Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1863-12-31
THE PoST-0FfIcE DEPARTMENT.
- 49,
- REPORT OF MR.. SECRETARY BLAIR.

The Annual Report II the Postnxster General informs
u that during the last fllr year the fnarcal condition
Of his Department ksQ one Of unusual prosperity
The revenue has nsar sqdsed the expenditures, the
latter amounting to- ll2l4 2o6. aud the former ia
Sll 1853 7es There reason to believe that the
Deparmeatsxili yuslaning in brief period Of
btiae. - IS stsss,.
The whole number Of post offices existing the 3oth
p1 laQe6le63 was29 e47 being increase the pre-
csdag Of I72 Esht haeaIsd and thirty Offices have
been established, and $50 have been discontinued
The number Of special agents on June 30, 1868, was
sixteen with aggregate salary Of 26 500 and three
hundred and eighy-seven route agents at aggregate
salary of $3.50 26O also local agents at $27 82i
Baggage masters in charge Of exprs mails had received
81 440. 49,
The total cost of trans-A Atlantic man steamship service
1882 l84 This price covered and thirty
two round trips to various EuropeAIxpors.
The Postmaster General regrets state that no pro-
gress has been made in negotiations new postal con-
yenion with Prussia, embracing the tes comprising the
aefma-Austrian Postal Union, aeouut of some OBJ
stace presented by Austria in regard territorial transit
charges.
+Hssreviews his recommendation OfSAdarch g. 1862 to
Fthe postal committees in Congress- thaa private ships
the Ds ss
90 such terms may be allowed by Coz ess
Daring the year the increased length outes has been
thousand
cost Of mail Transportation has decieas& $II325s or
abont two per cen rtarssss 4 A<ss Sa sp
The vslue Of clamps issued to postmasters during the
year s $96 3S2 stamped letter envslopes, 1854
AID stamped spaper wrappers, $2O,545 The total
these sold TO the public was 9 ga 529 being an
excess over the previous year OF $27I4,3N
RECOMMENDATIONS.
he ostmaster General his last years
endation Congress 10 authorize him to adjust and
allow the claim Of postmasters who have sustained Losses
stamps and stamped envelopes by reason ofthe
patton aud robbery Of their Offices by bodesef armed
S6 900 HIS calls attentou aI.o to the fact hat these
postasters have suffered greatly in the loss 81 private
property He additional legislation respect to
post Office thets and recommends that the stealing OF let
terra aud stamps be made penal offence
THE DEAD LETTER. OFFICE.
There has been continued Increase Of leeys contain
ing money al ether vauabrs The number 81 dead let
t-rs covering deeds, bills of exchange, drataand other
valuable papers received registered and retued fr de-
livery the writer's was 322 with an aggrege nominal
value of 544 277sl OF these $50 we're delivered to
the d
bered 1929; Of these, l5o4s containing $6s6a7, were
finally delivered.
Sixteen III nsand seven hundred and sixty three letters
IF LEGS received nearly ten thousapd OF which
contained dsguerotype and 1878 were rested to their
The Postmaster General has instructed posmasters TO
rx ard the dead letter Office except in special cases
al letters remaining unclaimed month saer being
advertised, instead of two months as formerlysa
POSTAL MONEY Orders.
he Postmaster General recommends that postal order
oosy system be established to facilitate the transmission
Of small rs through the mails which be confident
w6 "a prove not only great conveniesce ldsrs and
czeaF,bu also almost entirely ebyiate this
class of Temttances II /
- ssss -, THE REBEL sTA1Es,.-a H.
In regard to letters addressed 10 points in rebelous
States the Postmaster General Says BY rsason OF the
continued suspension of regular postal communication with
sections If the country under ins0rrecionary control
considerable number of letters amounting the aggregate
to "a 3i4 fund their way, by various channels the
dead letter Office Of this number 3l2 were foreign aud
returned countries where they orgiu.ted Those
originating ip the loys States turnd over to the
military authorities and after examination, most Of them
sent by Dag OF truce to their destination.
The Postmaster General ia concluding his report asks
the BY Congress OF the Of laws
submitted by him at the last session, which is mainly
digest Of existing postal laws.
TRANSPORTATION STATISTICS.
An exhibit is given Of the service it stood the
30tb Of uue astin the States OF Maine New Hampshire
vermout Msssacbusetts, Rhode leland Connecticut,
New York, NV Jers y, Penusylvana, Delaware Mary
land Ohio Western Virginia Michigan, Indiana, lliuols,
WISCONSIN Iowa. Missouri, Krutuck California, Oregon,
Kansas and the Territories of New Mexico, Utah Ne
bresks, Washington, Colorado and Dakota at which
tune there were operation n thoseSa and Terrific
RES l6l ms routes the number Of contractors being
5s5 The length Of these routes 39 500 miles and
the mode oiseryice disded as follows:
Railroad i 22l52
,
With celerity. celtainty, and security ll27o2
The annual trvnsports,asa -of maas was So Pas OILS
milsTsbstiug s574o,576, divided .fOllo~s, VIZ
NAVY aas7rSss. at sa53s.SI7 sSsut IL cents mile.
2OO477i, ut 224,542-yabapt II Is cents mile
With CELEBRITY, Gel tsin,y and security
31349656 at 2977 ,463rAatout 81 cents miles
The number of route agents in the seryce ives
367, at a com pensation OF $x5S,2oU
The number of local agents wac "A Costing 27,624
costing 40 o72
The number Of baggage masters 10 charge Of
express mails was SO, costpf 4 7,440
TIE number Of agents empioyedaon steamers
conveying moil. to soulhsrd ports was 8,
costing 600
wA 1876 046
This sum added to the csst Of serviet 10 opera
lien the 30th OF Juns, 1853 y 5740576
4
Makes tae total at That date 1926 .622
FRAUD ON THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT
Several weeks ago. Gen F, ~ spinner, Treasurer of
the United States, had his spcis aroused that fraud
was being perpetratcd 10 his d tmeut whereby the
Government was becoming the losA ia large amounts
Keeping the matter guirt he at &t to work to die
cover e ssE and pfsSsa IbTi csss. # qornweir, who
had charge Of the redemption department hs Office as
the % ly party. sixteen days Investigation satisfied
Gen Spinner that he had hit upon the gull party, aud
yesterday he caused the Of CoruweE The latter
bis desk usual about eleven 0E1Ock re-