The Carolina Spartan. [volume] (Spartanburg, S.C.) 1852-1896, 1861-03-07
ACr3 OF SOUTHERN CONGRESS
Southern Postage Act.

Southern Postage Act.
The most important sction of the South
ern Congress, on the 24th inst, was the
removal Of secrecy from the following re
port and bill:
Mr.. Chiffon, from the Committee on
Postal Affairs, made the following report :
The Committee on Postal Affairs having
considered on the duties assigned them,
have instructed me to submit the following
report, and the billace"mpanying the same.
The Committee have mainly directed
their inquiries to the question whether.
without material Inconvenience to The pub
lie, the Post Office Department of this Con
tederacy can be made sclf-sust;dnns.
The Commute find from the latest and
most reliable means of information OF which
they have been able to avail thcmseli, that
the excess of the expenditure over the re
ceipts of this Department in the SIX States
comprising this Contederacy, for the fiscal
year ending 3Oth June, 1889. was 81 ,660,-
.595S3. They have not been able to oh
tain the report o. such receipts and expcn-
ditures for the last fiscal year, but they pre-
sumo the above furnishes an approximation
.auiiieieStly accurate for the predicate OF our
present action.
To provide for this deficit. your Commit.
tee would suggest that the rates OF postage
my be increased, as proposed by the nc
companying bill. BY this bill they e>ti-
u,ate All increase OF receipts approxinatin2 :,
:S57S,S74.S3.
They believe that n saving can be effect
ed by u change in the mode OF letting out
mail contracts, adopting what is usually
called the ''star bidsys;em." Providing
all due safe guards for the ceicrity. certain.
,ty, and sccarity Of the mails, but without
other restrictions as to the mode ot trans
portation. In this way your Committee are
satified that the expense OF maj! tranSpor
tation may be reduced, say 33l der cent
upon the present cost, say Sjl9,U33.
They are iurth r ot opinion that there
should be discontlnUancc of numerous
routes, the cost OF which is greatly dispro
portioncd to their convenience, and the re
.ceipts of the post Offices supplied 10y them
In this way they believe a savin. of liz
lot the present cost of transportation may
'bc attai:el, say S2O63l4.
The service uItn many OF the route
may, without material ictr!mcnt, be chang
ed, daily routes reduced to ri-wcckly, Re
at an estimated reduction of, say S2J6,3i4
They would also IT. ommcnd the abolish
ing of a number OF minor post Offices, which
occasioncd considerable expense without
corresponding profit or convent nee II
this way u saving tothc Department might
he readily secured to the amount OF, say
$4,000.
These sums added. say byincre
ed receipts by raising postage
rates. - Sj1S,S1i 81
BY saving as above indicated,
total. l.0Sl12l &C
Total. l,GGU. 595 81
Present excess of expenditures
over receipts l,6GA,59 81
Yoar Committee are OF opinion that steps
should he Immediately taken to procure
postage STAMPS OF the denomination OF two
i've aud twenty Gems that these stamps
will be, suihien, to meet the wants vfthc
department Tor the present
They woull further suygcst hat imme
diote steps should be taken for procuring 4
supply OF locks and ke., for the mail ser
vice; and Tor post Office blanks, such as are
now in use.
81 They would further recommend that all
the mail contracts with this Confcdcracy
fbe re-lct ut as early dag as practicable,
and until they are re-let the existing con
tracts remain of forcn, this Government be
coming responsib!eto such contracto from
the 9Th day Of February 1851.
Your Committee are unable To suggest
amy plan until further arrangements shLl
have been made for the Transmission of mai
matter to and from our Governments They
believe, however, that until postal treaties
can be made, expedicnts arising fr,m the
necessities of the public will, readily sug
.gest themselves, which will in grea,
measure, remedy the Inconvenience The
wide-spread ramitcations of the Express
companies would furnish valuable auxilia
ries for communication beyond the Confed-
'crucy, the mai matter bearing the stamps
,of each government through which it may
pass by said Express
ALI which is respectfully submitted
W.P. Chiffon, CHAIRMAN.