New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-01-10
POsr-OFFICE IMPOsTs.

The POstma steT at Detroit has raised the guar
terry rent OF letter boxes from twenty five to fifty
eebts AID similar change has been made by
other Postmssters in different parts Of the coun-
try This is done under the pretext tina. the
clerical force in the Office is insufficient for The
public accommodation; and il is claimed ths!
there is 10 other mode by which an sdeluste
number Of clerks can be provided 1t seems to
BE- The law that " the receipts from boxes, be-
yond two thousand dollars, shall be applle1by
d" Potmssters in defiaI ing the expenses Of their
Cfices sni shall be &C counted for in the same
manner as they are required to account for
" their commissions That is to say Postmaster'
who receive salary of (.Sy) $1,000, may pocket
the same. and g 600 additional from the charges
for tbs boxes, applying the balance Of box-reve-
cue to the payment of the clerks. This may be
law but il it jus:ice The rates Of postage are
61ed by On act of Congress; they are uniform or
intended to be; but when an individual is
charged ~ cents per quarter bcxren. in one
locality snd 81 80 in another of course the
equ-ltJ is destroyed. John Jones pays for 100
Letters per year three dollars, which is the regu
Ter legal charge. John Smith als) pays thee
dollars for 100 letter.; bar, for convenience
sake " be has taken box for which be pay.
(in this CITY SIX dollars ayear. Thus Smiths
hundred letters actually co.E hin min, cents
apiece or treble postage. But hat il be rebels
Why. he must wait just as long as the parties in
tererted IN the bOx-reyenue choose to tumble
over the immense heap Of letters for Smith, and
tlur John loses time and patience, aad is driven
10 ,wsllow the syssem and hire box.
Now, il is the duty of the Government to pro-
vide al needful room and help for the safe and
speedy distribution and delivery Of the mails.
ABIDE from the Anti Democracy of speclal priv
ileges season tickets. and secured seats for those
who happen to be able to pay for them, We hold
that the Government ought not 70 allow such al
unequal distribution of tax, however willing the
box-rnters may be to stand it. The system is
all wrong, and unworthy Of any respectable Gov
errmelt. When Post Office is established, it
should be fitted up for all necessary aud desirable
pubic accommodation. aud supplied with every
convenience. The Government might as well
ask the people to furnish building in which to
keep the Office, as to provide themselves with
boxes. If it is too poor to furnish suitable ac-
cOumodaaons, it should give up the business, and
let individuals take charge oft.
The system, moreover, is liable to great abuse.
Who is to determine what amount of clerical
force is necessary in a Post Office Who is to
say how much labor the employees shall perform,
AID WHIST their compensation 'hall be Suppose
it should be thought expedient to increase the
number, or. if not the number, the pay Of Post
Office Clerks one hundred per cent, should the
whole Of the increased amount be paid by bOa-
renters and nothing by the mace OF the people
A Poet. Office for this City needs to be five times
as lsrge as the old church that now serves as
monument Of Government folly. Ii should sso
be in place where it could be got a.; with a
rspge of delivery windows equal 70 the letters Of
the alphabet if Dt be; aud ihen,he necessity"
for private boxes would be oSyia.ed, and the sus-
picor that accommodations offered to the pub
lie for pay really for the benefit of private H.
teresis would have no found4son.