The New York herald., 1862-01-23

COUNSELLOR frequently acted counsel for bills before the
Legislature; was employed by Mr. F. S. Iiteohn on tho
New York Post Office BILL and charged $3.50 for his
vices in his life paid any money directly indi
recty to any member of the Legislature to influence egs
lation.
The Success OF the British Postal system.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE herald.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 81 1852.
In your paper Of yesterday there paragraph form
ing part Of the Washington despatch which pretends 70
give the key to the great Of the British Post
Office The statement is that "the British Post ONCE Is
only rendered sesustainlng BY the immense revenue
derived from postage drop letters in the city Of Lon
don from which source Alone four millions Of dollars OF
the annual postal derived" This statement
only grossly and stupidly false but under it all
there lies animus that readily appreciate. Tho
Gross number Of "drop lettersor properly local
city lsttesin London last year in round numbcrss
sixty millions Calculating these to be "snge" letters
at postage Of penny sterng or two cents the gross
postage, you will see, just 81 200 000 In reality tho
gross postage on these letters il little more than mil
lion and half Of dollars From this OF course must b
deducted the Of the letter carriers some 400 in
number) and the letter receivers (5OO) being not less
than $3.50 calculated the net profits these local
letters in London in 1884, and found the amount 10 b.
that year 1922 ooOths is dollars not pounds sterling
There active, sleepess virulent party in England
that from envy jealousy, continually deprecating
provemens. Col Maherly, formerly in the Post Once.
headed this small crowd nearly twenty years ago. by
making false return, which went to oshow that all tho
profits Of the Post Office had been sunk by Mr. Hits
the clear profit three million dollars-whie
the net profit moro than So 600 This done BY
placing TO the debit account Of the Post Oe al the cos
Of mail Steamers which has never been reck0ned
In the Post Oce expenses they under the charge Of
the Admiralty subsidized and paid far for
and commercial use than for postal services These
0au
expected TO- Every letter sent the British and West
India line eosss the at least dollar and
route Would tho British government and people con-
tnue year after year 70 pay for that line Of steamers the
that in postal returns there commercial,
colonial and naval benefits in tho project Certainly NOS
Now, this system Of mail steamers has about all
grown up since the Penny Postage law passed. In
1885, and for good or evil prod or expense, as nde
% ss os 2.
rebellion TO be laid to the smuggling Of opium by the
The British National Post once with its uniform rate OF
postage Of penny pays in clear profits to the British
Exchequer six million dollars yearly-beng almost
one gross half Gas six 10 ssven) Of the entire postal
The total number Of letters through tho British
Post Office las. year was se4 900 900 lOf all sizesl;
than a clear profit OF q cent on each
of those letters to produce the profit Of six million
dollars. Why all the drop letters il tho kingdom will
produce the gross Of four million dollars should
glad could show that they would. part OF the
years accomplish based the local wants
city population aud the large profit be derived from
often remarked that our postal authorities and
to understand appreciate that under uni
form ratio the most profitable part of postal system Is
city circulation. II you deny that you must prove that
the few letters can bo carried long distance like that
from New York to Chicago for instance, proftaby
the many bs distributed New York city But
white law makers and post Office committees have slum
bersd tho propretors of 'Boyds Delivery" and Bood's
Express have made fortunes aud the public have besa
poorly served at that
have avery 20 believe that the absurd state
nent which set out to correct emanated from Mr. An
thony Trolope English writer of fiction Of moderate
reputation, now soouruing IN this country. | was in
formed few days since by an officer Of the
Post Office Department that Mr.. Trollope had told
him that the boasted profits OF tho British Post
Office a myth and . fiction, and that II
the postal expenses aluding TO the lines to
foreign countries barren islands and pet coopes) were
all reckoned the profits would be MI and more-
over, that the only compensang portion that returned
real profit TO the British Post Office Is the local city circu
laton The whole statement is simply false The frat
part of it from the fact that the British mail steam lines
all the world form part OF the English national
domestic postal establishment and the latter part Of the
statement because simply without truth IN any Of
its clements The facts and figures given abOve-and
which be proved by any reference British Post
Oice repOrt-fuy bear ms out. Mr.. Trolope has been
connected considerably with the British Post Office and
ought TO know what the facts He go about mis-
representing Sir Rowand's postal system rs ho pleasss
but tho misfortune hero is that old fogy dot and
carry Post Office officials will believe his statements,
aud disseminate the poison through Congress and this
press, and prevent reform in our own system.
low and uniform postage, but to a miscovous
statement where your correspondent has boon gross
ly misinformed. Still l cannot forbear making
remark touching the advantageous effect of the
British Post Oco on tho trade taxation, public revenue,
private and prosperous OF that
try IL does req the mind OF a farsseing sates-
10 that some forms OF taxation are far moro in
convenient, expensive and vcxatous than others. Now.
sir you may ask many English people ~ you please
and you III find that, whetber the Post 0fce OF that
country paid does f1 800 900 profit to the national
treasury out the nation that
del moi np rtDu A of n
tax in any other form rather than tho rate Of
postage The low aud uniform postage, the conve-
nience economy and simplicity OF tho system the pune
tua frequent and ubiquitous letter delivery, give suci,
immense facilities 10 all classes Of tradesmcn aud
that they enabled 10 live and sustain their
mcnse load Of taxation about 500 600 900 annually with
difficulty. Double the rate Of postage paid
ity per cent ia addition IN England would DESTROY aud
take away great portion of the facilities granted 70
small tradssmen and manufacturers, enabling them tO
carry their business with profit; and these trades
people pay very large section Of the British taxes.
Cheap aud convenient postage rates, combined with
cheap newspapers enable the farming classes TO know
the best markets and guard against being taken In "
spectators and selling at tho wrong time. Can
not that making the Post Olcc .
mode W taxation, doing any otherwise than
making this great national institution the most
most suicidal course and literally b0 starving tho
that prod the pail OF mkr The country need
ed a good postal syst much as now, when wo AnA
,nrssl, q. obi promote all legitimate trade the
opIv rneans OF filing ovcrburdoned treasury. Who
abs, attept 20 prove II our postal expenses twelve
mill ons a YEAR and the money paid ia pOstages amounts
ony 10 eleven millions that there ~ In this deficit
..inass,, There million dollars that simply has
beep pain out of the pockets of the people In the form or
posaae and must necessarily he contributed In
other way Given the best possible postal system with
and convenient rates Of postage, and havs
one the greatest possible aids to extensive system
of m IL 10 bN honeA