Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1852-12-15
REFoRr OF ruE rosrMAsrER-oENERAL.

The Postmaster. General reports that on the list
ult., there were 2l.t9 post offices IN operation, or
| 1896 more than were year before, with Sill
post routes, their aggregate length being 2l4,2S4
miles, and employing 5,2O5 contractors. The an
nIal transportation Of the mails on the routes was
81 985, 72S miles, at an annual cost of S3,939, 81,
being about ITO cents per mile; oftheSe 90, $780,
T2S miles Of Transportation, IL ,082 1853 miles
were required to be perfoEmed:upon railroads, at
cost of 81, 276,520, being about eleven and one
half cents per mile; ,353, 409 miles in steamboats,
at cost of 1906, 815, being about9 cents per mile
2O,698, $50 miles in coaches, at cost OF 8, 1885,
$780, being about 81 cents per mile; and $780, 62l
miles in modes not specified, at cost of Sl,929,-
$50, being about 4 $50 cents per mile.
The inland service, when compared with such
service atthe close of the p eceding year, as sta
ted in the last annual report from this department,
shows an increase of 1884 miles in the length OF
mail routes, of s, 7I3,476 in the miles of annual
transportation; and OF S51S,2lT in tie annual cost
Of transportation.
| Compared with the transportation and lis cost
at the close ofte fiscal year ending June 80, 1912,
| il shows that the railroad and steamboat service,
had increased in the ten Yeare 9l5 miles, at
nn increased cost of Sl,131, 1854, being about 294
per cent. increase in service, and LA per cent. in
cost; the coach service 1881, 1894 miles, at de-
creased cost Of 1911 1924, being about ten per cent
increase in SERVICE and thirty and one-third
per cent decrease in cost the service in modes not
specified 9,205,92S miles, at an increased cost of
1892 045, being about seventy nine per cent. in
crease i'll service and forty per cent. in cost. .1
| There were in operation on the 30th day of June
last, six foreign mail routes, Of the estimated ag
gregate length of Is, $40 mileS-the number Of
miles of annual TRANSPORTATION thereon is estimated
at $50, 4O6. The service on three of these routes
is under contract with this department, the annu-
al transportation thereon is estimated at s40O OOO
being about 81, 90 per mile. The service on the
other three routes is under contract with the Ma
Wy Department. The annual transportation there
on is estimated at ass, 1884 miles, at annual cost
of 81, 496, $50, Concluding the additional compen
sntion voted to the Collins Line a; the last session
of Congress- being about 1926 per mile.
To carry the mails across the lsIhmus of P Panama
cost last year S4S 0S9, or22 cents per pound, while
the amount received for such transportation did
not exceed cents per pound. 80
The Gust of ocean steamer service Tor several
years is thus stated: For 1913 it was $1,000, 500j
1s49 s4T4, ITO; 1880, S72l $50; 1881, SI,02S260;
10 81, S1,s95, $50.
The whole number of paid and unpaid l-tters
which have passed through the Post Office of the
United States, during the last fiscal year, was Co.
790,524.
The receipts of the department for the past year
have not been sufficient to pay expenses by the
sum of 81, 1871 9S6, 80, which must be provided for
by direct appropriation from the Treasury.
A further and larger appropriation will probably
be necessary TO meet the deficiency in the revenue
of the fiscal year, commencing on the LIST OF July
next. Oh at
The department has suffered from difficulties in
making arrangements with railroad companies, es-
is suggested that Congress, in the exercise of
its power for the establishment OF posroads, may
do something to remedy the evil.
The Postmaster General recommends that the
act fixing the compensation Of route agents indis-
criminately at $1,000 be repealed, and, the
head of the department authorized to graduate
their pay according to the value of their services
The Collins steamers have performed their ser
vices du.ing the year with perfect regularity, and
have alEays kept spare ship in port IN case OF
mishap. e86
The enlargement of the General Post Office
buildings, and of those for the post offices of
Washington and Philadelphia, isnecessary. The
plan Of cheap ocean postage IS condemned as an
untimely experiment, though the idea IS pronoun-
ced coed. Thanks for assistance in making the re-
port, are returned 10 Postmaster General Hall,
the Industry OF the suBordnates in the department
is commended, and so Mr.. Hubbard brings his re-
porto close. E0t l@t 80. 3'a@s
HEAVY DAMAGEs.-In the case of Benjamin NJ.
harrington and wife VS.. the New York and New
Havep Railroad Company, which action was
brought in the New York Superior Court, to reco-
yer damages for personal injuries sustained by Mrs.
harrington, in consequence of a collision between
two trains the 9Th of January last, the Jury rem
dered sealed verdict, yesterday morning, award
ing the plaintiffs $500.
SuIcIDT.-on Tuesday last, IN old man named
John Gittinga, living near Fork Meeting House,
Baltimore county, committed suicide by hanging
himself IN n ftaa H. went inf