Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-04-09
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER.
REDUCTION OF OCEAN POSTAGE.


President in the chair, Mr.. G. W. YAPp, Core
al Postage Association read paper on the propos
ed reforms suggested BY the Association, OF which
the following is an abstract:
There are few subjects perhaps Of interest to larger
number Of people than that of postage. 1t cannot be
said to be exclusively commercial literary, or seen
tfc question 1t appeas to all classes OF society whe-
ther engaged in commerce, literature, or the arts II ap-
peals feelings well to our interests II IS
matter which deeply the manufacturer aud the
merchant and it is no less interesting to all who are
united by ties Of affection sympathy to others nom
whom they are parted by distance.
Facilities of communications Of all kinds are sure tests
of the progress of civilization and Of the development OF
the resources of country Seventy years ago the mails
were carried through England horseback at the rate
of three and half miles hour, and when Mr. Palmer
(tc Rowland Hin of that day. proposed the establish
eDt of the mail coach system the post ofce authorities
of the time thought that the pace was quite as fast
was requisite and could the OF fastening the
mails.
The mail coach system, however, established, not
wthsandng the authorities and there were few things
that Englshmen were much prouder of than the mail
coaches which, few years afterwards, ran in all drec
tons from St. Martin s-e- Grand.
used to be a week. month, reaching the remote
parts of our own country and cost 3d. flies there
while we are in bed, and costs US but one penny.
Mr.. Rowland Hills proposal to establish IN place Of
the varying scale then III operation uniform charge OF
penny for single letter, irrespective OF distance, was
az first received as the dream enthusiast and met
with rs much ridcue rs applause.
The idea was new, at any rate it was new to the
public and the project laborcd under difficulty which
fortunately no longer exists. No positive data then
listed by which the soundness of the scheme
we have the benefit of the experience which has resulted
from the working of the penny postage system, and
advocate cheap and uniform colonial and foreign postage
ON the grounds of the great and immense nation
al advantage which have followed the adoption of the
system in this country.
To form any notion of the effect of penny postage is
necessary to take glance the post Office previous
the alteration of the system.
By reference to the third report of the postage
mitee of 1928 will be that for seventeen years
previous the inquiry although the population and trade
of the country had been increasing rapidly the revenue
of the post Office had been nearly stationary in fact
from 1915 to 1923 it had been the decline; the gross
revenue in the former year having been e. $780, while
in the latter il only reached TO e2O7l ,503.
At page eleven Of the above report is return show
ing that in years ending with 1887 the income
had only increased G60S27, 3s per cent per
The twelve years of the new system exhibit results
which contrast remarkably with the above The gross
of the post office in 1870 the first year Of the
penny postage, 81 ,359 400 that of 1851 81 42 1861
an increase of very nearly 100000 year, and larger
total by thousands than had before been OBJ
taiuel from postage
To complete this slight sketch of the growth Of the in
of the post office it must be noted that very lrage
proportion of the expenses OF management is caused by
the newspapers amounting in lS4g to co. 0G0 which
pass through the post without contributing any thing TO
the funds of that department
The $3.50 Sg collected in newspaper stamps ought in
fact be carried TO the credit of the post office.
1t quite impossible exhibit by figures what cheap
postage has done for the trade aud of the
try or to estimate the influence which it has exerted
Qrf p1nn I'm EhG
all those great aud important items which together con-
stitute civilization.
Some idea of these effects may, however be derived
from the fact that the number OF letters which passed
through the post Ia 1888 under 000 while last
year they amounted TO about 400 100000.
But we are not confined to country for proofs
of the Importance Of cheap postage. Nearly all the CT
viized world has followed example either entirely
in part. France, Spain Belgium Prussia Holland and
Bavaria have all made great reductions in their postage
charges. Russia has for years established uni
form rate (equal to about 4d Of money! the
whole extent of that enormous empire. The United
States charge halfpence for single letter for any
distance exceeding 1000 miles; and find by the
report of the Postmaster General that the number OF let
has increased from "a 900 in 1913 TO 100000
in 1850.
In our own possessions in India reduction equivalent
TO about fifty per cent. made in 1889. The effect of
this reduction, find by the report Of the commits
sioners appointed by the Government at Calcutta TO in
qure into the subject, TO increase Of the
number Of letters during the first of 100 cent
Since the establishment Of the penny postage in the
United Kingdom the internal trade Of this country has
greatly increased also has export trade and TO
an extent not contemplated by the sangune pecu-
lators The exigencies of this multiplied commerce have
been partially met by the establishment Of ocean steam
ers which have practically reduced the distance, and
strengthened the ties between US, colonies and our
neighbors and it has been for time the opinion
of practical that the principle of low and uniform
postage charges equally applicable to ocean as to in
land postage and would fapped TO foreign and cooni-
al correspondence produce similar results TO those which
have flowed from its adoption in the former case.
With this object in view association was formed
within these walls in 1851 including the representatives
of many foreign nations the Great Exhibition, which
had shown to enlightened men Of all nations how much
each could learn Of the other and Of what vast import
it all obstacles to free communication
After mature consideration of the to be pursued
the Association, looking at the greater difficulties which
stand in the way Of alteration Of foreign postage
rangements compared with colonial and feeling that
example in such matters is infinitely effcacious
than precep have resolved give their attention for the
present 10 that portion Of the subject which relates
possessions abroad
There is another and important circumstance
also which has helped to this decision, namely the
traordnary emigration which is carving 900 of
countrymen daily from shores TO the antpodes
Such migration is without parallel in history, aud the
growth of the colonies towards which this vast tide of
human beings is directed Is equally unprecedented
colonization unparalleled calls for extraordinary
means Of correspondence, and nothing be Of more
importance in cementng the interests of the colonies
the mother country than such postal system shall
make the cost Of letter mpediment TO its being sen
upon the trng OCCASION not only by the merchan
or tradesman but by the poorest emgrant just ande
on the Australian shore by the anxious mother, wife
or sister Of him from whom the separates theT
r.. rnnr