The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-12-06

IKLY FHAWK.EYE.
The Postnaster.GeneYal,s Report.
The report for this year exhibits very healthy
financial condition Of the Post Olice Department,
| and shows 1t to be thoroughly impregnsted with
the spirit OF improvement The efficiency Of the
service has been maintained at the highest point,
accompanied BY great dimunition Of expendi-
lures. The gross revenue Of the Department for
this fiscal year, including the standing Treasury
credit for free mail matter, and small amount
appropriated for the relief of individuals, was
S9,Ol2,549 ~. The expenditures for the same
wear amounted to gil, l15,S 64 IS The regular
postal revenue for 1852 if only t4s.470 80 less
than it was for the fiscal year 1861, during .
large portion of which year revenue was psid in
from al the States in the Union. This fact shows
large increase in the correspoujenee OF the
loyal States. While the revenues have bern %
nearly sustained at the highest standard, the
expenses have been largely reduced. For the
preceding year the expenditures were $3.4sl,-
comparisons Of figures are interesting:
Expenditures for 1860 for service in oil the
States, tl4,s74,772 50; revenues for the same
year, $9,2ls,067 40; deficiency, $t,6s5, 705 40.
Expenditures for 1861: service interrupted in
service interrupted In 1861, s., 049, 296 40; de-
fciency, q, SAT ,462 II. Expenditures for 1862,
Gil, 1875, 1854 Is; revenues for 1852, 1902, $40
IS; deficiency, $2,ll2,sl4 81. Reduction Of
expenditures % compared with 1860, g. 749, 40s;
reduction Of Expenditures, 80 compared with 1861
Sass, 1874. {.
The Department has not been, for many years.
10 nearly self-sustaining This result lie largely
owing to the suspension Of postal expenditures
in the South, which we're greatly in excess of
postal receipts, but not alone to that A revi-
sion of all discretionary expenses has been made
and large reductions ordered. The pay Of agents
has been regarded and equalzed. Economy
has been re-es.ablished in the large Offices
where waste wac found. Incompetency, wher-
ever found in official position, has been remoy-
ed, and an effort made TO adopt standard Of
merit and Of administrative efficiency, in lieu Of
other and inferior motives for appointment -
The Postmaster expresses his deter
mination TO adhere to this course.
The number Of postage stamps Issued to post
masters during the year was 7o7s, lss; The
value Of letter envelopes was $685. 66 so. The
value Of stamped newspaper wrappers. $2s e4s
80; increase Of iseue over 1861, 81 IA, 1858 ~.
The total value sold was 6,el0,13l SO.
The increasing demand on the part Of the
public for the stamped newspaper shows that
their introduction has satisfied public demand,
and promoted the convenience of correspond
eDta
! In the frst quarter of the current year end
ing September 80, the number of stamps issued
to postmasters was 104, 100000. Their calls
for about 2O0, 0O0, 900, 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 = curren-
cy by the public in lieu of the simla. denomi-
nations of specie, and ceased with introduction
Of the SO called postal currency
! The difference between the value OF stamps
sold and stamps Cancelled in the fiscal year Of
1862 shows $73s, S79 Sc as the amount in the
hands of purchasers on the 1st Of July, 1862
The whole number Of dead letters received
and examined during the year is 2,2s2, 0lS,
which is 267, 900 less than in the previous year.
The whole number Of valuable letters sent out
| BY the Dead Letter Office was 81 .2S9. Many
interesting details are given in the Report touch.
ing the operations Of the Office. Out of 81 ,493
cases where causes of non-delivery was ascer-
tained only 225 we're attributable to the fault OF
Postmssters; S22letters had no address what
ever. ".
Congress at it's first session passed an act
authorizing the employment of 20 additional
clerks to facilitate the return Of dead letters to
their writer's, with the expectation that the re-
ceipts of hostages thereon would cover the ap.
preparation of $50 900 for their compensation.
The result thus far shows that an excess of re-
to the amount of several Thousand dollars.
The whole number of Post Offices in the Unit
ed States remaining established on the S0th OF
June, 1862, was 2S, 1885, 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 Offices
over last year was l2l The number of cases
acted upon by the appointment of Office during
the year was 1875. The total hostages accrued
on United States and European mails during the
year amounts to 81 ,l44,096 50, being reduce
ton on the amount OF the previous year OF $2l7,.
$40 49, Of the total amount collected the ex
cess collected in the United States was $2l2,-
6O7 So, which constitutes the balances paid to
the several foreign departments, the cost of ex-
change being betrayed by the United States
The Postmaster General objects to this cost as
inequitable, and proposes, if possible, to relieve
the Department from this burden. me-
| The Postmaster General has made special eff
| forts to retrieve the foreign correspondence of
the country::from ita comple1ity now 60 embar-
RAISING alike to correspondents and to postal
officers Separate negotiations have been found
altogether made qrate to secure simple and sat-
isfactory arrangements. He therefore opened .
correspondence in August last through the De.
partment of State with foreign Administrations,
proposing Convention of Postal Represents.
tives at some convenient point to consider the
enumerated difficulties and the means of rene.
dying.
| Several replies have been received from the
various governments, and all are favorable and
agree to the project. This country, comprising
emigrapts from almost every civilized nation. is
especially interested in the subject proposed to
cies of postal improvement requiring the estab-
lishment of greater uniformity, and some CON.
mon principle Of arrangen ent, and is connected