The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1861-12-12
Report of the Postmaster General.

Report of the Postmaster General.
The Postmaster Generals report
states that the whole number of post
Offices in the United States on the 3Oth
of June, 1861, was 2S, $50 and that the
entire number Of cases acted upon du-
ring the same period was 1O,63s, in
Guiding appointments made by the
President of the United States. The
whole number of appointments made
by the Postmaster eneral was 9,255,
and the number made by the President
during the same period, 337.
The aggregate earnings of the diff
ferent transatlantic steamship lines
during the year ending June 80, 1861,
were 1892, Ss7.63.
The expenditures of the department
in the fiscal year ending June 80, 1861,
amounted to $l3,6O6,759.I1.
The expenditures were $l4, s74,772.-
50, showing decrease in 1861 Of ST.
269,Ol3.78.
The gross revenue for the year 1861,
including receipts from the letter carri-
ers and from foreign hostages, amount
ed to $s,349, 296.4O.
The estimated deficiency of means
for 1861, as presented in the annual re-
port from this department December
3, 1859, was S., 9sS, 424.O4. Deducting
the actual deficiency, s4,65l, 966,OS,
and there is an excess of estimated
deficiency over actual deficiency of ST.
6,457.O6.
The revenue from all sources during
the year 1860 amounted to S9,21S, 067 &C
The revenue from all sources during
the year 1861 amounted to 9 O49 296 &c
Decrease of revenue for 1861 Sl66, III 0C
The net proceeds from Post offices in
the loyal States for the fiscal year end.
ing June 80, 1860, $3,6ss, 69O.56, and
in 1861, S3,SO1, 467.Os, showing an in
crease in 1861 of SIP, 1862; and in
the disloyal States, in 1860, SS20,546.-
So, and in 1861, $677,7O6.70, showing
decrease in 1861 of 142,S39.s1.
The decrease in 1861 from the net
proceeds of 1860 in all the States ap.
pears to be S3O,O43.29.
Statement of the receipts and expenditures in the
disloyal States and amount alleged to be due to
contractors; also the amount actually paid to
contractors from July l, 1860, to May 81, 1861.
Total expenditures, So, 699, $50 At
Total gross receipts, 1,241 ,220 O5
Excess of expenditures over receipts 81 457, $50 A
Amount alleged to be due to contrac-
tors for transportation, 3,135, 637 ~
Amount actually paid for transporta-
ton 1928, O61 So
Leaving amount alleged to be
due and unpaid, 5 812, 595, 49
The estimate of the total expendi-
lures for 1868 is somewhat less than
those of previous years heretofore sub
mitted. This difference arises from
the fact only partial estimates are made
for the cost of postal service in States
where it is now suspended.
The appropriation for defenses in
1862 was $500, 35O.61, while the
amount estimated to be required from
from the Treasury for 1860, is $3,145,
900.
The whole number of ordinary dead
letters received and examined during
the year was about 2,55O,OOO.
The number of these letters contain
ing money, which were registered and
sent out during the year ending June
80, 1861, was 1O,5SO.
The number of dead letters returned
unopened to foreign countries during
the fiscal year was Ill, 147, which, add
ed to the number Of domestic letters
Q03, $780, sent out as above. gives the
whole number sent out from the dead
letter office for the year, 215, 1888.
The result of the successful investi-
cation in 1850 cases, confirms the past
experience Of the department, that the
failure of letters to reach its destination
is, in the vast majority of instances, the
fault alone of the writer or sender.
Out of the above 1850 valuable dead
letters, 1905 were directed to the
wrong office, 467 were imperfectly ad
dressed; 612 were directed to transient
persons; PSI to parties who had
changed their residences S2I were
addressed to fictitious persons or firms
SO were uncalled for; 10 without any
directions; 2,136 were not mailed for
want Of postage stamps; 70 were mis-
sent; and for the failure of postmastsrs
to deliver 1913, no satisfactory reason
was assigned. The department there
fore can justly be held responsible for
the non-delivery of but 2l2 of these
letters.
Much other valuable data is given on
this subject, and it is worthy of re-
mark that out of 76,769 letters before
alluded to, originating in the loyal
States, and addressed to residents of
disloyal States 10000 could not be re-
turned, either because the signature of