Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-12-17

Do do lS47.......... o2?,2lS 90
Do do lo4S............... 76ls34 90
Do do lS49................. Sl9, 0l6 20
Do do lS50................. 9l9, 485 "a
DO do lSol.... ,035, 100 %
The act Of March s. 1861, provided scale OF post
ages newspapers periodicals. and other printed mat
ter graduated by distance and while il greatly reduced
the established by the of 845 publications
issued to regular subscribers it increased the
transient newspapers and other descriptions of printed
matter. Under this graduated SCALE which found
exceedingly inconvenient in practice owing to there
being less than six different rates of postage regu
lar newspapers according TO distance the from
printed matter, which had amounted ST. 0S5 1870 80 in
the year ending June 80, 1851 sunk in the year ending
June 80 1852, to $3.50 4636, being decline of S245
SS4 3d. or 235 per cent
In order to remedy the inconvenience postmasters
and the public arising from the charging OF postage
printed matter by distance, well as to simplify the
rates such matter generally, the amendatory Of
the act of 1851, to reduce and modify the OF post
age" &C., passed on the S0h of August 1852 take
effect the LIST Of October following; but this act still
further reduced the rates OF postage printed matter
that the three quarters of the fiscal year ending Both
of June 1853 amounted to less than the three
which Immediately preceded them by the sum Of $780,
lS4.47 being reduction below the on printed
matter produced by the oct OF 1851 OF than 80 per
cent. This great reduction is mainly attributable that
provision in the act Of August 1852 which requires only
half the regular rates Of postage to be paid
and periodicals when payment made quarterly
in advance, either ut the Office Of mailing delivery
The net Of 1851 does not thus far to have
swered the expectations of its friends but while such has
been its effect upon the revenue the expenditures of the
Department particularly for transportation, have been
very much increased
Whilst from 1912 TO 184e, including the sum Of
1885 692 paid in the latter year for foreign service the
cost Of transportation in part owing salutary
changes made in lS45 decreased in the Of 403 $780,
since that time it has gone very rapidly increasing In
the year ending 30h june 184 the transportation the
mails cost the Department the of So, 407 II
in the year ending 30th June, 1850, the sum of
n in tbn puIIn lime
49, 53S O65 Ga in the year ending Both June, 1852,
S42253l1 2S and in the year ending Both June 1858,
the of 81, 906, 30S 05 being increase of
81 pa IL for transportation alone since the act of
1851 went into operation.
The commissions allowed to deputy postmasters by the
9th section Of the act to establish certain posroads,
and for other purposes, approved 81 March, 1853 have
proved insufficient at several Of the distributing Offices to
defray the expenses indispensable to their efficient ad
ministraton SO inadequate, indeed, have been the
commissions which accrued at of this class of offices
that the posmasters, besides being obliged to forego
their compensation have been brought in debt for
expenses absolutely necessary to be incurred in the pub
lie service.
This of things is unjust the postmasters alike
unjust to those upon whose fidelity and diligence they
must rely for the performance of the and respon
sbe duties of their Offices and cannot be permitted TO
continue without serious public injury To remedy this
evil, would respectfully recommend that Congress
store to the Postmaster General the discretion confded to
him by the 9th section of the act reduce and modify
the rates of postage approved March g. 1851 that he
may be authorized to allow postmasters at distributing
Offices such sum, in addition TO the commissions nj
lowed by law, will be sufficient to defray reasonable
and necessary expenses and that the auditor be au
thorized under the direction of the Postmaster General
to credit the account of postmaster of distributing
Office with such may be found necessary
to defray the expenses of his Office from the 1s April
1883 or from such time thereafter he became post
master
While this power should thus be given to meet exigen
ces that may arise in particular class Of cases. abun
in rival aho
Of the hostages be withdrawn from the the
General Post Office. But great relief be afforded
the Offices by simplifying their operations and lessening
the amount of labor they require For instance,
prepayment OF postage made absolute, how much time
and labor would be saved in filing up the post b and
how much more in the business of collecting postage and
keeping the accounts
development Of important bearing on the interests
Of this Department has TO my notice in observing
the operations Of the act Of 1851. large amount Of
letter correspondence passed through the mails chiefly
from the cities and principal villages at but post
age per letter, whereas three cents when prepaid and
FIVE cents when unpaid the uniform rate for letters
contemplated by that great of reform The let
tiers referred sent at twothrds less than letters
generally becausethe body of them is printed ltho-
graphed instead Of being written In every respect they
are letters and the purpose of letter correspond
but advantage is taken of the provision Of law in
regard TO printed circulars and they mailed land e
gay oo) under that provision. need not point out its
effect in reducing the and disappointing expec
tatons in the working Of the owpostage measures
need show how vital the difference this provision makes
between our experiment and that Of England the in
justice undersigned indeed in relieving class of letter
writers Of twothrds Of their postage and imposing
others.
The Postmaster General expresses his intention Of pro-
vdng additional safeguards by checking and preserving
the postbls Of protecting the Of the Depart
men and Of tracing letters missing from the mails.
The amount of postage stamps sold during the year
ending June 80 1852, ST. 316 5000, and the sales
during the year ending June 80, 1853, amounted to
500 962 H. leaving in the hands Of postmaSters
sold Sl9s, G0j.7l.
Ii is estimated that the expenditures Of the current
fiscal year ending June 80, 1854. will amount to
SS,7lG,60l. The estimated means within the control
Of the Department ~ ,558, 1870. Leaving de-
fciency June 80 1854 Of ,84.30; of which the
Of S545 belongs to the fiscal year that ended June
80, 1853, and the remainder to the present year
The cost Of the service for the last fiscal year on the
several United States mail steamship lines and the
lsthmus Of Panama is rs follows
New York to Liverpool, Collins line, twenty.six
Voyages.'....' 900 90
New York, VIA Southampton, to Bremen, eleven
New York. via Cowcs 10 Ha,re twelve voyages so 900 90
New York and New Orleans TO Aspinwal, twenty
nine voyages including twenty. four VOYAGES be-
tween New York and New Orleans via Havana SO 90
Astoria, vim San Francisco, &c, to Panama, TWEEN
ty-nine voyages between San Francisco and Pm
mama, and twenty -four residue Of line 346 ESQ 90
Charleston, vim Savannah and Key West to Ha-
vana, twenty-four So 900 90
New Orleans 70 Vera Cruz i've yoysges..... 1850 90
Aspinwhn TO Panama 853ll 90
sI905,jS7 80
The report Of the audor Of the Department shows
that the aggregate amount Of poages inland sea- and
foreign, letters and other nathalie matter received
hv H,ry