The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-12-28

iticn Of letters become 1dead from causes entreIy
beyond the control q this Department or Of any
I legislation, AS TO this remain Ter, something may
pI.bshly be done both by laws aAd reguaous TO
dimntsh the number and certainly something provide
for returning III. sooner and in larger than ut
50 far as legislator concerned, beg leave to with
IL extent, have already been postmasters
which are believed " have gooo effect
cies became "dead" 10 consequence OK being
withdrawn from the general delivery and 90 disposed Of
and s s ro s1
retained In the post offices until tho expiration OF the
quarter succeeding that IN which they we're advertised
According TO recent Instructions (mitcd yet TO the
larger ofacest letters are TO- remain on hand one
week before. being advertised, and those I'M
Using 70 be returned the dead letter Office. Thus,
Offices advertising weekly, can retain istters
more than three months and >ono week at the farhest
and those advertising t~ioe month, three and half
months while under The former rule many letters be.
Eve aud six months old before being returned and
before valuable letter 10 the usual Of business,
would be restored 10 the owner through ths dead letter
Office Tho retention Of letters In post Offices Tor
period OF three months unnecessary and Objectionable,
in view Of the Importance Of speedy return Of such
they may be- exppsed and shall therefore propose 70
Congress modihcaon Of the in this respect
still shorter periods
Suggestions will also be offered TO provide for returning
the writer's letters conaidDg valuable enclosures
Among other things which will require amendment by
regulation tho nomenclature OF POST Offices Tho exs
teLce ot numbers Othce6 or Dame,
ci6e similarity Of names IN tho State leads
many mistakes.
Effort viii be made guard against such dnlcnliies,
ana also against appsopsiang to new post Offices com
The whole number Of dead letters containing MONEY
1859, was 9726, which 1914 delivered leaving
49, unclaimed. The whole amount Of money received
$4e718 H. amount restored to owners, SAL l43 "a
The number Of letters registered and sent out contain
pg valuable enclosures other than money, such bills
OF exchange drafts bonds Treasury warrants &c was
| a
| ,eavpe unclaimed 900.
The amount Of the enclosures 81 500 2es IL the
smoun, of the enclosures in sterling SO 1913 los 3D.
the amount u tn. enclosures in francs sas l04.42l.
| The humber Of dead letters returned (unopcued) to
dsvded follows, yiz-Engiand, 6o3I0 France, 1877
Prussia, 400; Bremen, 69Ia Hamburg, LAO, Canada
| 1881 New Brunswick, $50, Nova Scotia, 1865
The Of business in the dead letter Office seems to
have ed without naeria any, change since the
organization Of the dcpa tmcnt In 1885, being limited TO
he examination Of letters only SO far as necessary 10
der restore the owners thoss containing money
other valuable enciosrres and from the amount OF labor
the snail number OF clerks it has been impossible to
make Beeded improvements Indeed II has been found
u late years. TIA, the ordinary duties could not be
ouiy perfi med; and 1t is, therefore TOW matter OF ur
gent imp provide the of improving this
! interesting branch OF the public service.
Tho system Of delivering letters by carriers at the do
nc Of the citizen first recognized By the act Of
Sd March 1895 aud bias within few years been
FULLY Introduced into several Of principal cities,
Though constant enteav0as have been made to improve
is s imperfect in It's details, ana unsatisfactory,
alike 20 the public and TO the department. Ia tie opera
lions Tho system cannot be regarded as having
pthed the object of lis establishment, long does
not command and deliver the local Of tho
different cities in which il exists which thus far it has
wholly failed to do This correspondence almost
entirely n the hands OF private expresses whose rates
ow as to make successful competition with the "a
the part Of the government, impossible Their charge
While this amount is pecessary exaced BY the depsr.
en for the carriers and one cent in addition collected
or the the By the
the city correspondence existing laws which require
that the system shall sbe self sustaining is at least two
competition with the private therefore
commend the repeal Of this provision Of the act ef 1926
delivered by carriers. Tbs would not result ir any
perccptble dimnuon OF the postal revenues inasmuch
as the correspondence which would be thus secured by
the department, does not now pass through its Offices il
true that the Postmaster General might, In his dscro
ton arrest the operation of these private expresses by
declaring the streets and OF the cities TO which
they belong 10 BIO post roads, but until the department is
prepared to deliver city letters as cheapy and promptly
exercise Of thus power as unwise not harsh and op
| pressive.
PERFECT possible found fn the iact that the BOX
snd ans e
has been in European capitals There at present but
and yet this number leads to much confusion and
nacracy in the distribution and delivery Of mali matter
! Was the number augmented 10 ten thousand-w1ich
would than the present ever increasing
demand-t manifest that memory would DO equal to
~o1ss s syss
become impossible frequent rapid, and punctuai de-
livery, on reasonable terms Of all correspondence
ceived at the Post Offices OF our great cities, what the
public have right to claim Of the department what
it will be Its unceasirg endeavor TO secure to them.
| NEWSPAPER EXCHANGES
The act Of 1925 authorized every printer OF newspa
pers send paper TO each and every other printer
Of ne wspapers within the United States free Of postagco
and such Is the existing law However slight tho sup
port which this statute may seem to give to publishers it
10 the asg5ssas hsaSy and unjust burden on
TO the benefit alike Of the publisher who sends and OF
him who receives tho paper in exchange have in vain
Gated by this provision It more exceptionable
than the Thanking privilege since the latter profees
cmpton secured by the former Is enjoyed wholly adj
vsncsment Of private and personal interest Tho
par lance Of commerce. his stock in trade From thor
columns he gathers materials for his own and thus makes
the same business use Of them that the merchant does
which he proposes to manufacture into fabrics. But
as the government transports nothing free Of charge
enable them to prosecute successfully and economi
caiy their respective pursuits, why sha the
Journalistic II the latter can iightfully claim that his
newspapers shall be thus delivered to him at the public
expense why may he not also claim that his stationery
the preparation Of the sheets he issues his means Of
living be delivered to him on tho Same tosmsf It has
been urged, aware that postage newspaper OK
changes would be the disse rination Of know
ledge, but so s the postage which the farmer merchant
and mechanic pay on the newspapers for which they
yeti s paid by them uncompIainngy II be insisted
that the publishers Of newspapers class such
condition to entitle them to demand the aid Of the
public funds, it may be safely answered that such
| an assumption is wholly unwarranted. Journalism
| in the United States rests upon the broadcast aud
deepest foundations, and Is running q career far
more brilliant and prosperous than in any other
nation q the world The exceedingly reduced rates
to advantages enjoyed under no other govern nent
Under the fostering Of the free spirit or the age
has now become institution in itself In this country
and controls the tides Of the restless OF public op
ion with almost resisess sway. s the Of
the genius Of our institutions and is everywhere the
vocate Of progress and Of the highest and noblcs forms
OF human freedom not therefore, tho degree
unsecDly not worse that In It's enterprises and in
furtherance Of it's pecuniary interests should claim
permission 10 violate habualy great principle which
II 10 the constant advocate and which underes whole
political systematic principle Of equal rights 10 all and
special privileges TO noDeS IT. however, from the gran.
deur and benchcence rnieHon the nresg Ia be- az