Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1863-12-23

fSf,227,641.ss# Whole number of NAVY pen
sioners, ,I3a; due, s144 ,o746I. During the
year there has been "a decrease OF II Revo-
lutlonary pensioners, and 277 widows of such :;
an increase of :, SO army invalid pensioners,
| $3.50 widows ard orphans of such f23 navy
| lavallds. 81 widows Of SUCH; and increase
| oa private pensions-net increase, 1852
The annual rate in money has increased
| from S921 ,o76 So to Sl371, 1868; the
amount paid from $500, 384. 70 10 81 ,o25,-
| 1891. There have been 602 land warrants
granted, covering 81, $50 acres. The grants
for three years are: 1861, S34 72O acres :;
1852, 257,S6o; 1868, 94,2S0. Since the
Government was organized, $500, 142 acres
nave gone tor military and naval service !;
| value, $50, o,175.5o. Whole amount paid
TO June 80, 1868, S91, 693, 690.97; total
land increase, STA, 063, 83747 Claims
are acted upon with reasonable facility
those properly presented are generally decid-
ed within two months Examining Surgeons
have been increased TO over 600, with bene-
lit to the Government The requirements
for the current year viii be 1854, 792. SIS
The Invalid Corps has now IA, 900 men, and
Is OF advantage both to the soldier and the
Government, relieving the pension list of
heavy burden, and securing to the soldier
adequate pay, and to the country efficient de-
Tenders
POSTMASTER GENERAL
The report of the Postmaster General states
the receipts OF the year at Sll, los, 1889,
?nd the expenditures at 81, 3I4, zoe. 81, Ieav-
Ing deficiency of S150,41725. Within an
other year it is expected to be self-sustaining
In 1850 she excess of expenditures was So
$50, 5000. The cost of postal service is
S3,500,00D less than before the rebellion,
while the receipts have increased more than
100000! The Increase of Revenue over
1862, is $, 500, SOS. 90.
The number of Post Offices including the
rebel States, is 29,047, being-an increase du
| ring the year, Of l72. The President APP
| points $50 Postmasters, and the Postmaster
General 2S,t97. Eight hundred and thirty
| Post Officesh have been established during the
| wear, and 65S discontinued
| In July the system of delivering mail mat
| ter by carriers, was put into operation at
| forty-nine of the larger offices. Experience
| demonstrates that correspondence Increases
| with every AGILITY for its conduct. In New
York there we're delivered by carriers, 2,069,-
| 4lS letters, ard l.Sl0,7l7 were collected by
| them during The first quarter, being an III
| crease Of 96S,s29 letters, or % per cent. over
| the last quarter os the preceding year under
| the old system The postage on foreign let
tiers was 81, 22i, 675.2I, an increase of $50
| 519.39 over las year. OF this amount, S757,-
| $50 was collected in the United States, and
S467, 1922 in Europe. The postage on Can
ada letters was 1928, 1880, or S47, 989. 70
over last year. OF this, SI24 ,4S0.45 was col
| lected in the United States and SIOI 262. 50
| in the British Provinces.
| No progress has been made in negotiations
| foI new postal convention with Prussia
grand international Postal Convention was
held in Paris, in Nay last, and thirty one arti-
| cles agreed upon Among other things, it is
agreed that, wherever it is possible, prepay
ment on ordinary letters shall be at the op-
ton of the sender Registered letters must
be prepaid in all eases The metrical deci-
NAL system shall be adopted for international
postal relations, 70 the exclusion of every
other system. Our object is to establish uni
form rates for ali countries, as far as posi-
| bic. \ reduction q postal rates, combined
with large increase OF postal correspond
encc, viii result from the new system. This
Convention was he'll at the suggestion of the
Hon. John y. kasson, who was the able
American representative iii it. The mail was
carried by rail =, sd ,558 miles, at a cost of
Il cents per mile; bg steamboat 2,OO4, III
miles, at L l-5 cents, and by other modes,
81, 3i9, $50 miles at95 cents per mile The
total cost of transportation, including the sal
aries of agents, WIS S6,236, 622. TIE in
crease of transportation over 1862 is So 793,-
400 miles, at decrease in cost Of Sll 3,253.
The number of post offices in operation dur
ing the year was, 2b,645. The number of
dead letters received and examined was
2,550, 4l6, or 268, 1876 more than last year.
The number containing money was Is, 527,
amounting to ST7,86l, showing increase
OF S,052 letters, and in money of 53l ,322. Of
these, ,04S were delivered to their owners,
but many OF them were sent out a second
time, and some three or four times before
reaching them. The number of dead letters
covering valuable papers was 1882, represen-
ting Si5,II4. 24T 81. The dead letters con
tanning photographs numbered l0,0lS; those
containing jewelry, 764, and 897 with other
articles. OF the whole number sent to the
dead letter office, S,273 we're restored to the
writer's. The loss of valuable letters from
the army is largely traceable to dishonest let
ter carriers in the military service, and further
loss is attributed to indifference and careless
ness on the part OF some who distribute mail
matter in our armies.
Many matters of less interest are treated of
in the report.