Washington sentinel., 1853-12-15

Year ending June 3o 1885,. ........ .s6os, ,7G5 %
Do. do. 1876. ........... 630052 6S
/ Do, do. 1917. 6222lS 90
| Do do lSiS.. .......... 1884 50
| Do. do. lSi9.. Sl90l6 20
/ Do. do. 1850. ......... 9194S5 OIL
Do do. 1851. ~ 035130 50
| The act of March 3, 1851, provided new
scale OF postages on newspapers, periodicals,
and other printed matter, graduated by distance,
and while it greatly seduced the rates estab-
lished BY the act of lS45, upon publications
issued to regular subscribers, it increased the
rates upon transient newspapers and other de
scriptions of printed matter. Under this grad
uated scale, which was found exceedingly in
convenient in practice, owing to there being no
less than six different rates of postage on reg
| ular newspapers, according to distance, the
revenue from printed matter, which had amount
ed to $l,035,l30 80 in the year ending June
80, 1851, sunk in the year ending June 80, 1852
to $789,246 36; being decline Of $245,S84 SO,
or 23a per cent.
In order to remedy the Inconvenience to post
masters and the public arising from the charg-
ing of postage on printed matter by distance,
as well as to simplify the rates on such matter
generally, the act amendatory of the act of
1851, "to reduce and modify the rates of post
age" &C., was passed on the 30th August, 1852,
| to take effect on the lst Of October following;
but this act still further reduced the rates of
postage on printed matter, so that the three
quarters of the fiscal year ending 30th June,
1858, amounted to less than the three quarters
| which Immediately preceded them by the sum
of $220,l84 Al; being reduction below the
revenue on printed matter produced by the act
of 1851 of more than 35 per cent. This great
| reduction is mainly attributable to that provis-
ion in the act of August, 1852, which requires
only half the regular rates of postage to be
paid on newspapers and periodicals when pay
ment is made quarterly or yearly in advance,
either at the Office of mailing or delivery.
The act of 1851 does not seem thus far to
have answered the expectations of its friends;
but while such has been its effect upon the rev.
enue, the expenditures of the department, par
| ticularly for transportation, have been very
much increased.
Whilst from 1912 to l849, including the
sum of $255,692 paid in the latter year for
| foreign service the cost of transportation, in
part owing to some salutary changes made in
lS45, decreased in the sum of $4O3,5S9; since
| that time it has gone on very rapidly increas-
ing. In the year ending 30th June, lS49, the
| transportation of the mails cost the department
the sum Of $2,577, 4o7 IL; in the year end
| ing 30th June, 1850, the sum of $2 ,965,7S6 36;
| 063 GA in the year ending 3Oth June, 1852,
| $4225,3ll %: and in theyearending 3Oth June,
1853, the sum of $4,9O6,3OS O5, being an in
crease of $l,368,244 Al for transportation
alone since the act of 1851 went into operation.
| The commissions allowed to deputy post
| masters by the 9th section of the "act to es-
tablish certain postroads, and for other pur-
poses,n approved Sd March, 1853, have proved
insufficient at several of the distributing offices
to defray the expenses indispensable to their
efficient administration. So inadequate, in
deed, have been the commissions which ac-
crued at some of this class of offices, that the
postmasters, besides being obliged to forego
their own compensation, have been brought in
debt for expenses absolutely necessary to be
incurred in the public service
This state of things is unjust to the post
masters, alike unjust to those upon whose fdel-
| ity and diligence they must rely for the per-
formance of the onerous and responsible du-
ties Of their Offices, and cannot be permitted
to continue without serious public injury.
To remedy this evil, | would respectfully
recommend that Congress restore to the Post
master General the discretion confded to
him by the 9th section of the "act to reduce
and modify the rates of POSTAGE" approved
March 3, 1851, SO that he may be authorized
to allow to postmasters at distributing Offices
such sum, in addition to the commissions now
allowed by law, as will be sufficient to defray
reasonable and necessary expenses; and that
| the auditor be authorized, under the direction
of the Postmaster General, to credit the ac-
count of any postmaster of a distributing Office
with such sum or sums as may be found neces-
sary to defray the expenses of his Office from
| the lst April, 1853, or from such time there
after as he became postmaster.
L IL l. IL, Al :
meet exgiencies that may arise in a particular
| class of cases, abundant reasons will appear in
this report why larger share of the postages
cannot be withdrawn from the use Of the Gen
eral Post Office. But great relief can be af
forded to the offices by simplifying their opera
tions and lessening the amount of labor they
require. For instance, we're prepayment Of
postage made absolute, how much time and
labor would be saved in filing up the post bill,
and how much more in the business of collect
ing postage and keeping the accounts.
"A development of important bearing on the
interests of this department has come to my no
| tce in observing the operations of the act Of
| 1851. A large amount of letter correspond
ence passed through the mail chiefly from the
cities and principal villages at but one cent
postage per letter; whereas three cents, when
prepaid, and five cents, when unpaid, was the
unJO71m rate LOT letterS contemplated by that
great measure of reform. The letters referred
| to are so sent at two-thirds less than letters
generally, because the body of them is printed
or Autographed instead Of being written. In
every respect they are letters, and serve the
purpose of letter correspondence; but advan-
| tage is taken of the provision Of law in regard
to printed circulars, and they are mailed land
legally, too) under that provision. | need not
point out its effect in reducing the revenues
and disappointing expectations in the working
of the low-postage measure; nor need show
how vital the difference this provision makes
between our experiment and that of England,
or the injustice (undesigned, indeed) in re.
lieving class Of letter-writers of two-thirds Of
their postage tax and imposing it on others.
Soon after coming into the administration of
this department, l felt it my duty to inquire
particularly into the mode Of examining and