Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Iowa) 1861-1864, 1861-12-26
MisteIIanu.


The following abstract presents q
few Of the most important points o
this report: .... ......
1t appears that the whole number
Of postofiices in the United States on
the 30th of June, 1861, was 2S,5S6
and that the entire number of cases
acted npon during the same period
was l0,63S, including appointments
made by the President of the United
States. The whole number of ap.
pointments made by the Postmaster
General is 9,235, and the number by
the President during the same period
is 337.
The aggregate earnings of the diff
ferent transatlantic steamship lines
during the year ending June 30th
1861, were S392,sS7.63.
The expenditures of the department
in the fiscal year ending June 3Oth,
1861, amounted to Sl3, ,6OG, 7G9ll.
The expenditure of the department
in the year ending June 3Oth, 1860,
were $l4,S74,772.89, showing a dc.
crease in 1861 of 81, 26S,Ol3.5S. zs.-..-
lhe gross revenue for the year 1861
including receipts from letter carriers
and from foreign postages, amounted
to s., ,349, 296.40. wr .............
The estimated deficiency of means
for 1861, as presented in the annual
report from this department Dec. B,
1860, was $5,9SS, 42404. Deducting
the actual deficiency, S4,65l .96G.9S,
and there is an excess of estimated
deficiency over actual deficiency of
81 ,436.457.06. .. .. ..... ....
The net proceeds from postof1ices in
the loyal States for the fiscal years
ending June 80, 1860, 3,6Ss, $50. 56,
and in 1861, $3,SOl, ,4S7 .Os, showing
an increase in 1861 of $ll3,796.52
and in the disloyal States, in 1860,
and in 1861, $677, 706.7O, showing q
decrease in 1861 of $l42,s39.sl.
The decrease in 1861 from the net
proceeds Of 1860 in the States appears
to be $50, 0,04329.
The estimate of the total expcndi.
lures for 1862, is somewhat less than
those Of previous years heretofore sub,
mitted. This difference arises from
the fact that only partial estimates
are made for the cost of postal scvicc
in States where it is now suspended.
The appropriation for expenses in
1862 $5,39l $50 .63, while the amount
estimated TO be required from the
Treasury is s3,l45,00O.
The whole number of ordinary dead
letters received and examined during
the year was about S2,55O,000. The
number Of these letters containing
money, which were registered aud
sent ont during the year ending June
30th, 1861, was l03,SS6. The mum
bcr of dead letters returned unopened
to foreign countries during the fiscal
year was Ill, l,l37, which, added to the
nuMber of domestic letters l03,SS6)
sent out as above, gives the whole
number sent out from the dead letter
office for the year, 2l5,033.
The result Of successful inyestiga
tion il 1860 cases confirms the past
experience Of the department that the
failure Of letter to reach il destina-
ton is, in the vast majority of in
stances, the fault alone of the writer
or sender. Out of the above 1860
valuable dead letters, 3,095 were di
rected to the wrong Office !; ACT were
imperfectly addressed 6l2 We're di
rectcd to transient persons 257 te
parties who had changed their resi-
dences S2l were addressed to fcti-
tious persons or firms SO were un
called for 10 without any directions
2,l36 were not mailed for want of post
age stamps 70 were missent ant
for the failure of postmasters to de
liver 1873, no satisfactory reason was
assigned. The department, therefore
can justly be held responsible for The
non-delivery of but 2l2 of these let
ters.
| Much other valuable data is giver
on this subject, and il is worthy of re
mark, that out of 1919 letters orig
mating in the loyal States, and ad
dressed to residents Of disloyal States
10000 could not be returned, eithc
because the signature of the writes
was incomplete, or because the lette
contained no clue to his residence
The experience Of the Department
shows that large proportion of do
mestic letters written by educate.
persons, and particularly women, Or,
deficient in one or both of these re
epccts.
In view of these and other facts
the Postmaster General suggests tha
valuable dead letters should be charg
ed with treble the ordinary rate q
postage, comprising one rate for re
turn TRANSFORMATION tn the dead lettp