The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-01-05

evils incident 10 this operation are too freoIent
ds,riouuon ana consequent unnecessary expense
and delay. Originally, the regulations Of the de-
partment contemplated two distributions on each
transmission to distant place-for many wears
past but oDe-bnt IN fact, they occur frequently
I In many cases as 10 absorb almost all that renans
Of The postage OF the letter, after taking out the
delivery commission. The cause of these evils is
obvious II is much easier to mail the letter To the
next distributing Office, which is well known, and
20 on, along The whole route, than 10 find the
ultimate distribution circle to which the office ad-
dressed b. longs; and the avdty TO swell the com
mission fund encourages the practice. But this is
not The worst On being detained TO receive a
distribution mailing, the letter in ninety nine
out of hundred loses lis coDnexicn with the out
going mails, and serious unnecessary delays are
thus uccasioned. In d former report, / showed
that distriaution" is obsolete in other countries
and entirely unsued TO the present state Of our
mails. But substitute scheme for forwarding
mails for the purpose of guiding them 10 distant
places IN The right channels, by positive regulation,
is Indispensable To effect the change, certain
notifications Of tho present law, and provision for
genng up and putting in operation the new plan,
VIII be ne cessafy
! Let distribution be abolished upon all except
| sea going mails. Issue written Instructions, or
rather partly written and partly printed, to every
post office in the United States, how TO bag its
! matter, and the matter Of other Offices passing
/ through il, 10 every other Office in the United
States, The chief portion Of which could be stated
in said instructions, under the names of States, or
| by counties in the States. What is here stated IA
so brief Il space, would be work of great labor,
| requiring tor its execution the best and most
| minn'e knowledge Of mail arrangements and the
course OF the mails that the department possesses,
10 be aided by personal consultations with the prn-
| cipa postmasters in all parts of the Union. On a
line between Two given Offices. the intermediate
points, where the routes JOIN each other, that give
the most direct course would be specified as bag
| ging points Retain one foot of your compass on
one of these extreme points, ard shift the other TO
new point on the circle and you will see that
new intermediary points OF connexlon present
.ly NJ Ja.c ,hxl
will require new designation of bagging, or for
uard,ng Offices, i'll the selection OF which il is ini-
poriant 10 consider the frequency of their supply,
lie speed, and connexions, and the probable
amount of matter in filing bag. Apply this illus
uation 10 the whole net work of our routes, and
consider how various are the directions by which
The mails traverse them, and some idea may be
termed how multfanous must be the instructions
which This scheme Of bageiDg md forwarding will
II qure Ii would take year To get them up,prsbably
mere, aud The tD,ire appropriation OF an ofcer 10
the task To be uniform and perfect, il should be
the work of ore mind throughout; and il would
amount 10 the greatest practical reform ever intro
duced into the operations Of the service. Under
this system, every letter would be mailed direct.
The account of mails sent would show Tin a
colgmr inserted FOR that purpose) to what office II
was baggtd. That Office W. uld forward il towards
iis des,ina,en by baeging it 10 the office TO which
it Ii instructed to bag such matter, and thus II
wsuld proceed from one baggipg or forwarding
point 10 another, TO the post office addres
I here would be no delay, as in distribution, at
, 'Eese forwarding points, because there Is nothing
10 DO but TO shit the package from one bag to
another, agreeabIy 10 the specific regulation And
with how much less clerical force in the otfce
c0ud this process be performed, than the compii-
cuttu operation of opening the mail, re sorting the
Letters, re moliing them with new post bills and
new entries in the accounts. and re-wrappng,
WING, and baggina il, And then the copying of
these Nu luminous distribution accounts, and the
lttof and trouble of their settlement, are dis
pcnset with The saving in clesh hire will
h. very great, and the business in all
m, Gets be better done. The accounts can be more
easily checked when they are confined exclusively
Ia The mailng aud receiving once, alj the trace
oi letters through the mails, in Of loss can be
n ade with Tar more certainty than now. The
large ohces VIII object, on account OF the loss OF
The distribution commission; bat the necessity of
II will, in great measure cease, on being relieved
at The distribution work The force employed on
il cGn be dispensed wth. The labor Of mailing
tie uauer originating at the large offices will,
doubtless, he greater than now, as mails will have
10 b. DIV .ded mo a greater number OF packages;
but n Il increase Will be small in comparison with
the distribution work that Viii he discontinued III
mtre clfTh hire is necessary than what the delivery
ru'tsionr viii ray for, il will be better aud safer
70 submit he matter TO the Postmaster General, 70
order such additional clerkships, and pay Tor them
oi ths general fond, than incur the lish.,y TO
he abuses which You 80 well know the rreseat
sy-l.ni h. suhectto.
