The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-04-24

if possible 10 conform to the list Of prices demanded.
There are scarcely two hand bread bakeries that pay
the same rates, and the journeymen now wish to
tablish uniform rate Of wages.
The coal passen and Aremen employed on the
steamships Of E. K. Collins at present in port have
received the advance. Their demand, we believe,
has been conceded to in nearly every case, and all
those who were last reported as having been on .
strike have returned to their work. The fremen OF
the river boats have not been entirely successful
but among those, we understand, the strike was not
general.
See the presentment of the Grand Jury in another
column. They investigated the recent lamentable
occurrences at the City Prison, and wound up their
labors by presenting the prison as q nuisance.
To-days inside pages contain interesting historical
sketches of the formation, difficulties intrgues, &C.,
of the cabinets of the different Presidents Letters
from Paris and Boston Notices of New Books Call
for the Southern Commercial Convention to meet in
Memphis on the 5th Of June; Advertisements, &c.
Our Postal Arrangcments-PostO Once Reform.
Mr.. Postmaster Campbell has applied the
bosom to the Augean stable he has undertaken
to cleanse His attention has naturally been
directed in the first instance to the outdoor
department. Regulations which must produce
increased regularity, cheapness and despatch in
the transmission of letters to foreign countries,
are the first fruits Of his labors. These have
| been followed by new arrangement with
| Great Britain, rectifying the careless blunders
| of the late postmasters, and repeating tax of
two cents hitherto imposed on newspapers
mailed in this country for foreign parts. Thanks
to the upright dealing Of the British postmas-
ter, the reform, so far as our government is con-
cerned, will be retroactive as well as prospec-
| tive; the illegal charge which Messrs Hall and
| Hubbard have complacently paid over for the
last two or three years to the British exchequer
will be refunded to our treasury. But no re-
stitution can be made to those who paid the two
cents in the first instance to the post Office
here they must be content with the assurance
that they will be cheated no more. Even this,
however is q great boon. Let us, in view of
what our postmasters have been, congratulate
ourselves on the accession to power of one who
seems honestly bent on doing his duty let us
cheer him on. SO that ere his zeal flag, the i'm
provements which the people have SO long de-
manded in vain may not once more be post
poned.
Far be it from us to underrate the impor-
lance of our foreign postal relations. OF i'm
mense moment it is assuredly that they should
be commensurate with the progress of our
trade, and the development Of the worlds
mind. But we candidly confess that, to our
thinking, reform is less indispensable in that
department than in our domestic post Office
Irregularities in the former aflict the mer-
chant, the traveller, and the emigrant only.
Irregularities in the latter are keenly felt by
US abby the mechanic as well as the mer-
chant. by the native-born citizen as well as the
foreigner-by the widow as well as the wealthy
real estate owner. Postal delays are sure to
cause an amount of mental suffering which can
ter that is lost or mislaid in the ofces-and hum
dreds miscarry daly-infcts heavy load Of
anxiety and sorrow on some one. And though,
in comparison with these considerations, con-
venience and economy seem trifiing matters,
they can by no means be overlooked by any
of our public departments with credit to the
country. We rank it among the most conspicu-
Gus of the petty miseries of life in these United
States that the convenience of post Office is
not brought to every mans door, and that he
is constantly in danger of being overreached
| at subordinate Offices. In London or Paris i'm
proper charges are unheard of-one can mail
ones letters with perfect safety at the nearest
corner, and the reply is brought to ones own
door in few hours. A sad contrast does our
system present
But whether Mr.. Campbell concur or not in
our estimate of the paramount importance Of
our domestic postal arrangements we are per-
suaded that he is well aware of their ineficiency
| and that he will set about reforming them at
| once. In this persuasion. we take leave to offer
few suggestions which may serve salutary
purpose.
The first abuse which will meet his eye will
| probably be the slow and irregular rate at
which the mails are transmitted. We have on
various occasions given publicity to cases of
fragrant enormity in this respect cases
which we have no reason to believe
were exceptional. In one. letter from
Washington took three days to perform
the journey to New York. In others, letters
from Albany were INDUCED with snooze Of
twenty-four hours somewhere on the way.
Letters from Canada spent three or four days
en- route; two OF three mails came together,
and not unfrequently a mail bag was mislaid
and lost sight Of for a considerable period Of
time. Similar cases have been published in
every paper in the Union and we are bold to
say we could, if necessary. ell column with
specific statements of like nature. But so no
torious fact may quite dispense with evidence
Any man who takes the trouble to brush up his
en- memory, and inquire of his acquaintance
will ascertain that it is by no means unusual
for passengers on the great mail lines through
out the country to travel twice and three times
as speedily as the mails. Business men are SO