The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-01-04

Not having received from the Mexican government tins
expected project Of postal convention have recently
tai EN- measures lay before that such vr
pofah this subject in the form Of treaty trast
usy prove acceptable As in all iaternaiisuai as wall
in donestc po-al arrangements simpic Of detail Is of
the highest Importance proposed ~ the os.i. or
the convention that tie be but OF postsgs f
fixed at fifteen cents, combining five ceats Catei
to three cents Mexican inland p,st-
age-the later TO accrue the country performin the
In the arnusl port of he Postmaster General of Great
Britain referring ~ the remarks in my last annual
port the subject he rakes OCCASION to presen ths
views and argumen of his government the PEN cpal
points OF difference bet countries In regScd
to postal arrangements Except 10 one or two p.r:u
lars II is not We'd thst reoy from this Depart
ment is demanded either to hs observations ia his
port in his letter Of the 9Th Of April as
of an extract from the report With reference to the
action CT the British government Ia Withholding
sn 70 zoe OF the zen "a coresp rad
ence under the treaty what the Uni ed ates mas
from The first fr and reasonable terms my
views have already been fully sta ed III my ettec of July
- 1853 to the Secretary of STATE ana printed in Execa
tive document No. 70 oil the Senate, last session whc
letter has also been communicated to The bcsh
ment refer to his part OF the subject ony 70
the purpose Of correcting vey er oneous impress,n
which could not fail to be conveyed by TIE ntnoec ia
which the Postmas ,er Genera Of Great ri ha.
the in his report He admits that the United
receive but twelve aud half transit post
age British and Canada closed mas and that Gres
Britain receives twen -four cents nearly d,ub
the sum, for the transit conveyance o. tnS Unto
States and Frerch correspondence passing through Eng
D
the governments of EDglAn and rrauce this
dapce when transmitted to the Cunard goes ia
cents the single one quarter ounce letter hence he al
eges that 1t Is inconsistent part to complain that
bis government thus enables French subject. to receive
their American letters by British packets at
Of ten cents, while demand six cents frsm
citizens for the like service by United States packets
and the time to complain that the British
too high de adds that the United States has the
matter in Its hands, and may make the on both
United States and British lines uniform by reduci the
sea tt on its and hat Won
not be secured by reduction OF the British transit
charge to Cd Cor 12 cents as dema cded the United
States without such reduction Of postage the in
geDuity of this mode of stating the case Is frankly ad
mitied but not its fairness Il is sufficient
Q reduction of the British transit postage-tnas the
postage has not been point in that
reasonable demands for reductioa Of the trsn-
sea postage by the United States lines woald
follow of course, since the United States aud
FreI eh mails would then be treated closed MATS aud
all letters bet ween the two COUNTRIES passing sh ouyh
Egg and, would be transmitted at uaiform rate of
postage. Tue, the United States has 1t 10 its power ia
two ways t, make the rate uniform oy both United
States and British ines First BY redu pg the postage
quarter letters by It's lines aud md
y by raising the inano rate from FIVE to eleven
all French letters conveyed oy British packets
The 70, mer have not ceemed advisable 20 10 uai the
British transit onage Is reduced. The British govern
ment have done it In their own case doubt for
equivalent and In order that their peesen. high transit
rate not be reduced The other alternative ii the
present state Of things is to continue 1t will in my
judgment be very prope; to adopt especially as the
France these letters, and 1t Is imp tina. cad
be put TO these attempts to favor the Cunard to
the prejudice Of the American steamship lines
In regard to the question OF postage on pamph-
lets and magazines between the two Duutres tbs
stands thus-Under the treaty the either side
for wo, ks Of this kind weighing ounces is
two When atove txo six ounces
the charge either eide is increased to four cents
ounce, each country collecting and retai.ny its
POSTAGE but no pamphlets weighing over eight,
periodical over sixteen ounces, be sent except y.
letter postage. Books Hbe wise suoje;t to letter
postage. In respect to newspapers pamphlets and
Magazines the postage in each country is the
CARELESS Ct the packet whether American or British per-
above the weight Of two ounces, posed that the rate
either side be reduced to ounce; and sug
gested that there need be limit in respect to weight
Ibis proposition tn British office desined and in lieu
thereof proposed tie plan of book post, to embrace
books as well as pamphlets ana zines at the fol-
For every packet containing printed book magazine
rs,iew, or pamphlet, when not exceeding half
exceeding
When exceeding one psund and not exceeding two
pounds fory-eght cents, and increasing twenty
four cents for every additional pound fraction Of
pound They further proposed compulsory pre- meut
in full and that Of the total amount OF postage paid npn
the inland British rate one Third the sea rate and the re-
naming third the United States INLAND the
to belong to the country oecting tho marine conveyance
For various could not assent to this plan:
First do not consider the proposal equitable divi
zion ofthe inland postage second for the geaer part of
the books LII ely to be transmitted in the mails lit Is fair
to presume, would be sent from Great Britain to this
country in British packets and the rates proposed for
them In instances much lower than the custom
duties thereon third the cobr ed rate for pamphlets
and periodicals Of the weight Of two under
would be raised from the present rate Of four cents to
twelve cents Other less important objections nigh, be
mentioned, but the correspondence this subject hAv
ing, call from the Senate at the last session, been
furnished and printed Executive Documents No. 87)
further remarks here in regard to 1t deemed
sary.
In the report to be duly presented to Congress will
appear detailed statement OF failures and other rregu
aies which Rave occurred in the transportation OF the
mails during the year, and the fines and deductions
sne deductions will be found to amount to $124530 g.
During the preceding they amounted to $110 &c.
These fines show that contractors have been held to RI
gorous performance Of their contracts but there
many irregularities in the mails for which neither the
contractors other agents of the Department
bameable For Irregularities Of this nature well
for real denquencies the Department in constantly made
complaint this Is expesed but 1t apparent that there
is too ready disposition every occasion of actual
presumed slight arrangement in the machinery of the
mails to reflect upon the Department. thereby in great
er or ss Its efficiency The postal estab
Isbment is one in which every citizen is most deeply in
terested end all should aid in rendering it perfect
possible. Instead Of dnuncations in the eveot Of mis-
take corelessHess or neglect general certainly
the wiser would be to advise the Department
wrong committed, and leave it to apply the remedy.
have the honor to be- very respectfully obedient
servant, JAS. CAMPBELL
To the PREsnENT
The Land Office Report.
The following aggregates show the general operations
in regard to surveys for the year ending September 80
1885, and to sales and other dsposa of lands for the ifs