The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1861-12-25

L
] loyal States for the FISCAL year ending Juno
80, rs6f So, ess, e9l Sc, and in 1861. ss,-
sol, Asst OS showing an increase in 1861 Of
$1l2,7ssb2, anl in the disloyal States, in
1850, ss2s. $40 81, and in 1861, $e77.7oe
f7o, showing adccrqase in 1861, Of $l42,-
1913 81. IL M Is
The decrease 10 tsbAfrm the nett pro.
ceeds of1s60 mall the States appears to be
$40, O4s29.
Statement Of the receipts, and expendi.
lures Of the disloyaf States and amount ALE
ged to be due'to contractors also, the
amount actually paid to contractors. from
July 1, 1860, to May 81, 1Se1ss ,,,..,i, =,
Total expenditures. .. ..... SO, 500, l50 Al
Total gross receipts ). !. ~. pa, 220 05
Excess of expenditures over receipst
go. ....sS. 49,. ........ So, 457, $50 40
Amosnt aliegedto be to contractors for
| transportation. ......... .$3s1 .637 IL
Amount actually paid for transportation al
...... ..................$ 80, 323, 061 63
Leaving amount alleged to be due and "
| unpaid ...... z. .... S6l2,595 AZ
The estimate of the total expenditures fn
1862 is somewhat less than those Of previ-
GUS years heretofore submitted. This off.
ference arises. from the E.cs that only partial
estimates are made, for the cost Of postal
service in States where it, is npwcsuYenited
The.ap appropriations for tfefcnces in 1862
was. So, 1874 $50 SO, while the amount esti
mated to be required from the treasury for
1860, is s3,145OOO. &. .
The whole ntmber of ordinary dead let
tiers received and examined during the year
was about 2,550,Ooo. 'i '72', e" a'la' ~.
The number of these letters containing
money, which were registered and sent out
during the year ending June 80, 1861, was
/ 1850. - Atg hie .faa1i H'a s'".'H Y h.aa e
The number Of dead letters fesurned I'M
opened to foreign countries during the fs-
cal year was ll2,147. which added 70 the
number Of domestic letters OO3.sso), sent
out as above. gives the VIII lie number sent
out from the dead letter Office Cor the year
2i5,o e sai'.5ios E''f.''aq ~" '''i
The result Of successful investigation in
1850 cases confirms. the past experience Of
the department, that the failure Of letter to
reach As destination is, in, the vast majority
sffnstahces, te fault alone OF the writer or
sender. Out Of the above 1860 valuable
ded letters, 1905 were directed to the
wrong Office; 6l2 were directed to transient
persons; Isl to parties who had changed
their residences; s2l were addressed to fic.
titioas persons or firms; SO. were uncalled
for; r0 without any direction; 2,f36 were
not mailed for want Of postage stamps, 70
missent; and for the failure Of p,stma~ters
to delive 1873, no satisfactory reason was as.
signed. The, department therefore can jus.
tily be held responsible for the nondclivery
of but Pip of these letters.
Much other valuable data is given on this
subject, and it is worthy of remark. that ont
Of 76,769 letters before alluded to, origina-
ting in the loyal States, and addressed to
residents Of d:sloyal States, 10000 could not
be returned, either because the, signature of
the writer was incomplete. or because the
letter contained no clue to his residence
The experience Of the Department shows
that large proportion of domestic letters
written by educated persons particularly wo-
men, are deficient in one or both of these
respects.
In view Of these and other facts, the Post
master General suggests that valuable dead
letters when returnsfto their owners, should
be charged treble the ordinary rate Of pos
tage, comprising one rat. for return trans.
portaiieas to the dead letter, offire, one. rate
| for registration there, and one rate for re-
turn. transportation 70 the writer's or ow-
liners
I 4 treaty with Mexico, has been concluded.
awaiting the ratification by Mexico, estab.
fishing common international rate Of twen-
ty-five cents on letters, with other useful
provisions.
The Postmaster, General has accepted the
offer made in 1857 by Great Britain 70 a re-
duction Of the international rate between the
two countries on letters, from twenty -four to
twelve cents, which however, has not yet
gone into operation, as it awaits the res.
ponse of the British Office.
/ Naw A6vartiSan ants