Washington telegraph., 1862-02-05
WASHINGTON. ARKANSAS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY s. 1862
THE CoNFEDERaTE PosTA

THE CONFEDERATE POSTAL DEPART
MgNT - The Montgomery Advertiser
makes up a summary of Postmaster Gene-
raj Reagan's report, from which we learn
that the whole number Of post Offices now
in operation ia the Confederate States is
$500. The number of postmasters who
have been appointed since the first Of
June, 1861, at which time the Couf.de>
rate government assumed control of the
postal department, is 6,26l, aud of these
4,lS4 have been commissioned since that
/ date. The number of route agents iu SER
vice on railroads and steam boats Of the
! Confederate States, on the l,t of June,
was l23, of whom 10 have been appoint
ed by the department and five removed
/ The appointment of the remaining thir-
teen has been suspended for varions rca>
sons. There are in the Confederate States
2,519 post routes established by law OF
this number 2,207 were under contract on
the first of Juue, 1861, and Of these 4l5
have been abandoned by the contractors.
From 5l9 of the remaining routes no re-
sponse has yet been received by the de.
partment, and on $40 additional routes
additional information is required before
the government eau enter into new con
tracts. The service on sixty-eight routes
mas been discontinued as unnecessary, and
eleven have been suspended in conse.
queDce of the blockade. The amount an
nually saved TO the department by these
dlscontinuances is Stl2, 1887. The SER
vice on seventy-fOur routes has been cur
tailed, and the expenses thereof reduced
S216, 6,306 IA
The total cost of the mail service 10 the
eleven States composing the Confederacy
at the time this report was made to Com
grrss, for the year ending June 80, 1860
uuder the government of the United States
was 81, 296 ,246. Is. Receipts for the same
year 81 ,507 ,540.55. Excess Of expeudi-
lures over receipts for the year salts,
1O6 % The report for the fractional
quarter of one month, ending 30th Juue
lasi-the returns for the subsequent quar-
ter ending 30th vi September, not being
sufficiently complete To enable report to
be made for that quarter, shows total
OF expenditure of 5000 ,937 90; receipts
So, 1897 81, leaving deficiency Of SlOS,-
033 30. These figures for the month rt
June are made up Of nIeagre aud upper
feet details, III consequence of the failure
of many pOstmasterS to make any report.
The amount of grants from the treasur
Ia aid OF the-revt nues of the Department
was $500 ,060 SO; making total Of d.
posts and grants of SS95 ,6G6,06 Sine,
the 21th July, 337 warrants have LcaI
issued upon the treasury, In payment ~
the postal services, amounting to 1928,
All 96: leaving undrawu and subject Il
warrants, in payment of postal service
S6IU, ,2Sl.lO. These have been issued
upou class Of post Offices styled :. drAit
oihces,' iu payment of the postal service
615 drafts, amounting $40, 2SS.35 -
The number of dead letters received
aud opened, is SS,6S2 The number q
drop letters, S,5l2. The number Of let
tiers held for postage, 1913. 967 dead
letters contained III money, So, ,15l 80, anC
1911 contained drafts, bills Of exchange
notes aud other valuable papers, amount
ing to 81 ,23S ,643 81. A large amount "
these, however, belongs to persons not re
sidents of the Confederate States, aud vii
be placed in the hands of the proper judi
cial officers, to be disposed of unaer the
sequestration act.
Considerable difficulty has been expe'
rienced in procuring postage stamps il
consequence of the inability of parties il
the Confederate States to do the ingrav
ing in proper manner, in order to avoiC
the danger Of counterfeiting. A limited
supply of Autographed stamps has beer
furnished siuce the 18th of October, bu
they are rather poor in quality, high prc
ed aud not enough in number to supply
he wants of the people. A confidential
agent has been dispatched to Europe, pro
vided with ample means to procure the
manufacture of steel dies aud plates fl
printing the different denominations pro
vided by law, and tn procure as soon a
pract cable 15,000.O0O of stamps, aud t
forward the dies, plates aud stamps t.
Richmond.
The Postmastcr-Generslm makes an ella
bprate argument to justify the law whlcl
forbids publishers to send newspapers anc
periodicals as freight, by expressmen auc
Others; but his effort is generally vote
to be signal foilure. He is mistaken IL
supposing that the complaints OF injustice
come exclusively from publishers aud ex
,, pressmen. The newspapers are Of cours
made the medium of these complaints
but ibasmuch as the additional tax ant
the Inconvenience falls 1pon the great read
ing public, we agree with the Richmon'
Dlspatch aud other contemporaries in the
inability to see h W the old law upon thi
subject eau be denominated "class iegis
; la'ion."-Nenphis Appeal.