The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1863-02-19
The New Postal Bill.

New York, Feb. 1.-THE Express prints
Washington dispatch. stating that it IS report,
ed tosday that Secretary Seward has rejected
he proposition of The French Emperor, Cor The
North to appoint commissioners to consult IL
Montreal or Mexico
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10.-The Senate passed
to-day h lengthy postal bill, drawn up by th'
Postmaster General, remodellng the ehllFe pos
tai system of the country. =.
Posmasters are hereafter to be paid liked sal
aries, instead of by commissions as at present
and ali tees and peIQuisiies are abolished Int
Postmaster Geueral is to. have the appointment
al all postmasters, whose yearly salary Is less
than $1,000 There will be five classes. Post
masters of he first class shall receive not more
than 81. 900 nor less than $500 those OF the
aecond class less than $4,000 and not less thai
81, 900 those of the third class less man s%,Uol
and not less than 8 1000 those of the 1Ourtl
class less than s 1000 and not less than $lO0
The classification shall be adjusted according &c
the compensation Of the several offices IoI Inc
four years next preceding July lst, 1868 IhIs
plan will do away with the practice, prevailing
under the present laws, of allowing commission
to pottmasters.
Postage rates on printed and niiscellaneou'
matter are greatly simplifed, and regulated oy
weight, four ounces being the standard for the
single rate, and the postage thereon for all DIS
Iances established at two cents, which, tor q
single paper is an increase OF hundred pei
cent. Books are to pay double rates. Prepay
ment is required in ali cases, except on news
papers ami other publications sent to regula'
| subscribers, the postage on which is payable al
either office tor the quarter year. and is tive
cents q quarter for q weekly, ten for a seinl-Wee&'
ly, and At proportional Rates for trl>weekly ano
daily. These rates are both a reduction IRON
the old, and a change from the old continental
to the decimal currency.
Letters are to pay uniform rates. three Gems
the half ounce, throughout the United States
the Pacific coast iGcluded. Partially prepaid
letters may be forwarded, but arc charged with
doubles rates. as it wholly unpaid which strikes
US as needlessly oppressive.
The bill proposes to make the registration o
money letters compulsory.
Section sixteenth of the bill requires ali post
masters to furnish quarterly an account OF al
sums received by them from box rent and other
sources Of revenue, aud forblds them 10 receive
more than the amount of their saia ~. The
section concerning advertising letter., restol
ing dead letters To their owners aud disposlns
of uncalled tor printed matter contain nothiug
essentially new, but they Are well conceived
One of the most important features OF the
new bill is that concerning lester-carrlers Sec
ton twenty. one provides that letter-ca'liers be
employed al a salary not exceeding Fix hundred
dollars a year, but those who hsve shown dill
gence, fidelity and experience may have sheIl
salaries increased from time TO time to any sdu
1t exceeding one Thousand dollars, at Offices
where the income ,om hostages on the local let
ters shall WELD more than sufficient to pay al
The expenses Of the carrier system. The Carl
ers are to give bonds for the faithful performance
of their duty. This will do away with The pres
ent plan of paying one cent tor each drop letter
on its delivery. 1t is similar to The system thai
has been in successful operation for many years
in England, France and other countries. In a
subsequent section the rate Of postage on local
letters is fixed at two CENTS, to be prepaid by
stamps. This makes The cost for the delivery
of such letters precisely the same as 1t Is now
but il is simpler, inasmuch as the whole posts
age is prepaid, W hereas now one cent is prepaid
and the other is collected by the carrier.