Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-12-07
Report of the Postmaster General,

We are Indebted to Hon. A. v BROWN, for
a copy of his Report on the present state OF
the postal service of the United States. 1t is
highly interesting document, and displays
unusual activity and attention on the part OF
The Postmaster General to the duties of his
Office. .
On the 30th June last there were in oper.
alton 296 mail routes. of an estimated ap-
gregate length of 26O,6O3 miles,-2443I
miles by Railroad, 1908 by steamboat; So
700 by Coach, and 165 ,429 of inferior grades
or transportation.
The total annual transportation of mails
was 7s,765,49l miles, divided as follows:
Railroad 25,763,452 miles; Steamboat 1860
e eIo; Coach 10 ,555,734; Inferior grabs 2s,-
S76,695. The cost per mile was by Railroad.
about IL cents; by steamboat, about 27 cents:
by Coach about cents; and by the Inferior
grades, about 81 cents.
Since June 1857 there has been an addI-
ton of 1902 miles to the length of mail
routes; 3,459.424 miles to the total annual
transportation; and 81, 173,372 to the cost.
The total expenditures of the Department
OF 1.-THE year ending last June amounted to
$l2,722,47O, the receipts from the service
s7.4S6,792 leaving balance to be made up
by appropriations, of S5,235,678.
The estimated expenditures in 1859 are
sI4,776,52O, and the estimated receipts in
GLIDING S2,7O0,0OO of appropriations, are
Sll,094 ,393-leaving still deficiency of
s3,6S2I27
The whole number of post Offices in the
United States on the 30th June last was q, :
977, of which 400 are of the class denomina-
It'd presidential. The number established
during the last fiscal year was 2,l2l, and the
number discontinued 730. being an increase
OF 1891. The number of postmasters APP
pointed during the year was 1924. OF these
1896 were to fill vacancies occasioned by
resignation, 998 by removals, 278 by deaths
POP by change of names and sites, and 2.I2I
OF establishment of new offices. The whole
number Of offices on the lst of December
1858, was 28,573.
The Postmaster General discusses the rates
OF postage, and suggests a uniform rate of
letter postage, at cents for all distances;
thought be does not insist upon
it. He complains of abuse of the ranking
privilege. and recommends that in lieu of the
present franking privilege, the Secretary of
the Senate. the Clerk of the House and such
other officer as may be designated for the
purpose, furnish the members with postage
stamps to he used on all letters, public do
cuments and packets transmitted by them in
the mails, and keep an account of the stamps
furnished each member, to be paid out of the
contingent fund of each House. He says:
at is impossible for the 90, 900 pOstmasters
Of the United States to judge of the genuine
ness of the signatures and therefore they
can do nothing to prevent abuses. In times
OF national as.well as State elections, the
Post Office cOnveyances are literally loaded
down with partisan documents, for which it
is evident somebody should pay, if it is ex-
pected that the department should even APP
proximate its own support. Now, if it be
desired by Congress that all these documents
he transmitted at public expense, let the
stamps be furnished and charged to members
who frank them, so that Congress may keep
watch over the privileges granted to their
own members and prevent abuses which this
department has no power to detect"
The Report exhibits perspicuOus state
ment of our ocean and overland mail service,
with their cost and advantages and is general
ly fall and well-prepared document.