New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-12-03


The receipts from letter postage fot the year pre-
ceding the reduction we're a. 660 al, and for the
succt edins yesr Only - - ,eOT being s-rsduc.on
Of ahcu, - per cent Tao letter postage for the nne
years neat preceding the reduction was $34.27l 1856
60. teing average Of $3.50. 992 - per year aad
ioT The five yeas next succeeding the reductions the
letter postage vas 81; 6ee,sl0 H. or $500 5is IA
pr Eesr. The increase from 1875 to 1880 IN the
postage q newspapers. pamphlets, &c. which had
nst beer reCucscl MAS S4s6 sos g. or about 70 per
| cent.
It Is true that the expenditures OF the Department
ter the ten yeaTs prior 10 the reduction OF 1915
cesdec lis revenues. and tbs. ITS revenues for lhe
issi i've years have exceeded ITS expenditures but
oeicfs tie act OF 1915 the Department, received
nothing for the free matter of Congress ard the De
psrtneD's Stree lsiS the Department has received
$!,i!s,lS 90 from the Treasury. which sum has
been included IN the statement OF its revenues ani
also tie further sum Of s725O00 appropriated by
congress 10 meet the deficiency IN ITS revenue
Which followed the act of isi5. The aggregate
tlnount OF these sums exceeds BY about SIS 900
the available balances to the credit Of the revenues
Of The Department on the 3Oth of June last, Il
should also be remembered that, by provision OF
the act OF 1915 the Postmaster General was required
70 accept the lowest bid which IN his judgment
cured the requisite certainty, security and CELEBRITY
the transportation o! the mall and that uader this
| rule the cost OF transportation was reduced from
S295S04 10 1915 30 81 81 40, IN 1919 although the
extent OF our mail routes WAS increased during that
period ficm li3 eie to l6,, 703 miles Ths contracts
Tor maui transportation are made for -Four years. and
one OF the four contract sections Is let each year
The whole service had, consequently, IN July lsis
undergone the process Of reduction under the Of
ls45 and the annual COS, Of transportation has from
| that time been steadily and necessarily increased.
vi" therefore be seen that the reduction of post
age IN iei3 was accompanied By great reduction of
thecoSt OF transportation, while 10 such reduction
can follow the act of 1851 On the contrary that act,
by the reduction OF postage printed matter, and
the consequent increase Of such matter IN the mSils
| Will add large IL 70 the cost OF transportation
In connection with these facts il should also be
remembered that the receipts from postage M Great
! Britain have been greatly augmented by the esIab-
! hslnent, sIce 1889, Of numerous lines Of ocean
sd ainerS, yielding large revenues the expense OF
| which lines Is rot charged upon the Post Office De-
| pu'ment Of tie United Kingdom. Great Britain
also collects considerable sum for transit postage.
| In th3S county. also, the receipts from hostages
have been considerably augmented by the establish
| uent OF lines Of ocean mail steamers, under con-
tracts wiki the Navy Department and with this De
paiment the present cost OF which, and the posia
gts thereon, sppear IN TINS report
The expense OF packet service foreign and inland,
paid BY the Admiralty, and not by the Post Office
Department an the United Kingdom is believed 10
have been f7Ol $50 l4s sd for the year ending Jan
usry S, 1915 while the amount PAD by the Post
Office Department. for the convenience of tho mails.
including riding work, and expresses by the Deputy
Postmasters of the United Kingdom, wages 70 mail
guards, other coach expenses, and tolls on mail
coaches, was only fil9l7s lis 2bd.
Since the date of my last annual report new con-
tracts have been made, after due advertisement, for
furnishing blanks, wrapping paper, Irvine. sealing
wax and marking and rating stamps for the use OF
the Post Offices OF tho United States, for furnlSalng
leather and canvas mail bags and pouches, malllocks
and keys, paper blank books and other stationery
for the use Of the Department, aad for tho printing
and binding required therefor Under these contracts
nearly all these articles will be supplied on more fs
vorable terms than under the former contracts.
contract has been made for the supply OF the pos
tage stamps authorized by the act Of March last.
