New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-01-06

~; orr H.yre line and over the railroads oil
Tranre 20 AK Ia Chapelle through proper post
a agreement with this Republic -....
10, the purpose OF pointing out an lmPorlah'
..form beg leave to refer to the fact that soon
.S,s- coming into Office, you discovered certain II
ragularites and abuses 10 that branchoi post once
business called Distribution OF Mh1s anu Vi
5ered most vigorous measures 20 correct 'uoh.
Certain Post-Ofices designated lot tns PulposSS
collect and receive the mails, 0otn IN iarse anu
sensrate packages, from various points, Tor par
ficulsr regions Of country and tnen ols1rlout9
Them 20 the small places 70 wnlcn tnSy arc az 80
dressed They are landmarks 70 'ne distant ",
Aces to guide the course oil thelr mans W ioySo
POINTS receiving them as they are maze up q. 1''e
rsiling office and remailiDg them with new
rnst bill and new entries in the accounts OF Mails
rrsce;ved" and of " Mails sent tothelr respective
destinat;ons For this service the distributing
Post Office receives commission Oh per ~
The ev,ls incident 10 this operation are, TOO ire
ona,t d;stribution, and consequent Unnecessary
exnense and DELAY. Originally, the regulations
oftbe department contemplated two distributions
on each transmits sion TO distant place-ior msuy
years past but one-but IN TACT tney oocur 80 III
Suently in many places as to absorb almost al
tbat rem aims Of the postage OF the letter aiter
taking out the delivery commission. Inc cause =,
these evils is obvious. IL IS mucn easier " Ia-
The letter to the next distributing ONCE "nlcn Is
well known. and so on along the wnoie ROUTE
,han 10 find ont the ultimate distribution circle 70
which the Office addressed belongs; and the avidlty
e. .yel, the commission fund encourages the prac-
tice But this is not the worst. On oelng ue'
4ained 20 receive distribution mailing, the ietLer
In n;natv nine eases out OF hundred loses It's
.n,nax;o, with the outgoing mails, and serious
unnecessary delays are thus oecssioned. IN
former report showed that distribution IL OBJ
solete in other countries and entirely unsQlted 10
the present state Of our mails BUT substitute
scheme for forwarding mails Tor the purpose Oh
guiding them to distant places In the right chan
1els by positive regulation is indispensable 10
eject the change certain notifications OF the pres
ept law and provision for getting up and putting
in operation the new plan, viii be necessary.
Let distribution be abolished upon all except
ses going mails Issue written instructions, or
rather partly written and partly printed, to every
Post Office In the United States, how to bag It's
matter and the matter OF other offices passing
through it, TO every other once In the Onited
States the chief portion Of which cOsd be stated
in said instructions under the names OF States, or
NV counties in the States. What is here stated In
40 brief a space would be a work of great labor
recurring for its execution the best and most
minute knowledge Of mail arrangements and the
course of the mails that the department possesses
20 be aided by personal consultations with the prn
cipal postmasters In all parts Of the Union. Ont
line between two given offices, the intermediate
points where the routes JOIN each other that give
the most direct course, would be specified az bag
ging points. Retain one foot OF your compass on
one OF these extreme points, and shit the other to
new point on the circle, and you will see that
new Intermediary points Of connection present
themselves upon the new line thus described, which
viii require a new designation of bagging or for
Wardug Offices in the selection OF which it is i'm.
portant TO consider the frequency Of their supply.
the speed and connections and the probable
amount of matter in filling bag. Apply this illus.
tration to the whole net work OF our routes, ana
copsider how various are the directions by which
The mails traverse them, and some idea may be
formed how multifariOus must be the instructions
which this scheme of bagging and forwarding will
require Ii would take a year to get them up,proba-
bly, more and the entire appropriation OF an officer
Iothe task. To be uniform and perfect, it should
be the work OF one mind throughout; and 1t would
amount to 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 lin
column inserted for that purposel TO what office 1t
was bagged. That Office would forward it toward
its destination by bagging IL TO the Office to which
il is instructed to bag such matter. and thus it
would proceed frora one bagging o: forwarding
point 70 another, to the Pest Office addressed
There would be no delay, as in distribution, at
these orw arding points because there is nothing
20 do but TO shift the package from one bag 70
another. agreeably to the specific regulation. And
with how much less clerical force in the Cfice
coulc this process be performed, than the comDh-
Gated operation of opening the mail, resorting The
letters remailing them with new post bills auo
new entries in the accounts, and rewraPPng,
tyire and bagging il Aad then the copying OF
these voluminous distrib alton accounts, and the
labor and trouble of their settlement, are dspens'
ed with The saving in clerk hire Will be very
great and the business "A all respects be better
done The accounts can be more easily checked
when they are confined exclusively to the mailing
and receiving office, ard the trace of letters
through the mails, in case of loEs can be made
with far more certainty than now. The large
Offices will object OF sscount Of the loss OF the
distribution work. The force employed on it can
be dispensed with. The labor of mailing the mat
ter originating at the large Offices will doubtless,
be greater than now, as mails will have to be divid
ed into greater number of packages but this
increase will be small in comp arison with the dis
tribution work that " i'll be discontinued If more
clerk hire is necessary than what the delivery
commissions will pay for, it viii be better and
safer to submit the matter to the Postmaster Gen
eral. 70 order such additional clerkships, and pay
for them out of the general T. adj than incur the
lioaiiiy 20 the abuses which you so we'll know the
present system is subject 20.
The time has arrived when it becomes pres.
sing duty to simplify and economist the operations
OF the post office. Congress will, doubtless, re-
duce the rate of postage. A vast increase of the
number of letters will be the consequence, and a
great Increase of business in the handling and
charge OF these letters, in the process of receiv-
ing, 0lng, delivering, and accounting. Duties
that be dispensed with, like those of distribu
tiOa, should be abolished, in order TO apply the
force occupied by them to more necessary labors
Ah@ dtIlul Vi iOuE-
teen ears, that the business Of the Contract OF
ice. faithfully performed, deyolyes on the officer
Whe has it in charge what, al the lowest estimate
and on fair comparison, amount to double task.
Relief would be afforded, TO some extent, without
injury to the public service, by establishing agents
In the different sections Of the United States Of
spending functions with the English Surveyor
of Pests. 10 take charge OF certain matters of mail
Arrangements in his section, in which personal OBJ
servston on the spot, is beneficial, and makes the
contracts, subject TO continuation by the Postmas
ter General, on the inferior class Of routes This