Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-12-30

Their reduce tho expenses Of TRANSPORTATION SaO-
900, and will establish on an enduring itoting a
great n~atiopal thorodghfare, the opening Of which
has beer and is the object Of univsrshsl soliestuds
In referring to the overland mail, the report
states that the service upon this extended route
has been performed with great regularity. end
generally within schedule time; but tho contract
has proved one Of the heaviest burdens 10 which
the department has ever been subjected. With
an expenditure at tho rate Of 5000, 600 per annum
tho pos,ages received in return have not amount
ed to more than $27. ~ "a, so that after making
allowance for snch increase "a may be anticipa-
ted, the department, ut tho expiration OF the SIX
years for which the contract was entered into.
will have lost from this route alone more than
three millions OF dollars.
The Attorney General having decided that owing
TO the omission of the visionary elause In the con-
tract for curtailiDg the service, he has been enaoied
TO reduce it. The whole matter being ,fss placed
beyond the control Of tho department., the action OF
Congress alone is capable OF furnishing the remedy
d~esired-and cannot too earnestly recommend It's
early and decided interpostion. IL no compromise
can be effected with The parties upon terms deemed
reasonable, then II is urged rs an act Of simple Jus-
lice tina, this gigantic service which was established
Mt The instance Of Congress and IN fnrthernncco o! great
national objects, shall DO at once charged upon tho
public treasury. Until n railroad shall have been
constructed across the continent, the conveyance oil
the Pacific mails, overland, must be regarded as Who'll
ly impracticablc. These mails, as despatched semi
monthly, average ten tons in weight, which, fdisid-
ed into semi. weekly departures, would give two-and-
n-halt tons for each, thus requiring, in view Of the
condition OF the road. ten coaches instead Of the sin
gle one now employed, aud costing, at the present
rate, SIX millions per annum.
The aggregate amount of postage sea. inland, and
foreign On mails conveyed to and from Europe by
the several lines OF mail steamers employed by this
department. was S48i, Cos 81; md by The British
packets Of the Cunard line, performing an equal mum
Der of trips, Ss05, G29 "a. The North German Lloyd
and Hamburg lines OF mail packets also conve, ed
mails 10 aud from Bremen and Hamburg, respectively,
the hostages on which amounted TO $48.l52 II, ma
king the total hostages on United States and Euro
penn mails, conveyed by all lines during the year,
81 ,33s, li9 80. There Is a vast amount of interesting
detailed matter which we are forced to omit. The
report concludes with several pages on retl enchment,
contending that the Post Office Department shouldb be
scif-sustaining.
The retrenchment already effected may be ciassed
under the following general heads:
Curtnilmcnt in trans portation, discontinuing routes,
ana making new contract for ocean service to Cali
fornia, 81 ,725,s 500 discontinuancc of special, and
route agent messengers, &c, S77.430; withdrawal Of
extra allowance to postmasters, S2J,l7!; ,o,ul, ST.
S2G,d7l.
The Postmaster General recommends the abolish
ment OF the ~iranking privilege nad al!udes to the gla-
ring abuses of il.