Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1852-01-01
NO. TX.



Report 81 tho Post Master Gsnefll.
AT the close Of the fiscal year--the 30th
Of June last-six thousand one HUNDRED
and seventy mail routes were in operation
at an annual cost Of 80, 42l, 754, Theto-
tai annual transportation amennts to s63.-
272, 1852 miles, Of which 8, 568, 707 miles
are done upon railroads, At an average cost
Of about eleven cents, Eve mills per mile;
:, 454 ,98z milss in steamboats,, 1t 1 cost Of
about eight cents, three mills per mile;
l9, 726, 588 miles in coaches, at a5out Ave
cents three mills per mile; and about 49,
52l 1915 in modes not specified, q about
four cents, eight mills per mile. During
the year, 5, 339 post masters ~ were ap-
pointed, Of which number only f,c9O
were TO supply newly sstablished ofhcss-
The entire number Of post Offices in ope-
ration Is Is, 1876; nearly I,70O were e.
ltablished, and 256 were disconsinusd
through the year.
The gross receipts Of The Department
for the year described in this report, were
So, 786, 493 p; Of which SO, 1868, PAP rs
were derived from letter (inclnding for
eign) postage and stamps sold, and 4,l,-
035, 100 89from postage on newspaper,
pamphlets, SC. With the proper deduc-
| lions, the ordinary revenues Or the year
stand al $6,55l ST. SO, being an increass
Of 1899 .O06 Al over the proper revenues
Of the preceding year. ~
The expenditures during the Same Pc
riod, were 6,278, 4Ol 68; but this in-
cludes pa, ment under an award. The
expenditures was SIS ,024 $50 78, show
ing balance Of receipts Of $703. 800 80.
| The cost Of transportation has been
largely increased. Increased compensa-
ton Of Post-masters is recommended nm
der the new law.
The total estimated expenditures for the
current year amount 10 $7,223, 448 SO.
The Postmaster General disappsoves
any further reduction Of letter postage,
and recommends that there shsuld be only
/ two or three different rates on nswspa-
pers; aid . less postage on the regular
printed matter. Locking At our entire
circumstances, the sparce population Of
! immense sections, and the extent and ex-
pense Of the area traversed BY eur mfil
routes, he concludes that we have, beyond
all question, the cheapest postage IN the
4 world.
! He approves the Collins line Of stean-
ers, and line from New York to Gal
way; recommends new penalties and res
\ trictions on express companies, and On the
abuse Of the iranking privilege.
/ An idea Of the amount Of free matter
sent from and received At the Washington
Office. may be formed from tho fact that,
for the two years ending in July last, this
branch OF the business would have yield
ed So, 240, $50 at the rates then in force,
or 81, 1920 at the present reduced
rates.
The concluding paragraphs relate to
the necessity Of increased post-ofice ac-
contradictions for Washington City, 10
revision Of the laws for the gov eminent
Of the Department, and the need Of plac-
ing the Assistant Postmaster General up
on the same footing in respect 10 salary as
the heads Of Bureaus in other Depart
ments.
SCENE AT WEsrEns DrpArlse So
Getty If il hadn't been for Mr.. Cris-
TOPPER Columbus" sid Snnbbs, Seen
sral Washington wouldn't have been born
but suppose he had, what then? What
did Washington ever do that was great
benefit to his country? There Is much
said about his talents for war. To be sure
he performed several mastery retreats,
but whats that evidence Of? Sir, il il
that he was . coward.
i s'Gen. Washington coward?' scream
ed Foster, the villsge doctor, 10 voice Of
thunder. General Washisgten cow
ard! who 30 base ~ dare sayil? Look at
him at the battle Of the Nile; look Il him
at Waterloo, the Cowpens, on the Plains
Of Maranthon, Il the Pyramids, a Still
mans Defeat, at Bad Axe, and, sir, look
I ut him at the battle Of New Orleansl''
4 s'General Washington ct the battle Of
New Orleans!'' exclaimed huge back
woodsman, gesticulating violently. s.Mr.
i Speaker, is there such ignoramcus in
the house? Sir, airy school boy know.
that the battle Of New Orleans was ft be-
fore General Washington was born. Let
| the gentleman read PlutarcA's lives, the
lives Of the signsrs 81 the Declaratisn Of
Independence, Or let him reed Ark
wright's History Of the Black Hawk
| War. and he'll find that General Dodge 1T
the bsttis Of .Esp OrIsans.n
A Nur ron 1HE GzoLcc1srs. - Hiram
De Witt, Of this town, who has recently
returned from California hrnslrhf nth