The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-06-04

WANTED--ADMINIsTRATIvE REFoRM.--In an
other column will be found an article taken
from Connecticut paper on the Beauties Of
1 the Post Office" It appears that among other
sources Of revenue the Post Office is in the
habit Of deriving some small addition to its
funds from the sale of letters and papers not
called for. These are sold as rubbish to paper
makers, who grind them up in their mills, and
convert them once more into white papar.
People who write letters will do we'll to remem-
Der the fact. At one mill in Connecticut more
than two thousand letters have been bocght
within the last two years; many of them, as
we learn from our Connecticut contemporary,
letters Of obvious consequence to the writer's
and the parties to whom they were addressed
How they went astray, and finally reached the
paper mill instead Of their destined re-
cipient, no one, Of course, can tell
Some were prepaid One, mailed in
Califoynia, and directed to New York, contain
ed check for $105 Another, bought in
heap of rubbish of the Postmaster at Spring
field, Mass, contained SIG in bank notes. Auo-
ther, bought, together with seven or eight sacks
Of waste paper, from the Post Office at Provi-
dense, R. l., contained money and insurance
papers Of value. Another, bought at Hart
ford, contained check for $50. Another,
from man to his wife, mailed at the Post
Office in this city, contained SIS. These appear
to be only samples of the sort of goods the
post offices throughout the country are in the
habit of selling to the paper makers Only
fancy, bank notes, cheques, and policies Of in
surance, at three or four cents pound!
No one who has had dealings with the North
ern Post Offices will be much surprised at these
disclosures. The very name of Post Office has
become byword for carelessness, stupidity,
and irregularity. No one, who has resided for
any length of time in New York, thinks of
complaining if fair per centage of the CORES
pondence he writes and receives reaches its
destination in safety.
But it would be mistake to suppose that the
Post Office Department constitutes in any de-
gree an exception to the general rule governing
the public departments. The rule is invaria-
BILE; they are all alike. The Interior, the Navy,
the Treasury, the State department, and all
subordinate Offices, are conducted with no
more business accuracy or administrative ability
than the Post Office; the only difference be-
tween them lies in the fact that the short
comiDgs in the Post Office become necessarily
known to all, while those in the other depart
ments are only discovered by the few who
deal with them.
All the departments Of the general govern
ment were originally organized by Alexander
Hamilton, the finest administrative mind of his
day, and one which has rarely If ever been
excelled. But sixty. five years have elapsed
since Alexander Hamilton performed his task
During the intervening period, we have chang
ed everything our mode of living, our houses,
our system of business, our social habits, and
large proportion Of our public institutions.
The only thing in fact which has not kept pace
with the progress Of the age has been the ma
cbinery for the discharge Of the public business
at Washington. The Department of War alone
was reorganized by Mr.. Calhoun, who saw its
deficiencies In the war Of 1872; he undermined
it, and being himself o man of remarkable ad-
ministrative ability, placed 1t on Q footing T
efficiency which enabled Scott and the other
generals Of the Mexican war to win laurels
with ease. AL the other departments are
covered with the rust and mould which have
been accommodating since Hamilton's time, and
the sale to paper makers of sacks Of private
letters, containing checks and bank notes, is
but fair sample Of the condition Of the gene
raj 81 stem.