These stamps are believed TO be OF superior quality,
and furnished at less prics than was formerly
paid. Some OF those furnished soon after the execu
ton OF the contract were found to be deficient In adj
hesive qualities but it is believed that there will be
ground for future complaint.
Directions for the destruction OF the dies and plates
employ cd in the manufacture Of the postage stamps
formerly used have been given. and for counting and
burning such Of the stamps as have not been lssuedto
Postmasters, or have been returned.
The streets, avenues, roads and public highways
OF the cities Of New York Boston, PhiladelpnE ana
New. Orleans have been established as post routes
under Tie 10Th section OF the postage act OF March s.
1881, and le,tr-carieTs appointed for the service
thereon. fit the intention OF Congress 10 transfer
the whole dispatch business of the cities 60 the et-
ter carriers Of the Department, further legislation
for that purpose is desirable.
Some weeks since agents Of this Department were
dispatched To the North and New Orleans, with the
view Of ascertainng whether the mails on the great
route between the States of Maine and Louisiana
might not he considerably expedited. The gre tier
expedition and therefore formidable competition OF
ocean steamers, running between prominent poins
on this line, seemed to render this a favorable mo-
ment for negotiations with the contractors on the
preseL; mail route. From the informalen obtained
by the persons thus sent along these lines, IS De-
eted that. II the contractors Will meet the wishes
Of the Department, the mail between this city and
an
that the time required between this city and New
York can be reduced to eleven hours aud that the
mails from The south leaving here In the afternoon,
may be delivered IN NewYork IN time 10 be sent east
TO hoston uorth to Albany, on their way 10 Buffalo,
and west, along the New.YOrk and Ere Railroad, by
the morning trains from New York. While pursuing
this object. effort viii be made TO preserve AZ
New.York close connection 81 the trains carrying
The mails which leave here IN the morning WIN the
evening trans which take such mails yond New
York
The liberal disposition ayowed by the contractors /
who have been applied TO- ard the general lberalily
of these net yet Consulted well az the s'rong IN
erest they all have in making the present tine more
rapid ana more satisfactory TO the travelling pubic,
would seem 10 usiIfy the hope that these Improve
neuts can be effected without lncdrrng an expendi-
ure dispropo TO the importance OF the object
10 be attained H. however, the negotiations now IN
DrolTess shall lead favorable result, the auen-
ien Of Congress VIII be called TO other feasible |
mCces OF expecting the great mails between the |
Eastern aud the Southern states.
The nect ssary orders have been made to charge |
falling bidders ard their guagsnt0rs the difference pc
tween their ped proposals and the amount when
the DEPARTMENT subsequently, contracts 10 pay Tor
The service specified IN such proposals rms Is re-
CURED under the provisions OF the 27ih section OF
the act of July 3D. 1896 which u Is believed VIII now
he systema'Icay and faithfully earned out. The |
Auditor reports that the sum OF so5,I62 80 was !
charged against failing bidders and their guaran!ors,
according 10 the provisions Of tina. act during the
last fiscal wear 4 large portion Of this sum was ,
charged for failures occurring IN previous years
Having ascertained rom partial examination oil l
the bones OF pOstmasters, tnaI the pehhIes Oh 'eIF
many OF these bonds were, IN consequence OF he ne
crease Of hostages insufficient for the security oil the
Department, and also that a large number OF theIn /
were executed a, a period so distant as TO render II
probable that the suIeti.s might be dead or nsoyent
an order was made requiring rev BONDS IN all cases
where the penalties were inadequate. or where the
bond had been executed for more than SIX years
More than s $50 new bonds were, under this order
prepare and sent out and nearly all have been eK-
anined, accepted, and registered
carefully revised and corrected lst OF 'ne post,
offces in the United States has been published and
distributed 70 the postmasters and other officers OF
the Department. On this revision. II appeared that
the numter Of post Offices IN the United states vas
somewhat less than that stated in previous report
frcm this Department
The laws sfCongress relating TO this Department,
It's officers and business, have been carefully comPL,