The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1861-03-07
The Southern Postage Act.

ern Congress, on the 24th inst, was the
removal of secrecy from the following re-
port:
Mr.. Chiffon, from the Committee on
Postal Affairs, made the following report;
The Committee on Postal Affairs having
considered of the duties assigned them,
have Instructed me to submit the follow
ING report, and the bill accompanies the
same.
The Committee have mainly directed
their inquiries to the question whether,
without material inconvenience to the
public, the Post Office Department CT this
Confederacy can be made solfsustaining
The Committee illd, from the latest
and most reliable means of information OF
which they have been able to avail them
self, that the excess Of expenditure over
the receipts of this Department in the six
States comprising this Confederacy, for
the fiscal year ending 30th June, 1859,
was ST, ,669, ,595.93. They have not been
able to obtain the report Of such receipts
and expenditures for the last fiscal year,
but they presume the above furnishes an
approximation sufficiently accurate for
the predicate Of our present action.
To provide for. this deficit, your Com
mittee would suggest that the rates of
postage may be increased, as proposed by
the accompanying bill. By this bill they
estimate an increase of receipts approxi-
mating s57s,S74.S5
They believe that saving can be ef
fected by change II the mode of letting
out mail contracts, adopting what is usu-
ally called athe star-bid system" Provi-
ding all due safe-gua,d IDS for the cclerity,
certainty, and security of the mails, but
without other restric tons as to the mode
of transportation. IA this way your Com
mittee are satisfied that the expense of
mail transportation nay be reduced, say
335 per cent. upon The present cost, say
s619,O33.
They are further Of opinion that there
should be disconlinuanec of numerous
routes, the cost OF which is greatly dis
proportioned to th-sir convenience, and
the receipts of the post Offices supplied
by them. In this way they believe q
saving of Ito of the present cost Of trans
portation may be attained, say S256,344.
The service uporl many of the routes
may, without material detriment be
changed, daily routes reduced to tri-weelS
ly, &C., at an estimated reduction of, say
lS2o6, ,344.
They would also recommend the abol-
ishing number Of minor post Offices,
which occasion considerable expense with
out corresponding profit or convenience.
In this way saving to the Department
might be readily secured to the amount
of, say $4,000.
These sums added, say by increased
receipts by raising postage rates $57S, ,S74 SS
By saving, as above indicated, total, l,0Sl,I III OO
Total s1,cco,595 So
Present excess of expenditures over 90
receipts l'ooo'o'o 90
Your Committee are of opinion that
steps should be Immediately taken to pro-
cure postage stamps Of the denomination
of two, five and twenty cents; that these
stamps will be sufficient to meet the wants
of the Department for the present.
They would further suggest that imme-
date steps should lie taken for procuring
supply of locks and keys for the mail
service and for post Office blanks, such as
are now in use.
They would further recommend that
all the mail CONTRACTS within this Confed-
eracy be re-let at as early day as practi-
cable, and until they are re-let the exist
ing contracts remain of force, this govern
ment becoming responsible to such con-
tractors from the sth day of February,
1861.
Your Committee are unable to- suggest
any plan until further arrangements shall
have been made for the transmission Of
mail matter to AMI from other govern
ments. They believe, however, that un-
til postal treaties can be made, expedients
arising from tho necessities of the public
will, readily suggest themselves, which
will in great measure, remedy the in
convenience. The widespread ramifica-
cations of the Express companies would
furnish valuable auxiliaries for communi-
cation beyond the Confederacy, the mail
matter bearing the stamps of each gov