The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1854-12-06


dread every monarch that wcds his power defiance
of the laws of God and the rights of man.
POSTMASTER GENERALS REPORT.
We give this morning the annual report of the Postmas
General II is long ably and carefully pepared doe
umen and fail to excite feeling of admiration if
surprise its clear exhibit of the successful workings
OF postal system without parallel in the world for sim
pcity and extent For the convenience of the reader
make up the following abstract:
There 23,54s post offices in the United States; the
annual compensatons of 257 which 81 900 and
upwards During the last year s42 Offices established
and GA discontinued Number of postmasters appointed
during the same time s6ls Removals. 1871 Number of
mail routes, 6,697 Number of mail contractors 5l6T
Total annual transportation of nails zoos miles at
cost of S463oGI6 thus 81, 2676O3 miles by modes not
specified at per mile 2Os905 $50 miles by COACH
per mile I5433 3s9 miles by railroad at IL cents
mills per mile 5l954s3 miles by steamboat at
mills per mile Increase in the transportation during the
past year p per cent.
The expenditures of the department during the past
year $s,577424 IL, and the S69555s6 49,
To the former must be added $334s3 49, balances due
foreign Offices which would leave the total deficiency for
the year 1854 at S,755,32l 3D. The deficiency for the
year 1853 S2l707s 20eaying difference in favor
of 1853 of 1851 1866 The increase in the revenue of 1854
compared with the of 1853, is S97O399 4sor
about 10 per cent
The Postmaster General aludes at considerable length
to the difficulties between the department and railroad
companies relative the compensation for carry
ing the mails The companies he says allege that the
government should not ask expect them to perform for
it any service at less rate than that paid by individuals
mil rrin ha
always been willing recognise in the adjustment of
prices. What is required, he believes is that the
railroad companies should be paid according to the bulk
of the mails the speed with which they are conveyed and
the accommodations required The sums paid by express
companies fair criterion for as they are uninf-
enced by competitions they pay any price demanded of
them and assess 1t upon their customers England France
Germany and Canada pay less to railroads for mail SER
vice than is paid by the United States Complaint is made
OF the insufficient accommodations general rule for
routeagens Aluson is made to the habit of rresponsi-
BILE parties obtaining by gross Misrepresentation mail
contracts and subsequently throwing them up because of
failure their part to sell the same at profit rem
edy for this fraud is suggested
Owing to not within the control of the DEPART
ment the expenses of the year win greatly exceed
those OF the past year They estimated at S9s4 49,
This increase will be owing the additional compensation
of posmasters and the enhanced prices demanded by
tractors al the last lettings.
\ uniform plan of registration is warmly recommended
additional protection for the safe delivery of letters
of value. The want Of such safeguard has long been
felt and as the cost of IFS maintenance will fall directly
upon those who will cheery bear the expense we see no
good reason why it should be incorporated into our
postal system of its principal features
During the three years commencing July 1851 S55O7-
o22 o3 postage stamps and stamped envelopes been
issued by the department, of which 5000 sol were
sold.
For the last year the cost of the service the various
United States mail steamship lines, and the sthmus
was as follows Collins line, twentysx round trips $685.
000 New York and Bremen, eleven round trips Sls3
90; New York and Havre eleven round trips Sl3T5OO
Astoria and Panama via San Francisco round
trips S348 $50; New York and New Orleans Aspnwall
S2saoOo Charleston and Havana, $4,000; New Orleans
to Vera Cruz twenty -four round trips $4,000 Aspinwa
to Panama, Sll9,T27. Total S2o23,Olo 90
The service performed by the several lines Of mail
steamships treated at large The Postmaster General is
opinion that the compensation received is large
and that the present system is calculated drive off p
vate competition He also states that the Nicaragua
pany have offered to carry weekly mail between New
York and California for the of 100000 per annum
which he thinks is the highest rate of pay which ought
be demanded The cost this year for semi-monhy mail
by the isthmus route, is $757,s77 03.
No progress has been made the last report in the
pending negotiations with Great Britain relative to the
admission of France into the arrangement contemplated
by the provision in the 18th article of postal
ton No postal convention has yet been effected with
France: but one is about being made with Mexico
Arrangements have been made with the Australia line
of monthly packets convey mails regularly between New
York and Australia. The rates all outgoing matter
have fixed five cents letter two cents each for
newspapers and for pamphlets and mag
aznes These embrace both the United States inland
and postage.
The fines and deductions during the past year amount
to SllOts6. The amount for the previous year
S37,92O
The appendix which accompanies the report contains
vast amount useful information which viii well repay
the trouble OF a careful perusal
THE GENERAL POST OFFICE.
The Louisiana Courier says "a good deal Of abuse has
been poured upon the head of the Postmaster General for
nary defects in the administration of his department
We perceived anything in his conduct that de-
served the animadversion with which all his public acts
have been visited without discrimination by persons who
will never forgive him for refusing CRAFTY their banker