Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1864-12-15
Gen. GRANT approves the present arrange
ment Of supplying the army with mails as en-
tirely satisfactory

RAILROAD DISTRIBUTING OFFICES.
IN order to facilitate the work 1T distribute
ing Offices satisfactory experiments are max
ing with railway or travelling post offices
Thus letters destined for the distributing
Offices between Washington and New York
inclusive, are distributed by clerks detailed
for that purpose and placed on the ears.
Similar experiments are making on western
/ routes with satisfactory results, and the sys-
+ tenn viii probably extend to all the leading
routes. The Post Master General recon-
mends that provision be made for the neces
sary additional clerks, superintendents and
travelling postmasters. While the immedi-
ate effect will be to increase expenses some
/ what, he believes that ultimately when the
plan is thoroughly organized, it will reduce
/ the cost of distribution.
/ FOREIGN NAIL SERVICE.
! The aggregate postage isea, inland, and
/ foreign) upon the correspondence exchanged
with Great Britain, Prussia, France, Ham
/ burg Bremen, md Belgium, for the year
ending June SOth, amounted to &, 399, sos 90,
! an increase of Sl74. 9SO.4S. as compared with
! the last year, and 81, 1887 in excess of the
largest amount realized in any previous ifs
cal year. The collections in this country
amounted to 1881, 730.6S, and in Europe to
/ S517, excess of collections in the
United States 1868, S5567. This result is
I significant and gratifying, showing largely
increased correspondence with Europe, not
wlthstanding the civil troubles agitating the
country, and the interruption of postal com
munications with the Southern States.
The trans Atlantic mail transportation was
performed as follows:
By the foreign steamships of the New ork
and Liverpool, Canadian, Bremen, and Ham
burg lines, S77O, 365.0l.
BY British contract mail packets of the
Cunard and Galway lines, 1929 ,240. 6S.
The amount paid by this department for
mail steamship service to and from Europe
| was SSH, 740 44-the steamships employed
receiving the sea postage on the mails con.
veyed as compensation for the service. Oh
this amount the Liverpool and New York and
| Philadelphia Steamship Company received
S202, 9l4 "a for ffty-two outward and fifty.
three inward trips between New York Queens
town, and Liverpool; the Canadian mail
packets S77l75 50 for 6tty-three round trips
between Portland and Liverpool and Quebec
and Liverpool the North German LLOYD
Steamship Company, $40, l49 81 for sixteen
outward and fifteen inward trips, and the
New York and Hamburg Steamship Company,
$40 sol Is for thirteen outward and twelve
inward trips, between New York and South
ampton.
The total hostages on the correspondence
exchanged with British North American prov
inces during the year amounted to 1907, 371.-
SO, an increase of SSl, 62S.O9 over the amount
reported last year, and of Sl29,6lS over
that for the previous fiscal year. The post
ages collected in this county amounted to
Sl66, 755.74, and in the provinces to S13S,
| 6l5.64: excess in favor Of the United States
| $50, I40.10. This extraordinary increase of
| correspondence is probably partly owing to
the fact that large numbers of rebel agents,
sympathizers and refugees, have taken up
their temporary abode in Canada and other
provinces.
The total hostages on the mails conveyed
to aud from the West Indies amounted to
| $50, 99O.1S, and the cost Of transporting the
same to and from Havana and other West In.
dia ports was $40, 33703, $40, 653 Is less than
the United States hostages on the mails con
yeyed.
The United States hostages upon the cor
| respondence exchanged with Central and
South America, yid Aspinwall and Panama
amounted to $l4, 208 81, all Of which was
paid to Cornelius Vanderbilt for the sea and
| lsthmus transportation.
Arrangements have been concluded fol
carrying mails between this country and Bre
der a neutral flag in time of war when the
safety of the mails demands it.
A correspondence has been opened will
several of the post departments represented
by commissioners at the Paris international
postal conference with the design of opening
relations with those European countries will
which the o. S. have hitherto had no posta
| arrangements
Including the suspended post offices, the
whole number on the 30th June, 1864, was
28,978; of which 1926 are in the loyal, and
8902 in the disloyal States. The number OF
| Presidential offices is 705, and %, l72 are un,
der the appointment of the Postmaster Gene.
raj.
During the year, 6l9 post Offices have been
established 788 discontinued, and 2ll changes
made of names and sites The number OF
cases acted upon was 5,579. Four thousand
seven hundred and thirteen postmasters have
been appointed of whom 3,O28 were TO fl
vacancies occasioned by designations, GA by
removals; 259 by death 1873 by change Of
names and Sites and GIG on establishment OF
new offices.
At the close of the fiscal year there were
twenty special agents, whose salaries amounted
to S34, 100; four hundred and fourteen route
agents, receiving $313,9l2. ff5y-three loca
agents, $32, O09; and one hundred and five
baggage masters in charge of through anC
express mails, Sc, 780.
The free delivery of mail natter by CARR
ers has been introduced at sixty-six Offices
employing at present, 685 carriers, at an ag
gregate annual compensation of S3l7,06l.22
DEAD LETTERS.
The number of dead letters of every des
cription received and examined during thu
year was 3,5O8, 825, being an increase 0
958, 400 over the preceding year, attributable
mainly to the return Of large numbers 0
army and navy letters which it was fount
impractcabe to deliver.
Daring the year there were registered ant
, remailed to respective owners, as containing
money, 25,7 1852 letters, containing an aggre
gate of Sl31 ,611.24 of which number 20, O59
containing Sl04 66584, were delivered; Al:
letters, containing $50, 485.49, were returned
to the department. being addressed chiefly t.
soldiers and sailors, and persons transientl
] at places of mailing or address.
, The number of dead letters containing pa
pers Of value, other than money, as deeds
: bills of exchange, drafts, checks, &C., re
ceived, registered, and returned for deliver
to the owners, was r. 1885, and the nomina
value of the enclosures therein was 81 ,6l5,
69475, being an increase over the preylou
year OF 4, lO4 or about fifty per cent, while thu
increase Of the value Of the enclosures wa
| but 81, 1854. The number Of these letter.
, delivered was II ,378, or ninety per cent.
During the year Is, $50 letters and pack
ages were received containing photographs
!; dagueTreotypes, and articles of iewelry. o
this number, 29, 999 were sent out for deliV
cry, 26, 6O7 of which contained photograph:
and daguereotypes, ,4lO articles of jewelry