The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1857-12-24
Post once Report.

INK syuoiGo vi INC iepofl vi INC osthinstef
General
The department has been largely expanded
during the present year and its management
has become proportionally onerous. A net
increase OF ,02l offices has been made, which
causes very large addition to the accounts
to be audited. There have been appointed
during the year Z $50 post-masters OF whom
4,,6, fill vacancies made by sigDatons,
1851 succeed incumbents removed, and l.
125 administer new Offices. The whole mum
her OF Office is 21,l4s of which 3Gs have
post-masters appointed by the President and
Senate, with commissions running four years.
The aggregate length Of mail routes in the
United States is 2i2.60l mles-served by
railroad, 22530 miles, steamboat, 1925
miles coach, 49,323 miles inferior grades,
I55497 miles.
The total annual transportation Of mails
was 14,9OG ,OG, miles, costing S6,622 ,0iG
and divided a. follows Railroad, 24,261 ,9i4
miles, at 90 $50 S41-abOut ten cents and
five mills u mile. Steamboat, 4,5lS.ll9
miles, at 1891 ,998--about twenty-five cents
a mile Coach, l9,09O,3GO miles, at Sl,4lO,
s26--about seven cents and four mills mile.
Inferior grades, 27,029014 miles at 81 $50,
3,5-about six cents mile
Compared with the service reported on
the 30th Of June, 1856, there is An addition
Of 1859 miles to the length Of mail routes !;
1888, 10 miles to the total annual trans
| portation-being about per cent and Of
S3s5.512 to the cost, or 40 per cent
The aggrel ate length Of railroad route,
has been increased = 2O7 miles and the an
nnal transportation thereon 2,t5e 6is miles
IL 2-l0 per cent at q cost OF s2i9,4jo
or II $40 per cent.
The length Of steamboat routes is greater
( by 294 miles, and the annual transportation
/ by 211,949 miles, costing $l3l .2t3 add.
tonal or G.. per cent on transportation,
and ID 2-l0 per cent on the cost.
Under the new service which went into
operation Sept. 80, in the State of New
York, the railroad transportion il increased
! 293.32- miles at cost OF Sl02Gs Steam
boat service, dec reascd l6l 66i miles, at "A
decreased cost of S,,50l Coach service,
decreased 1884 miles bat the cost in
/ creased Sl2,Gi2 Inferior service decreased
/ 1853 miles and cost increased S2l97.
The expenses Of the Department for the
year ending June 3d. 1857, amounted to
I 81. 80. go; the revenue to SS,O53,95l,
king S3,lj3,,ls less than the expenditure.
Estimated expenditure tor the current year
ending June 30. 1858, Sl2,053,2l7; reve-
nue., Ss,i95,ls- included in the revenue is
a government appropriation OF 500 900
for the transportation Of ranked matter.
The ocean service between New York and
Bremen and between New York and lIayre,
by way of Southampton, is kept up by
contract for the Bremen route with Corne-
I lius Vanderbilt, and for the lIavre with the
New York aud Havre Steamship Company,
the compensation to the contractors being
the postage, sea and inland, accruing from
mails conveyed. Last year, these hostages
IN the Bremen line yielded $l2l,l9 80, and
on the Hayre S90,l42, which sums are con.
siderably less than the amounts previously
paid for the respective services. The Post
master-General is encouraged to believe that
tins arrangement Is timely Inauguration OF
system Of selfsustaining ocean mail SER
vice
The amount Of postage collected last year
on the mails transported by the Collins line
OF steamers is not hal, what it was before
the service was reduced from twenty six to
/ twenty round trips, upon the termination of
/ the additional allowance To this line. One
/ consequence OF the reduction IN the service
is, to increase the hostages earned by Brit
/ ish steamers which are collected by our own
Post Office Department ard paid over to
/ the British government. Last year the
/ sum paid over amounted to 81 932s,. The
expenses incurred by this country in col
/ Letting and dlsbursiDg this sum were no less
/ than $4,000, The general balance must
continue to be largely against the United
States while so great portion OF the mails
arr conveyed by British packets But the
I Postmaster General inclines 10 hope that
the induccment Of receiving all the postage
earned will operate 10 aid the Increase Of
general business in stimulating the multipli-
cation Of American ocean steamers. ans y
more frequent mail service by their instru-
mentality,
/ The postal convention with France. now
in operation, makes the rate OF postage on
letters not exceeding quarter of an ounce
in weight, only fifteen cents. Negotiations
are IN progress for a radical change in our
postal arrangements with Grea; Britain
. DNl ltltN are ibi tbllrlIfftu w u
speedy satisfactory conclusion.
The Postmaster General asks authority 20
reduce the charge for delivery by carriers in
cities to one cent. and promises, il the sys-
TEN now in operation IN New York. Phlia-
delphia and Boston. OF placing boxes tor the
collection Of letters at convenient distances
throughout the city aud OF delivering city
letters direct n their address without taking
them TO the main Office shall prove success.
fl!. TO e1tcpd il 10 al the principal cite, in
the United states. IL would I've very coz
veni.nt ihas 10 have four 10 six daily deliv-
cries OF letters deposited in boxes convenient
to every man dwelling, and transmitted 10
distant parts Of the city, a, the cos, Of only
one cent tor each letter.
The safety and prompt dispatch Of the
mails have required the multiplication Of
mail agents 10 accompany them on the prin-