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


to small compensation, say to the amount OF
two mills, Tor about p cents per quarter for a
weekly paper,) Tor delivering from his office to
subscriber each newspaper not now chargeable
with postage
Ihave the honor to be very respectfully, sir, your
J. w. FARRELLY, Auditor.
Hon. s. d, HUBBARD, Postmaster General.
The attention of Congress should, think, be
called to the fact that although the sixth and
seventh sections OF the act of Sd March, l85l-be-
fore reer red to-providc that neither the compen-
sation of postmasters nor the ordinary extension
of mail service should be diminished in conae-
auence OF any diminuton of the revenues result
ing from that act, no provision was made for the
protection of the rights and interests of large
class of persons employed as contractors on spe-
ciaI routes, and as mail messengers, whose com.
pensation depends upon the amount received from
hostages at the Offices supplied by them.
There are not less than two thousand Eve hun
dred persons employed in carrying the mail for the
net proceeds Of the Offices supplied, limited, how
ever, in every case, to certain sum equal to that
paid for similar service the public routes in the
came section. ...#. ...../
On few of these special routes the amount COL
ected is more than sufficient to pay the contractor
and considerable balances remained to be applied
to the ordinary expenses OF the Department; but
on a large portion of them the amount received
under the old rates of postage insufficient to
pay the compensation allowable for his service.
Upon this class of contractors the reduction Of
hostages operated with great hardship, and every
| allowance 10 tue pOsttnu5tcTs nus btu
further diminished the fund, which alone ca be
applied to the payment OF the contractor. -.
On the 25th of March last the Senate adopted o
resolution by which the Postmaster General was
requested to embody in his next annual report an
swers to numerous questions embraced in the re-
solution, relating to the business of this Depart
lent and its receipts and expenditures under vari
Gus enumerated heads far the fiscal year ending
30th June, 1852 .... ...,.. ...
Much of the information sought by these ques-
tons could not be furnished in the form desired
masters nor from the books OF the auditors Office.
in which the accounts Of this Department are kept.
Neither could it be furnished with perfect accuracy,
for the whole year, in any other mode than by
prescribing to postmasters, before the commence
ment of the year, new form OF accounts to be
kept for this object, in addition to those now re-
quired from them; and as nearly three months OF
the year had elapsed before the passage OF the
resolution, II was obviously impossible to overcome
this difficulty. DESTROYS, however, to comply as
far as possible with the request Of the Senate, the
the Auditor for this Department Immediately on it's
receipt, and desired him to adopt such means as
remained in his power for collecting the informa.
ton called for. -.
BY correspondence with postmasters at the prin-
cipal offices, and from the accounts returned to his
office for settlement, the auditor has made Tin
cases when perfect accuracy could not be obtained
estimates, which deemed reliable, and has thus
been enabled to furnish, in the annexed report,
answers to most of the questions referred to.
The whole number Of paid and unpaid letters
which have passed through the post offices Of the
United States, during the last fiscal year, was
95, 100 524
OF those passing to and from places in the
United States, exclusive of California and Oregon,