The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1856-01-07

80 Ia an increase of 1897 ,t25 miles OF ~,
ts,ion. or Of about 81 per cent? Anu nv
ss ~ about Is 100 per cent Inc ineIsasV ~,
railroad service miles ~ Iteration
sT coaches is a325 6as miles and oy s'sAA''
o0 mi. change results mainly from the rslesting
of contracts in many of the Soutns a,h av Of lime
states and Territories. On tbs ps. &c. 49,. .s
Il, .hara sore In service 3l9 route akents Al
CONDENSATION of S45, 40 10 - ;. s,ons 81 -. -
sIe s2s and osi mail messengers a. $500 ~
making total Of s3Si9.o ~ ~ .bs :, ,a,ai
. e. ,ba current year, %, s24, 9s9 ~, which
will prabsbly be increased 10 So,ooo'ooo py new
service and routes The cost OF foreign man ser
vice not included here, amounts 10 SelI,iVa-
~, states that ON the Sd of April last
10 cancipded a contract with Mr. James F. Joy
N convey the mails from Cairo TO New Orleans
and back, daily, he having full powers to negotiate
sucb contract on behalf of the Illinois Central
PaiIrnad but though the latter used every exertion
to comply with their engagements, they failed TO
do SO from the high price demanded OF them by
the owners Of the boats on the line, and the route
was accordingly advertised for reIettng.
Tie new distribution schemes have been conf
pleted and each distributing office has now alpha
betieal lists of all the counties in the states ex
cept California In accordance with the late act
of Congress, suitable measures have been adopted
10 put in operation the new system OF registering
valuable letters but it has not been sufficiently
long in operation to be able TO form just estimate
of the success of the plan. The Postmaster mas,
however. found abundant proofs OF IT'S useiul-
ness and of the necessity Of bringing it to perfec
ton.
The e Expenditures of the Department for the last
fiscal year amount to Sg,96s,342 and the gross rev
enue derived from postages-miaIId and forelgh-
are 1862 l36 l3, which, adding the annual ap-
propriations made IN compensation of mail ser
vice to the Govern1Deat by the acts of Sd March,
1919 and Sd March, 1851, amount to S7,342 10 10.
Deducting the balance against the Cnlted states
co., oil punfs
above the actual gross revenue of the Department
for the year ending 3Oth jane, leoJ VIII be $4,000
1T.
eign balances, amounted to S6.sl665l 81, making
difference in favor of 1855 Of S5lss0l9 ~ inc
excess of expenditure for 1855 ocer TINT Of 1904 IS
So 626 256 Is. The excess is attributed parity TO
the increase in compensation 10 postmasters anu
clerks of office and partly to the increase OF ex
pendtures for transportation, owing TO the great
extension of railroad service. The CONDITION OF
the Department goes to show that the rates fixed
by the act of Sd March, 1851, n7H not eaa0te INC
Impairment 10 snstaia itself by its Olcn resources
Another cause of this excess of expenditure Is
attributed to the letters and documents carried
free of charge for members OF Congress ana others
and to the immense amount OF printed matter con
yeyed at low rates The expenditure OF the De-
partnent for 1856 is estimated at $40, lS9.024 ana
the means available for the same year S9,0l0sI3,
leaving deficiency of l,lS5 l3l to be PROVIDED
for ,
htItTellCc 10 ui$%-AS " INV 49, 'N
ms line of steamers received from the government
1888 GEO for twentysix trips while the british 60
Vermont paid the Cunard line Se65,100 Tor hfty-
two trips which in the opinion Of the Postmaster
| General, is amply sufficient. Measures have been
| recently taken TO lay before the Mexican govern
| ment proposals ON the subject Of Postal Conyen
ton. The report alludes at sor1e length to the
last report of the Postmaster General Of Great Bril-
tain and concludes by deprccating the denuneia-
tons of the department for mistakes, cariessness
or egect instead of advising it of the wrong com
mitted and leaving it TO apply the remedy.