Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-12-04
Report Of The post.master General.

ana constant improvement IN the condl-
ton Of the Department during the year.
The efficiency Of the service has been
maintained at the highest point, accompa-
MED by q decided diminution of expendi-
lures. The gross revenue of the Depart
ment for this fiscal year, including the
standing Treasury credit for free mail mat
ter, and a small amount appropriated for
the reliefOf individuals, WAS s., ,Ol2,5 $40 Sc.
The expenditures for the same year
amounted to S11, ,125, 1854 Is. The regular
postal revenue for 1882 is only S4O,47O 80
less than it wvs for the fiscal year 1851,
during large part Of which year revenue
was paid in from all the States of the
Union. This fact shows large increase
in the correspondence of the loyal States,
While the revenues have been SO nearly
sustained at the highest standard, the ex-
penses have been largely reduced. For
the preceding year the expenditures were
g, ,4s1, 1894 9s greater than last year. The
following comparisons of figures are in
teresting:
The expenditures for 1860 for service in
all the States, S14,S74,772 SO; revenues
for the same year, S, ,21s,O67 40; defcien-
cy, S5,656, 7O5 49. Expenditures for 1861:
service interrupted in 1861, Sl3, 606, 759 II;
gross revenues for 1861: service interrupt
ed in 1861, 50, ,O49, ,Z96 Az; deficiency 81
557, ,462 II. Expenditures for 1852, Sll,-
1853 l3; revenues for 1852, S9,0l2, $40
Sc; deficiency, S2,112,Sl4 81. Reduction
| Of expenditures as compared with 1860,
So, ,749, ,408; reduction Of expenditures as
compared with 1861, 81, ,48l, ,394.
The Department has not been, for many
years. so nearly self-sustaining. This re-
suit is largely owing to the suspension Of
postal expenditures in the South, which
were greatly in. excess Of postal receipts,
but not alone to that A revision of all
discretionary expenses has been made, and
large reductions ordered. The pay Of
agents has been regarded and equalized.
Economy has been re-established in the
| large offices, where waste was found. In
competency, wherever found in official po-
| sition, has been removed, and an effort
made to adopt a standard Of merit and of
administrative efficiency, in lieu Of other
4
| The Postmaster General expresses his de-
termination to adhere to this course.
The number Of postage stamps issued to
| postmasters during the year was 7,O78, lS8.
| The value Of letter envelopes was Sl38,-
225 90. The value Of stamped newspaper
wrappers, S28,64S so; increase Of issue
over 1851, 81, IA, 85s q. The total value
sold was S6,9lO, lS1 80.
The increasing demand on the part Of
the public for the stamped newspaper
shows that their introduction has satisfied
public demand, and promoted the con-
venience of correspondence.
In the first quarter of the current year
ending September 80, the number of stamps
issued to postmasters was 104, 600, ,OOO.-
Their calls were for about 200,000,000,
which would have been nearly sufficient to
meet the usual demand for q year. This
extraordinary demand arose from the
temporary use Of these stamps as cur
rency by the public in lieu Of the smaller
denominations Of specie, and ceased with
the introduction Of the so called postal cur
rency.
The difference between the value Of
stamps sold and stamps Cancelled in the rs
cal year 1862 shows S78s,8 SO as the
amount in the hands Of purchasers on the
1st Of July, 1862
The whole number of daRd lettars re-
ceived and examined during the year is
| 2.282. .O18, which is 267,0 less than the
previous year. The whole number Of val
liable letters sent out by the Dead-Letter
Office was 81, ,2S9. Many interesting de-
tails are given in the Report touching the
operations Of the Office. Out of 2l,493
/ cases where causes Of non delivery were
sscertained, only 225 were attributable to
the fault Of Postmasters; 822 letters had
no address whatever.
! Congress at its first session passed an
act authorizing the employment Of % ad-
ditionai clerks to facilitate the return of
dead letters to their writer's, with the ex-
pectation that the receipts ofpOstage there
on would cover the appropriation of S2O,-
! 900 for their compensation. The result
thus far shows that an excess Of revenue
! therefrOm over the expenses has accrued TO
! the amount Of several thousand dollars.
The whole number Of PostOfices in the
United States remaining established on the
Both Of June, 1862, was %, 1856, of which
there were in the loyal States and districts
| 1878, and in the insurrectiOnary States
and districts there were $500.
The net increase in the established Of
fees over last year was 121. The number
Of cases acted upon by the appointment
Office during the year was 1875. The TO-
| tai hostages accrued on United States and
European mails during the year amounts
| to 81, l44O95 81, being q reduction on the
amount Of the previous year of $217, $40 8s.
/ OF the total amount collected, the excess
| L., al Gfcfa
6O7 36, which constitutes the balance paid
to the several foreign departments, the
cost of exchange being betrayed by the
United States. The POstmaster-General
objects to this cost as inequitGble, and
proposes, if possible, to retrieve the De-
/ partment from this burden.
The Postmsster-General has made spe-
cial efforts to retrieve the foreign CORES
pondence Of the country from its complex
| ity, now 30 embarrassing alike to eorres-
pondents and to postal officers. Separate
negotiations have been found altogether
inadequate to secure simple and sstisfac-
tory arrangements. He therefore opened
a correspondence in August last through
the Department of State with fsreign Ad-
ministratiOns, proposing Convention Of
Postal Representatives at some convenient
point to consider the enumerated difficult
ties and the means Of remedying them.
Several replies have been received from
the various governments, and all are IA
vorable and agree to the project. This
country comprising emigrants from almost
every civilized nation, is especially inter
ested in the subject proposed to be brought
before the conference. It is q species Of
postal improvement requiring the estab-
lishment Of greater uniformity, and some
common principle Of arrangement, and is
connected with our prosperous commercial