The New York herald., 1861-12-06


that purpose after paying for tho site purchased remains
therefore unexpended
POST oFYoE BCrLpfTa AT PHILADELPHIA
In view OF the pressing need of improvements ia the
Post OMce accommodations at Philadelphia and in
necton with the structure designed for both Post Once
and United States Court rooms, tho commission invited
plans and proposals for adapting to these the build
Ing which has been already purchased This has resulted
ia the offer OF plan which appears to mo Satisfactory
and which, IN my judgment will answer the purpo es
proposed for many years 10 come, and will also tho
demands Of good taste and convenience, at cost
cecdng $50 600 for which tho existing appropriation
hcent Tho question Of It's acceptance is now pending
before my associates, as provided by law Of the last
Congress.
RosroN POST OFFICE
have made arrangements by which tho Post Ofnce Ia
the city 0 Boston has been restored to its former
State street. without additional expense tho depart
mont II done the more cheerfully because 1t
enabled me to signify my rcprobaon OF the conduct OF
public officer using the influence of his official position to
promote his private ends. In disregard Of the public nte
rest This order II Is also believed, accordance
with the wishes Of decided majority Of the business in
tcfcss affected by It, In connection therew h able
TO terminate tho claim fund of $ COO formerly
deposited by corian parties for the which,
aeducon o. the expenses Of ono removal each way Con-
er % PASSED an act approved March 2, 1861 The
~ g. was required cover tho double rent ac-
crued during tho period whom the first removal was sus
pended. 10 my Judgment this TO DO deducted as
was expressly understood should DO at tho mo of tho
contract OF indemnity The settlement was cfoccd on
this basis the sum of 80 OIS IL vas remrnI ndss
that provision Of law, and the account closed.
PR0Io5ED AMENDMENTS Law.
B the act Of Congress, approved July 1885, Is Stat,
O(
Postmasters At offices where the commissions allowed to
Postmastors amounted TO thousand dollars or upward
in any one year terminating tho Both day OF juno
should bo mado by the President with the advice
sent Of the Senate In which havc once
earned that amount in year have subsequently fallen
below u, and become permanently reduced in value.
Doubts have existed whether by tho letter Of tho law
crred to- the appointment did continue to
be presidential II Is recommended that this doubt bo
removed by amendment the law providing that tho
appointment shall cease to be presidential whenever such
commissions shall have been ascertaned to be less than
n aud doll AornV
preceding an appointment.
TIE PosrMAsTRRs rRaNKlNo PRIVILEGE.
Tho franking privilege in this country greatly
tended In the United Kingdom, the only other country
IN which very low rates ol inland postage prevail ap
pears to be limited to addresses and petitions TO tho
Queen and petitions TO either house Of Parliament All
other mailablo matter is chargoabie with postage.
Hence, in part the thero Of tho low postage
system in point Of revenue.
in this country however IL is extended cover large
class of postmasters, probably the majority.
During the same period the sum OF s53 565 o. in money.
and bills Of exchange drafts checks negotiable notes
to the amount Of 81 436 $40 found in dead letters were
returned TO the owners or writers thereof
In consequence of the great accumulation, after tho
suspension Of mail service, of letters originating in
addressed to the dsioya States, the attention of tho
clerical force of the dead letter Office necessarily
diverted from its accustomed duties hence the causes OF
the delivery of valuable letters not asceraned
TO SO great an extcnt intended, could be
wished
The result OF successful investigation in 500 cases.
however, confirms the past experience Of the depart
ment tha, the failure of letter to reach its destination
is in the vast majority Of instances the fault Of the
writer sender. Out OF tho above $50 valuable dead
letters, 1906 directed to the wrong oce 487
imperfcctly addressed 612 directed to transient
persons 25 parties who had changed her residences
821 addressed TO fictitious persons firms B3
uncaed for, 10 without any directions; 2136 not
maled for want OF postage stamps 10 were msscn aud
for the failure Of postmastes to deliver 1873 satsac
tory reason assigned Tho department. therefore,
justly be held responsible for the delivery OF but
212 Of these letters
In the examination of 457 letters not mailed for
want OF postage carriers fees because msdrected
Lp Vf rh har cnntr hnfa hU fINn
Offices at the twenty -four largest cities in the couRtry)
was found that 82 5S2 detained for payment OF
POSTAGE 119 for want Of carriers fee 5947 mis-
directed and 500 destitute Of address direction
OF the above letters ,339 contained money amounting
to 81 So and 1853 checks drafts or negotiable paper,
the value Of which s2597l6 So Letters Of the last
class generally from mercantile firms from
bankers, by whom they were carc!essly mailed either
without the proper address or without postage stamp
is worthy of remark that out OF 76 100 letters be-
fore alluded originating in the loyal States aud ad
dressed to residents of dsoya 40 900 could not be
returned either because the signature of the writer
incomplete because the letter contained clue TO his
residence The experience of the department shows that
large proportion Of domestic letters written by edu
Gated persons and particularly by women deficient
in one or both Of these respects
The sixth section Of the act approved February a.
