The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-12-11

1. Where the commissions OF the postmaster for
the year ending June 80, 1851. did not exceed
$50, the same amount Of commissions which was
allowed for that year, with 20 per cent added
thereto, 10 allowed him.
D. Where they exceeded $50. but did not exceed
8 100, the same amount, with Is per cent. added
thereto, is allowed.
3. Where they exceeded 3 100, but not = $780, the
same amount. with la per cent. added thereto, is
allowed.
4 Where they exceeded s 500, the same amount.
with 10 per cent. added thereto, is allowed; but the
commissions allowed to any postmaster (other than
at distributing ofhce) are not permitted to exceed
the hostages collected at his Office during the pc
Rod for which the allowance is made.
g. Where the office was not established until at
ter the LIST day of July, 1850. Sc, such compensa.
ton in addition to his legal commissions is al.
lowed the postmaster as will make his compensa-
ton equal, as near as may be, to the compensa-
ton of other posmasters in the same section OF the
country, &c
These various contingencies and conditions can
not be determined until the accounts for entire
fiscal year IRE adjusted. Commissions are, there
fore, computed by posimasters in their quarterly
accounts mainly according to the old rates of al
lowance; and the adjustment OF additional COM
missions has become, as it were, separate bust
ness, superadded TO the adjustment OF quarterly
accounts, and is devolved exclusively upon this
office. First, il audits and adjusts the quarterly
accounts of some twenty thousand postmasters,
and then, as the additional commissions are de-
pendent for their allowance upon no uniform rule
operating equally and applicable alike to all post
MASTERS but upon the facts Of each particular case,
it has, at the end of a fiscal year, to reoexamine
those twenty thousand accounts, to see which of
them are entitled, and in what proportions, to said
additional commissions. Postmasters, meanwhile,
not knowing what additional allowances may be
made them, are unable to determine how much
they owe the Department at the end Of each
quarter and at the close Of the year. Their &C
counts and the Office accounts necessarily disa-
gree, and, by consequence. some pay too much,
others not enough, and others, again. excuse
themselves from any payment Furthermore,
these Engagements produce confusion and per-
pJexity in settlements, retard collections. and re-
quire, in ex PLANTATION and removal Of the difficult
tes they create, correspondence beyond the abil-
ity Of the office to conduct with requisite prompt
ness and, although the most strenuous exertions
are made, with an insufficient force, to meet and
respond to the additional demands thus made up
on the office, postmasters complain, and with ap-
parent reason, that their letters not duly an
swered. ... .. .... s., H..
Another evil is, that the additional labor thus
thrown upon the Office has interrupted and retard-
ed its current and general business to degree
that calls for immediate relief; and have hest
taion in saying that ii ia impracticable to continue
to adjust commissions in the manner at present re-
quired to comply with the law. The only efficient
remedy for these evils il the adoption OF the old
system of uniform rates OF per centage upon the
proceeds of offices depending on no condition or
discretion; and would respectfully suggest the
following a scale Of rates that should be adopted
and tried, viz:
Say, for an office collecting hostages to the
nj of q z 00O--