Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1851-12-06
sl,ssS,7e4 Is. sad.

was e., 1870, 763 los. I'D.
And the expenditures 756,999 rs. Adj.
Leaving a nett revenue Of 81, 63S, 764 Is. 93d.
In 1850 the gross revenue only 2165349 lis DID,
While the expenditures were l,324562 los. lod.
Leaving nett revenue Of - es4O, 1877 o. IL Id.
Again. gross for the eight years. from 1882
to 1880 both inclusive, 18245 587 Us i'd, and
for the eight years next succeeding the reduction only
s13 843 955 IS. 84d-although the ranking privilege
abolished the adoption Of the penny postage and
the Government paid postage at the ordinary rates Inc
postage paid by the Government in lo47 amounted to
&l63 1855 Is. I'd. M a sg. ~
Our rates of postage newspapers pamphlets, &c.
not materially changed by the act Of l845 but the
letter postage was reduced So per cent? then
estimated in the Department
The receipts from letter postage for the preceding
the reduction So 660, 23l and for the succeed
ing year only So 881 607 being reduction of about "a
The letter postage for the nine years next pre-
ceding the reduction $34 93609 being an aver
age Of $3.50 $50 per year; and for the five years
next succeeding the reductions the letter postage
SIT 7lO71 or 49, 342 IA per year The increase
from 1916 1850 in the postage of newspapers pamph
lets, &C. (Which had not been reduced was S426
about 70 per cent.
It true that the expenditures Of the Department for the
ten years prior to reduction of 1885, exceeded its
nes and have exceed
ed its expenditures but before the act Of 845 the Depart
received nothing for the free matter of Congress and
the Departments Since 1916 the Department has received
458 1877 go from the Treasury which sum has been in
Guided in the statement of its revenues and also the fur
Their of 1925 900 appropriated by Congress to meet
the deficiency in its which followed the act Of
l845 The sums exceeds by about
the available balances to the credit OF the reve
of the Department the Both Of June last 1t should
also be remembered that by provision Of the act of l845
the Postmaster General required to accept the lowest
bid which in his judgment secured the requisite certainty
security and celebrity the transportation of the mall and
that under this rule the of transportation reduced
from So 504 in 1845 4O7 in 1849 although
the extent of mail routes increased during that
period from 43 $40 1877 08 miles The contracts for
mail transportation made for four years. and of
the four contract sections let each year The whole
service had consequently in July, 848 undergone the
process of reduction under the act of 1845 and the
nua Of transportation has from that time been stea
Oily and necessarily increased 1t will therefore, be
that the reduction of postage in 1845 accompanied
great reduction or the cost of ransportnton while
such reduction follow the act of 1851 On the contra
ry that act by the reduction of postage printed mat
ter and the consequent increase Of such matter In the
In connexion with these facts it should also be
bered that the receipts from postage in Great Britain have
been greatly augmented by the establishment since 1885,
of numerous lines of steamers yielding large reve
nues the expense of which lines is not charged upon the
Post Office Department Of the United Kingdom Great
Britain also collects considerable for transit postage
In this country also the receipts from hostages have been
considerably augmented by the establishment Of lines of
mail steamers under contracts with the Navy De-
pertinent and with this Departments the present cost of
which, and the hostages thereon appear in this report
The expense of packet service foreign and nand paid
by the Admiralty and by the Post Office Department
In the United Kingdom, is believed to have been
G701 $50 14s 3d. for the year ending January s. 84S
while the paid by the Post Office Department for
the conveyance of the nails including riding work, and
expresses by the Deputy Postmasers of the United King
DOM wages to mail guards, other coach expenses and
tolls on mail coaches, was only e4l9,1 78 It's 22d
Since the date of my last annual report contracts
have been made after due advertisement for furnishing
blanks, wrapping paper twne sealing wax, and marking
and rating stamps for the of the post offices Of the
United States for furnishing leather and mail
bags and pouches mail locks and keys paper, blank
books and other stationery for the of the Department
and for the printing and binding required therefor Under
these contracts nearly all these articles will be supplied
favorable than under the former contracts
contract has been made for the supply of the postage
stamps authorized by the of Marchast These stamps
are believed to be of superior quality and furnished at
price than was formerly paid Some Of those fur
nished after the execution of the contract were found
to be deficient in adhesive qualities but it is believed that
there will be no ground for future complaint. TIL }
Directions for the destruction of the dies and plates
employed in the manufacture of the postage stamps for
mery used have been given and for counting and burning
such Of the stamps have not been issued postmaster
or have been returned. aga .as
The streets avenues roads, and public highways Of the
cities of New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and New Or
leans have been established post routes uuder the 10th
section of the postage act of March B. 1851 and letter
carriers appointed for the service thereon If it is the
intention Of Congress to transfer the whole dispatch bust
ness of the cities to the ettercarers of the Department
further legislation for that purpose is desirable
Some weeks since, agents of this Department dis
patched to the North and to New Orleans with the view
of ascertaning whether the mails the great route
tween the States of Maine and Louisiana might not be
considerably expedited. The greater expedition and
therefore formidable competition of steamers
ming between prominent points this lne seemed to-
render this favorable for negotiations with the
contractors on the present mail route From the nfor
nation obtained by the persons thus along these lines
1T is believed that if the contractors will meet the wishes
of the Department. the mail between this city and New
Orleans can be expedited twenty-four hours that the
time required between this city and New York can
be reduced to eleven hours and that the mails from
the South leaving here in the afternoon may be delivered
in New York in time to be to Boston north to
York and Erie railroad by the morning trains from New
York While pursuing this object effort will be made
to preserve at New York close connexon the trains
carrying the mails which leave here in the morning. with
the evening trains which take such mails beyond New
York.
The liberal disposition avowed by the contractors who
have been applied and the general hberay Of those
not yet consulted well the strong interest they
all have in making the present line rapid and
satisfactory to the travelling public, would to justify
the hope that these improvements be effected without
mourning an expenditure disproporoned to the mpor
tance of the object to be attained. II, however, the
negotiations now in progress shall lead to favorable
result the attention Of Congress will be called to other
feasible modes Of expedng the great mails between the
Eastern and the Southern States. sH
The necessary orders have been made to charge failing
bidders and their guarantors he1derence between their
accepted proposals and the which the Department
subsequently contracts to pay for the service specified in
such proposals. This is required under the provisions Of
believed will now be systematically and faithfully carried