authorizes the application Of the unclaimed money from
dead letters to promote tho efficiency of the dead eter
oce by providing for more careful examination Of lot
ters and the return OF larger number TO the writer's
with or without valuable enclosures.
by virtue Of the authority thus granted from the 10th
Of April the 10Th or October the average number OF
clerks employed per month was nine, and the average
compensation paid each per month was $68 So 49,
which, together with incidental expenses ($2l 3s),
amounted to "a 544 IL leaving balance to the credit Of
the dead letter fund the 31s Of October Of $55 &c.
As stated above, the suspension of postal communca-
ton with tho diloyai States produced unprece
accumulation OF dead letters which rendered the en-
poymont Of these clerks in the examination rcgisra
ton and delivery Of such letters an absolute necessity
however, tho earnest desire Of tho department that
the dead letter fund should be exclusively devoted to
creasng the number Of ordinary dead letters returned to
the writer's and to insurng the utmost promptness in
their delivery.
Notwithstanding the manifest advantages of the law
Of February 81 1884, requiring mere frequent returns Of
dead letters to the department, the majority of post
masters particularly these at the smaller Offices fail to
comply with tho necessary regulations under that law
although duly notified thereof In order to carry out the
saluary reform contemplated by Congress- every post
master who is delinquent in this respect is reminder OF
what the law requires, and his immediate compliance
Herewith requested This correspondence, and the
sequcnt return OF larger amount of letters to the ownors
involves much additional labor tending increase the
efficiency of the dead letter oilce.
According to the experience Of the last year would
appear that the proportion Dc the dead letters sent out
which would be received by The writer's Is much larger
than was formerly estimated by this department. Out
Of So 1884 dead letters hold for postage misdrcc!ed, &C.,
which, though not containing valuable enclosures. were
sent for delivery, but 4s66, less than twelfth
not delivered because refused, for other causes
and were again returned to the dead letter Office is
that with dead letters Of all kinds tho proportion return
second time to the department would be somewhat
larger but il it were increased to one-fourth OF
all dead letters sent out the return to tho writer's Of all
such correspondence susceptible OF restoration would in
vove additional expense to the department. while it
would be generally gratifying and often extremely useful
the public. About 500 600 dead letters annually
received and excluding letters without the signature
address Of the writers aud those containing circulars ad
hianiiesy worthless matter IL Is estimated that 500 900
could be returned to the post Office Of the writer If
fourth of these refused uncaed for the depart
mcnt under existing law, would receive from possages
the remaining ,125 Goo the sum Of sa3,75o.
The number OF clerks required to examine and send out
800 900 letters wcud not exceed twentyv and their
COMPENSATION at $500 per annum, which is deemed sui-
cen for the nature Of the service to be performed would
amount to $50 0G0, leaving net revenue to the depart
ment OF S13150
In of the encouraging results already attained by
the partial Of the unclaimed dead letter money for
this purpose, would respectfully recommend that
thority be granted by Congress to employ the pro-
posed clerks and that so 600 bo appropriated therefor
in addition to the ordinary appropriation for officers and
clerks In this department
would also suggest that valuable dead letters, when
returned their owners should be charged with trcbO
the ordinary OF postage, comprising for
turn transportation TO the dead letter Office, ono
rate for registration there and rate for return
transportation to the writer's It has al
ready shown that the failure Of such letters to reach
their destination is rarely attributable to tho de-
partmcnt while in their restoration much time and labor
BY the first section Of the act approved March e 1S47,
each deputy postmaster whose compensation for the last
preceding year did not exceed two hundred dollars may
send through tho mails all letters written by himself and
receive all addressed to himself private business fre0
of postage, the weight not exceeding q half ounce
This privilege is greatly abused and ought to be re-
other cornnencntiou postmaster be-