The
force Of this objection felt by this Department and by
Congress- and the experiment Of numerous rates. gadua-
ted according to distance has been tried From the
suits Of this experiment am satisfied that there should
be than two at most three, different rates OF
inland postage on sent 70 actual ana bona nae
ed matter including transient newspapers should be re-
duced in number and nearly assmated to the ord
nary newspaper rates It is difficult 70 assign sumclent
for charging upon such periodicals the reviews,
the numerous magazines and theological medical andaw
journals more than three times the amount Of postage
charged for the distance equal weight of news
Such periodicals less ephcmcra than the ord
certainly not less beneficial in their
influence The rates Of postage, according to their
weight would be Just and equitable would simplify the
accounts Of the Department and relieve it from the per-
pexng and often nvdious duty Of discriminating between
different publications, and declaring one newspaper
and another not newspaper, in where little differ
can be perceived and where changed character
Of the next number Of both might render It proper in
aspect to such numbers to reverse both decisions
The Of postage all printed matter can be rem
dered more uniform and less complex BY tho adoption of
suitable ratss without eliminating, very materially the