Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1863-12-11
Post Master aeneral:s Report.
UnnsuaI Prosperity OF the poatoAaSs'
DepaFtment-PostAl Money Orders
-Ree0mme ndRtlon8.

The Postmaster general reports that
during the last fiscal year the financial
condition OF his department has been one
Of unusual prosperity. The revenue has
nearly equaied the expenditures, the latter
amounting to Sll.3l4.2O6,s4 aud the for
mer to SIl,l6s, 1889. There is good
reason to believe that the department will
be self sustaining 10 brief period of time.
The whole number Of postoftices exist
ing on the 80 b OF June, 1868, was 29,047 /;
being an increase on the preceding year OF
l72; $50 Offices have been established,
and 65s have been discontinued.
The number OF special agents on June
/ so, 1868. was l6, with an aggregate sala"
rs of S26,500; and 3s7 route agents at an
aggregate salary of $685., 260; also 45
local agents at $27, S2i. Baggage masteFs,
in charge Of express mails, had received
S7,44O.
The total cost of transatlantic mail
steamship service was $500 1880. This
price covered one hundred and thirty.twO
round trips to various European ports.
The Postmaster General regrets TO state
that no progress has been made in ntgotia
tions for new postal convention with
Prussia, embracing the states comprising
the German. Austrian Postal Union, on &C.
count OF some obstacles presented by Aus
tria in regard to territorial transit charges.
He reviews his Recommendation Of March
), 1852, to the postal committees In Con-
grCss, that all private ships departing from
the United States for foreign ports should
be required, as a condition Of clearance, to
convey mails on such terms as may be al
lowed by Congress.
n1I ,0I,a La HnaRhR0aH 1An0Ih a
routes has been five thousand Ave hun
dred and eighty five, but the annual cost
Of mail transportation has decreased
$ll3,25s, or about two per cent.
The value Of stamps issned to postmas.
tiers during the past rear is S9,Gs3 ,3s2 :
stamped letter enve30Pes, $685., S2l; and
stamped newspaper wrappers, $2O,545.-
ihe total value of these sold to the public
was So, 1924, $40 81, being an excess over
tho previous year of $2,7l4, 397 7S.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The Postmaster General reneWs his last
years recommendation to Congress to au-
lhorize Kim to adjust and allow the claim
of pOsrursters HbO have sustained losses
of stamps and stamped cnvelOps by reason
of the occupation and robbery OF their
Offices by bodies of armed men.
These claims, thus far presented, amount
to about $4,000. He calls atteutiOn also
to the fact that these pOstmaSters have
suffered greatly in the loss OF private prop
crly.
lie requests additional legislation in
respect to pOstOfice thefIs, aud recon.
mends that the stealing Of letters and
stamps be made penal offence.
THE DEAD LETTER oYPIcE.
There, has been continued Increase Ut
letters containing money aud other vRlu.
ubles- The number OF dead letters, Gov
erins. deeds, bills OF exchange, drafts and
Otkss valuable papers, received, registered
VAS 8, 322, with an aggregate nominal val
ue of 81 ,544,27T 81. 0tthese, 7,509 were
delivered to the owners,
Letters registered and mailed containing
money numbered 1879 Of these, 1908,
containing $685. :7 20, were finally deliV-
cred.
Sixteen thousand seven hundred and
sixty-three letters Of less value were re-
celVed, nearly ten Thousand Of which con.
tanned dsguerotypes, and sara were re-
stored to their writer's or owners.
POSTAL MONEY ORDERS.
The Postmaster General recommends
that "A postal order money system be es-
tablshed to facilitate the transmission OF
small snms through the mails, which he
is confident would prove not only great
convenience to soldiers and citizens, but
alsS almost entirely obTiate the loss Of this
class of remittances.
THg REBEL sTATEs.
10 regard to letters addressed to points
in the rebeluous states the Postmaster
General says: by reason of the continued
suspension of regular postal communica-
ton with sections of the country under
insurrectionAry control, Il considerable
number of letters, amounting 10 the aggre-
gate to "a ,2l4, found their way, by Vari.
Gus channels, to the Dead Letter ONCE
OF this number 3,3l2 were foreign, aud
returned to the countries where they orig
mated. Those originating in the loyal
states were turned over to the military
authorities. and, after examination, most
OF them sent by flag of truce to their desti-
nation.
CONCLUSION.
The Postmaster General has instructed
Postmasters to forward 10 the Dead Letter
office, except in special cases, all letters
remaining unclaimed one month after be-
ing advertised, instead OF two months as
formerly.
In conclusion, be asks the consideration
by Congress Of the revised code Of laws
submitted by him at the last session, " llteh
is mainly digest of existing postal laws.
The New York Conm.ercias estimates the
number of southerners residing in and
near New York at $4,000. These consist
Of three classes, the rseessiOnists, the On.
ionists and the ReutraIs, The arst Glaze
Is the smallesE. The second class is tho
largest. Some of the ladies belonging to
it have opened boarding houses, some
have doae fancy work. Some have suf-
fered In. poverty. It is stated that one
whole family, who have lived in affiuence
In tia Snnth nansed tha nn,hn1a - La lin