The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1857-12-11
.aaLaIalaaIe u ~ -

Gent encouragement 10 establish lines of steamers and
carry the mails for the hostages thereon il will be great
point gained On this principle, were II practicable
would he pleased not only to the number OF trips in
creased upon existing lines particularly to the continent
bat all the lines put in operation which have been or
may be projected by enterprising citizens Among
these arc the proposed lines from Norfolk Milford Ha
ven from New Orleans TO Bordeaux from Nav York TO
Antwerp, Hamburg or Gluckstadt from Savannah TO
Para, in South America from Panama to Valparaiso,
SC This whole subject is worthy the serious oonsdera
ton of Congress and venture 10 hope that such
ton may be takon upon it, at early day, that the
department may clearly understand its duty ia the prem
ies Whether the present lines TO be continued and
the trips increased the expiration of the contracts or
established. at cost in each instance exceeding
what they may earn In postages and If So at what ex-
pcnse In each respectfully submit to Congress 20
decide. "a 80 5
A postal convention has been concluded between the
United States and France having been signed the part
of the United States by predecessor and on the
part France by the French minister the I'd of March
last and has been 10 operation since the first OF April
The of stage for letters of the weight of onequar
ter under is fifteen cents irrespective of the
route whether through England direct by which they
conveyed France accounts to Great Britain for the
British and transit postage, explained in the arti
ces Of agreement hereto annexed This the hrst postal
convention between the two countries
postal convention has also been concluded with
the Hanseatic republic Of Hamburg similar in all
spects to that existing between the United States and
Bremen--the rates of postage under both being the
1t was finally executed in june last and went
into effect the first of July The articles are an
nexed. &&##A
Negotiations are pending for radical change of
postal arrangements with Great Britain but the prop
ositon of the British Office in its present shape, cannot
be aoceded to, and il involves also, preliminary
agreement requiring the sanction Of the treatymaking
powers, definite action upon 1t has been necessarily post
poned for the present.
With the view to facilitate the receipt and delivery of
letters in New York Boston, and Philadelphia the post
in bavc 10 inn
provements in their letterarer system to the full
tent authorized by law, In New York found that
g everything had been done that could be accomplished
under existing laws except the transmission of drop let
direct their address without going into the main
Office which Is done, Six stations sub-ofices,
had been established which well at the principal
Office the letters sorted and passed into the hands of
the carriers and large number OF boxes for the colec
ton Of letters had been placed at convenient distances
throughout the city, On all letters through the mail the
carriers receive two cents each for delivery and drop let
tens cent had hoped to be able to reduce the delivery
ioeto the uniform price Of cent but this found inn
practicable in New York and Philadelphia inasmuch the
law requires that the entire cost of delivery shall be betrayed
out of the carrier receipts In Boston, where the dis
tics all comparatively densely populated cent
letter is made to pay The postage drop letters, in
Guiding the carriers fee, two cents and upon the
improved plan adopted for their delivery direct from
the main Office the nearest station the be-
il is believed that the public convenience will be fully
subseryed In each of these cities there to be from
four to six deliveries day. and the letters for mailing,
&c, to be collected and disposed of frequently
occasion may require do not feel ut liberty to advise
the free delivery OF letters by carriers but would
ommend modification of the present law to give
the Postmaster General authority to have the delivery
made at one cent letter, whether the carriers receipts
sufficient to meet expenses not. If the improved
systemis found to work satisfactorily in the three cities
above mentioned it is purpose to extend it to all the
other principal cities in the United States.
One of the prominent subjects which have demanded
my attention is that Of providing ectuay for the
regularity and safety of mails conveyed railroads
Owing to the large number of separate bags the
through lines the frequent changes of cars and the brief
time allowed in most cases. for that purpose great
necessary guard against mistakes and losses This
is especially important to the letter mail pouches
which exchanged between the principal cities and
towns having railroad connexions in all sections of the
country, however remote. In order that they may
ceve due attention at all points, agents of this depart
ment required and also regular system of account
ability for the performance of their duties. The begin
ming OF such system was made by my immediate pre-
decesor, and aim has been to extend and improve
it as much possible Its main features are briefly
follows In the post offices at the ends of each separate
route apportoned to mail agents, (say Washington
and Philadephal and at the prominent intermediate
points lists are kept, showing the pouches forwarded
which lists receipted by the route mail agent, who
thus becomes directly responsible for certain number of
pouches for certain specified points Upon delivering the
same into post Offices to mail messengers to agent
connecting route he takes receipts show the full
ment Of his duties In addition IL is required some
routes that full and careful accounts be kept in book
how labelled and how disposed of BY such means ii be-
practicable TO trace missing pouches and there is
also kept alive sense of responsibility the part of
agents mpeling them 10 greater wachulness in perform
ing duties which, from their aborous and monotonous
ture might otherwise insensiby become in measure
ohalica and not occupy much of the mind their i'm
portance demands Moreover all irregularities in any
chageabe to agents be traced to their source
that suspicion attaches to innocent parties For
such reasons apart from interest in the service gen.
orally, which presumed be felt by all agents of the
department the system in question has commended itself
ayorably to all who have been called 10 give it atten
ton Its details not yet perfected but 1t is regard
ed the beginig of work which mast be gradually ad
vanced and improved, under the teaching of experience,
until ii shall fully accomplish that for which II is de-
signed.
Experiments have been made the great railroad lines
between New York aud Montgomery, Alabama, and
Nashville, Tennessee which have shown the advantages
Of the system existing and given ample
agement that it will be made useful In the future
On of the principal western lines from Buifa
10, New York. to Chicago Illinois, and ST. Louis-ac-
counts of mail pouches kept but not quite salts
factory the other lines referred to, owing chiefly to
the fact that the larger proportion of what called
tsroagh nds go by express trains in charge of bag
gage masters, and not the agents of this depart
ment, The latter travel ON other trains, for the
purpose of delivering mails to post offices on
the way where express trains do not regularly stop
and il has been considered an unnecessary ex-
pense to appoint agents simply to deliver bags when
the railroad companies paid well for that service
for conveying them, there being express stpulations TO
that effect in all contracts These views undoubtedly
correct in theory but experience has shown that rail-
road companies cannot be made to appoint persons to