The tine has aisved when i becomes a press
ing du,y To simplify aud economise the operations
Oi h. pcst otces. Congress viii, doubtless, re
cuCe the rttes of postage vagt increase N the
numttT ~ letters viii be the consequence, and 4
gtsSt ihCr, Ele OF business III the hindliag and
Churpe Of these letters, in the processes Of reCeiv
irc mailing, dehvt ring, and accounting. Duties
that can be dispensed ~ith, like those OF distribu-
tiuu, should ae abolished, in order 10 apply The
iortt occupied hy lAem io more necessary ltbors,
The uBdersiaHed u satisfied, from tsi1l OF iouf
teen years. th8t the business 81 the Contract Of.
ice, iaithfuib performed, deyoyeg on the officer
ab0 has a IN charge, what. o. tne lowest estimate,
nd on fair rompari-on, nmOrnis 20 double task.
Relief would be afforded, 10 exie1i, without
ipIuIy 10 the Gbiic service, ny establishing agents
- the different atcticne OF the United States, OF
con srondiug functions with the English Surveyor
~ Posts, "a take charge rf certain matters of mail
arm remtnf in has section, N which personal oh
seiN NttOn on The tpaf, ~ beneficial, and make the
contracts subject TO cont gmsiion ~ the Posi mas
~ General. On the nicnor class OF routes This
mpht b. effected - some mod hcatinn of the
lreseat srecial ogtnciss, and some alterations in
he Iw.
Il would aford siil fur.bcr relief cud give more
ftahluy aud efficiency 10 the service, Il the dufa.
iivu 0t the contracts wac Tfgultted as n tle Eng-
lsh mad service. slGsiead OF tcrminaung abso-
luel at Tie expiration ot four years, ltt the con-
trUCg continue over tevCnd The lime set unless the
tps''utn' or the contractor gives six mohths no
ice q intention to deternnrc a. on thlt day, with
power to either, by ike notice given At a certain
pcftiUr of the year, q reterminc on subsequent
dty Wherever conireCis we're mg'aa'lI sansfac-
tory in her terms, aud well eriosmtd, they would
ooEtuuD over, and taus greatly moderate those r.
vCiU'igus in the service that succeed each annual
II 'int md yciinusiy disturb, FOR several months,
each eatCn Of the Jron, once iu four years, with
he dttebRttntnfa incident 70 change og coura cts.
Believing that gcsiage viii De reduced as low "a
i con h., shou of Cuau,butng fIoia the publ c
eatury 10 the cost of tfanrpotiag private cores
rtr ncp-so low ss 10 tc relieved from that por-
TIN "a the present charge which prevents t~e full
Use "a he nnails aud which "a, besides, tax inn
r,sed 10 dtfay The expense ~ certlin measures ~
lunl,C rclicv, th't the public at arge shorld sus-
tain, and not the Tosiage payer exclusively
| refer 10 ths expected measure m COnnec.
tcn with the subject ~ Improvements N
he pr'c nance OF poet office business do
"a 20 urge he importance ~ having unform rate
uf Irstare free from all exceptions tbs, would IN
tsiifYe viii the simplicity of The accounts, ~ that
tls eI tss in the pest bill and the accounts may he
made eolry by The number ut rates, counting
double letter as two, and 50 on. There might be
ole rate for unpaid, srd another (io bn le's) for
rtid leuets; for The entries Of unpaid end paid
ICstsre rust 81 course he separate There mieht
he = seraraie rate for Newspapers, because thcv