The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1854-12-15
G. F. NJ. holland,
PHILIP Fl. RAtFORD,
ALBERT PIKE.

Report 81 the Postmaster General.
There are in the United States 23.54S pos,
ethces. 1912 new Offices were established
last yea! and Ola discontinued. The total
transportation of mails is IS ,3S7 ,005 miles.
The increase in transportation has been %
per cent. The expe mixtures during the past
year have been SS.577 ,424 II; the revenue
S6,955 1886, %. The increase Of revenue of
the year 1854, compared with that of 1853, is
1910 1893 43, or about 10 per cent.
The Postmaster General treats at some
length the difficulties between the Depart
ment and the railroad companies concerning
the rate Of compensation for carrying the
mails. The companies think that Govern
ment should not ask them to perform any
service at less rate than that paid by indi.
viduas for similar services. The Postmas-
ter General says that he has always been
willing to recognize this principle. He al
so suggests remedy for the fraud committed
by irresponsible parties obtaining, by misrep.
resentation, mail contracts, and subsequently
throwing them up bee iuse they are unable TO
sell them al profit. The expenses of the
current year will be greater than those of the
last year. They are estimated at S9.S4l ,92l
33. A uniform plan of registration is re.
commended as a safe guard for the delivery
of valuable letters. During the three years
commencing July l, 1851, S5,5O7 ,O22 O3
postage stamps and stamped enveIo pes have
been ISSUED by the apartment, of which S..
OF .30l were sold.
For the last year the cost of the service
or the various United States mail steamship
lines, and across the Isthmus was as follows:
Collins line, twenty-six round trips, $lS3.
900; New York and Bremen. eleven round
trips, SlS3,333 20; New York and Havre,
eleven round trips, $l37.5O0; Asst ria and
Panama. via San Francisco, twenty-four
round trips, S34S,250; New York and New
Orleans To Aspinwall, $3.50. 900; Charleston
and Havana. $50 600; New Orleans to Vera
Cruz. twen!y-four round trips, $37, 900; As.
pinwall to Panama, Sll6,727. Total, S2,-
023,OlO 30. The Postmaster General thi ks
that the compensation now received by the
several lines OF ocean line steamships is too
large. The Nicaragua Company nave or.
fered to carry a weekly mail between New
York and California for $500 ,OCO per an
num-. The cost this year for a semi monthly
mail by the Isthmus route. is 1857 ,977 o..
The negotiations pending with Great Britain
rel,tiv. To tie admission of France into ar.
raugrment, as contemplated by the provisio
in The twelfth article of our postal con.
vention, remains the same as last year.
No postal convention has been effected
with Fr.nce; but one is about being made
with the Australia line of monthly packets
to convey mails regularly between New York
aud Aasir' liza. The rates on all out going
matter have been fixed al five cents letter,
two cents each tor newspapers, and one cent
al ounce for pamphlets and magazines
These rates embrace both the United States
/ land and sea postage. The fines aud de-.
duciions this year was S37 $40
The Postmaster General aIludcs TO the
delays and irregularities of The mails, Caused
by the manner in which he distribution OF
letters and newspapers is managed at the
various distributing post Offices. He says
h, is now engaged in revising and correct
ins "the schemes OF distribution" at these
Offices, which he finds very defective.
With regard To the post &c on newspapers
and periodicals., the Postmaster General re-.
commends the lnws 10 be so far altered as to
allow the Department to fall back on the act
OF 1925, the effect OF which he says will be
That quarterly postage on a weekly newsp-
paper or periodical not exceeding one and
half ounce, circulated in the State where
published (and in the same proportion for
more frequent publications will be six and
halt cents; and when not over three ounces
IN weight, sent to any part OF the United
States, thirteen cents quarter. The new.
papers 10 subscribers living in the county
where published will continue TO go free.
The present law he thinks, has reduced the
rates on the great bulk of printed matter al
together too low.
The Postmaster General concludes his re-
port by staining that the waste of mail bags,
which has hitherto prevailed to a great ex-
tent and formed heavy item in the expen-
dliures of the Department, has been checked
by "a better system of responsibility, and a
decrease OF twenty per cent. in the number
Of mail bags procured last year, as compared
with the present year, has been the crafty
ing result.