New-York daily tribune., 1859-12-29

Tie Postnaster goef on 10 state the psIueils i,l A.
the nroyisiouai nine Aonths contract made WIN sir
vanderbilt who has Apul Ited for The convey oI
the mails for the period named at ~ ,JOv ior mos ~
and from New-York, and sl5oOoO lot hoss ~ I'M an
from New -Orleans-to which beng auoeu iiie ia ,n
charges amounting TO SIS 600 the aggregate eos' WI"
he s562 SOC or with the salary Of the mail messengers
added AZ the rate of 1851 900 per annum and showing
an annual gain, compared with the preeAre"s III
tracts, of s3s7 80. The contractor mas Also [
himself TO transfer the mails to the Nicaragn roue
as early az possible, thus escaping the onerons Iisa
Railroad tariff with saving Of $JO, 600 TO the Depa5.
men, The Tehuantepee route is IN ITS present %
ton couraIativey useless The land portion OF tne
transit acrofs the isthmus-beng upward OF lVo mss
in leng.h-consists OF an unpaved ana lmPeIIeoni
graded road, passing over preelpltols moui'ain an
barely practicable for wheeled vehicles, ana IN Son"
onence a mail made up of few light sacks, IL all tnal
the contractors have carried and ALL Il IS presumed
that they have been able 70 carry smce the com
mencement Of the service lhe DeparluleniaI vas a
asked 10 continue the conveyance OF tEe nAlis, VIA
Tehuaufepec TO Nentoeo only, al an annual compehA
ton of $50 000 which was the rate proposed oy the
ATE contractors but for the extension OF the service 10
San Francisco at the rate Of $500 OOO was demahoeu'
This proposal was accepted because OF the eXraV
aoance Of the compensation claimed, IN view OF the
amount Of postal service which, IN the ac1ns sae yi
the road il il possible TO perform, and oeeA1se Win
he regular and rapid communication which NeW-of-
cans now e1 lows with the Pacific through the contract
with Cornelius Vanderbilt this service is unnecessary.
If Congress thinks best 10 keep mp the route the POST
master would have the funds supplied from the puohe
The San Antonio and San Diego semmonthly was,
ON tie 18th day Of October 1913 ImProvedto We1Ay
service between San Antonio and ii Paso and III fso
and Fort Yuma and the compensation was hxed al
$4,000. The product Of the route during Tue past
wear rs already sbown was but sbOl-loss 70 the De
Iartment at he rate of Sl95, ,399 per annum WIN Uni,
conclusive indication of its want Of Importance aud
value for postal purposes directed that the service
should on The let day of July last bepu on its original
footing of semi monthly mail and reduced the allow
Nlnfn nhf4Ffs
political OF otherwise may have been contemplaed by
tae Government in establishing this route through an
almost unbroken wilderness and desert is clear that
its coDti1 at the present rate oil compensation
an injustice TO the Department..
The great Overland mail service has been performed
with great regularity and generally within schedule
time but the contract has proved one OF the heaVlest
burdens TO which the Department has ever been sub
jecled. With expenditure at the rate OF soOO,VVO
per annum the postages received IN return nave not
amounted 10 than S27, ,299 81 so that after max
ing allowance for such increase may be anticipated
the Department, at the expiration OF slx years Tor
which the contract was entered into, will have lost
from this route alone more than s3,0OOOoo feelng
anxious relieve, in some degree the postal revenues
from this exhansting drain, proposed reduction OF
the semweekly 10 a weekly service, which wonld
have resulted in annual saving as compared with
the present outlay, of $lJ0,000. The Attorney-Gen-
eral, however, determined that in consequence OF
the customary clause giving the PostmasterGenera
revisory power over all mail eontracts having been
omitted in this, the desired curtameDt could not be
legally made. The whole matter being thus placed
beyond the control of the Department, the action OF
Congress alone is capable of furnishing the remedy de-
sired and cannot too earnestly recommend lis early
and decided interpositiOn. If no compromise can be
effected with the parties upon terms deemed reason
able then would urge, az an act Oh simple justice,
that this gigantic service which established at the
instance of Congress- and III furtherance OF great
national Objects shall be at charged upon the pub
lie treasury. Until railroad shall have been con-
strueted across the continent the conveyance of the
paefc mails overland, must be regarded as wholly
impractcshle. These mails, as dispatched semi,
monthly ayerale ten tuns weight, which, II divided
INTO eeini-weekIy departures, would give two and
half tuns for each thus requiring in view Of the con-
dtons of the road ten coaches instead of the single
one now employed and costing, at the present rate OF
compensation, Sc o." 1n per alnum Tor transportation
aiene with product of $327 ,202 63.
The Kansas and Stockton mail route, put in opera
ton at an annual oense of $40 999 having IN conse
quenee OF the alleged hostility OF indians and other
Causes. proved failure, and beng an9ecessary iDr
continued There were, In nine months but fOur ar
rivals of through mals at Kansas, and but two at
Stockton; the total mail matter received al hansas
was only two letters and twenty six papers, While tue
matter received at Stockton consisted of one single
letter. This service for 825 miles between Westport
and Santa F6 extended directly along the line OF an
other route, the contractor for winch carried, as s
suJposed for tring compensation, this exceed
iDgy light aud unimportant mall for the Transports
iion of which as shown, the Department was then
payirg at the rate of some $4,000 per annum
The lnder endence, Salt Lake City, and Plaeerylle
nail was formerly monthly service, but in conse-
ouence of tie threatened rebellion Of the Mormon
population, il was improved TO weekly mail at an
annual compensation of s52O Oo0-the product being
$5,4l2 Co. Tranquility having been restored 10 that
Territory, reduction to semi-monthly service was
ordered 70 take place on the goth June last which,
after making the most liberal allowance TO the con-
tractors, will save to the Department $4,000 per
annum.
The annual expenditure upon these Pacific routes
has thus been diminished $3JO.607 The Sl,360OO
still required for their support this improved basis,
is very far beyond what enlightened and just adj
minstration Of the finances Of the Department would
warrant.
The Postmaster next pitches into the mail service
between Havana, Charleston, and Savannah which,
for the last five years has been performed semi monthly
by the steamship Isabel al annual compensation of
$C0,C0O The receipts from these mails amounted only
To Sl0O57 &C. that in June last, when the contract
expired, the Postmaster did not renew it. Fortu-
naiely for the public interests, the approaching
pleton of the Florida Railroad enabled the Department
to send these mails across the Peninsula from Fernan-
dina 10 Cedar Keys, where they connect with the Calf
mail steamers from New Orleans and proceed directly
on, via Key West 10 Havana. The service out and
returning is regularly performed and costs the
Department only the inland and postages The
substitution therefore, OF this for that OF the lsa
bel s saving to the Department of si9942 81 per
an1um.
Tie Department was urged by citizens of Charles
ton extend the contract with the of the Is
bel from commercial considerations but did not feel
justified in giving TO such considerations the weight
claimed for them. This large subsidy would certainly
enable the owner of the Isabel 10 carry freight and
passengers at reduced rates. but IL there be any con-
sttutiona warrant for the Governments bestowing
this advantage on the inhabitants Of single city
while ii is denied those of other cities, such ad-
vantage should be sought from the public Treasury
and mOst assuredly not at the hands Of this Depart
ment.
IIegret TO be compelled to announce that no prog
rces IA q made a her