Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1856-03-31


most prominent feature ia its failure 10 do any
thing but miscarry. much higher rite OF
postage would be cheerfully paid, we believe by
four ffths Of the people. II they could thereby
have secured to them an assurance Of prompt
ness and dispatch in the transmission aud deliv-
ery of matterentrusted to the mails. As il is,
however while there j. some little regularity on
the great mail lines Of the country. county Court
Houses and way side post Offices are refreshed
bv the delivery of their mails with about as
much regularity as the falling Of April showers.
What we want then--what the people want, and
what they should demand af reform in the postal
management Of the coaptfy, is. 6rst Of all,
not that what they confde tn the mails shall be
carried cheaper. but that it shall be delivered
and delivered in less than week or month after
il 10 DUE They should demand that Post Office
officials perform their duties or be removed; and,
further il it be absolutely necessary in the
uent of the regularity Of delivery which existed
under revious laws, that those laws be restored
The country is sorely tired Of Increased facii
siss" afforded by cheap postage. as ut present en-
.joyed-by indoient PSstmasten, and nobody else.
Attention is directed in this connection to tho
extracts which we publish below from report
on postal reform recently issued by a meeting
held in New York:
Reported for the Journal Of Commerce
Postal Reform Meeting.
The committee appointed at the Postal Reform
meeting held NJ the Merchants Exchange on
the 18th Of January last, called public meeting
in pursuance. of administrations at the large
chapel of,tbe University last evening. Notwth-
staifding the unpleasant weather large number
of persons--among them some of our most prom
inent citizens--ssere present
PlIyy MH.Bs. read letters from Gov Myron
H. Clark, Lient. Gov. Raymond Hon Hamilton,
Fish, Senator Toombs of Georgia, Senator VIII
son. Of Mass, Lemuel lIinoks Mayor IF Bati-
more, Alexandria l.. Rice Mayor, Of Boston, Neal
Dow, Mayor Of Portland, Robt Il. Conrad, May
or of Philadelphia, Hon. Edward Everett. Lieut..
injury, Hon Joseph r. Chandler, Horace Cree
lev, Hon. Robt G.. Winthrop, and others testify
ing 10 their interest in the objects Of tho meet
fng.
The Committee appointed at the previous meet
to prepare an address to the people of the Uni
ted States an the subject Of Postal Reform,
ported through their Chairman. Thos Tioston.
The following the principal features Of
the address:
UNIFORM PosTAGE.--We are satisfied that an
examination of the principle of UNIFORMITY,
will result in a conviction that one single rate for
all distances throughout the country is urgently
demanded, as measure at once the most conve
nient economical and profitable. The conve-
nience, economy. and profit of the British postal
system is known to be the direct result Of the
UNIFORM and Low rate Of postage so successfully
introduced by Mr.. Rowland Hill, in 1910. The
statement of tho simple fact that the entire local
expense Of receiving, rating, stamping. mailing,
and delivering letters in Great Britain is less
than one. fourth the amount now with UNIFORM
rates that it was under q varied scale of charges.
speaks more forcibly in favor Of UNIFORMITY,
than would whole pages of elaborate reasoning.
POSTAGE ON PRINTED MATrER.--The absurd
and anomalous rates of postage on printed mat
ter in this country, can scarcely be conceived
and are without parallel ia any public or pri
vate transactions. There is one rate for tran
sent newspapers, another for small pamphlets,
another still for large pamphlets and printed
books,a fourth for.transent copies Of periodicals.
q fifth for regular periodicals. and each OF all
these has separate scale Of charges, whether
prepaid or not prepaid, another distinct scale
whether going more or less than three thousand
miles; and en- newspapers sent to regular sub
scribers there are three more distinct rates. Ii
addition to all these methods of rating postage
each separate pamphlet. book, or other article
has distinct charge tor each ounce it weighs
and each package that contains two or more ar
ticlos or sheets, has a separate charge for eac
ounce. A late decision of the Post Office De
partment has declared that when periodicals hav
advertisements sewed in, printed on sepa
rate leaves, they are not simply taxed according
TO the weight, but ohargeable with letter postage
thus making Ga unjust Discrimination against tn
publishers of periodicals. and nfavor Of the pro
prietors Of newspapers. With all these absur
and anomalous rates and distinctions, If we onl
estimate the postage on packages and book
not exceeding in size and weight a cop
of Webster's Dictionary, shall find thu
,ce hsue Over fonrteen hundred rates Of pos
toge printed matter. This is entirel
independent of the indefinite number Of rate
charged on packages that they contain sew
sral pieces. and chargeable by the piece.-
80 With a uniform two cent rate for singl
letters. and the above scale of charges for prr
ted matter the average cost OF postage rocker
ed by weight would be for letters, 90 cents
pound, and printed matter ~ ceuts a pound
4 The most expensive kind of transportation. al
ut the same time the most rapid and reliable col
veyance in the country is by the amount Of ma
Ase transported their average charges for col
veysnce and delivery are less than three cents
pound.
-'a. FRANKING.-The transportation of mail for Il
government has an important bearing on the CO
dition Of the postal establishment. The Post c
6cs 10 the only branch of the general governme
that 10 singled out for self support. The nu'
bee of letters and quantity of public document
seeds, &c., that are sent through the mail. ha
5or ssvsral years greatly increased. and .. Il
dina form large portions of the mails. I
actual cost Of Transporting and delivering
.DeN matter OF the government for many ya,
has been estimated at from two to three millio
Gpppslly end cannot be less than E2, 5OO.O OO
stead Of there being deficiency" Al oficia
epportsd Ct the close IT the fiscal year. the e
erpnpsnt owes the Post OfRcs more than twsl
SGnions Of dollars for Transporting mail mat
1sriag ths last fifteen yesrs: ia addition to ell