Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1865-12-06

the act for the relief of postmasters who have been
robbed by bodies of armed men, seveny,seven cases
nave peep eF decided and ALLOWANCES made to the
Appended hereto is tabular statement exhibiting
Inc annual receipts and expenditures Of this Depart-
ment irom january !, 1881, To June 80 800 The
results are rs follows:
Aggregate receipts 500, 81 So, A
Aggregate expenditures ....'.'. 2l4' iS,sSl, 81
Deficit. sif $685.. 70
Averaging as follows, Receipts s. 500. III 81 per
-, ,W2S.6l per annun,
The mail service in operation on Goth June. 1866,
ll2$i0 miles, costing $6,345ssl jexcinsye Of com ~
pensatlon TO route ana other agents, amounting to
Railroad, 3}iO1 miles. costing. ....... - 7o7 421
Steamboat, l2,OSS miles costing......... $50 sos
CELEBRITY, &C., lg5S3l miles, costne....... 1855
49, O''''''
Railroad "A Os7. SIS
Steamboat. ..... . 4I4 6e6
Celebrity 81 Isl 40
The cost per mile for transportation BY railroad
was ia cents: steamboat AK cents; CELEBRITY &c 10
cents.
The increased length Of routes was 5l6S miles: of
transportation, 6isl31 miles; and Of cost Si25,il5
g The number of routes ordered into operation in
states lately in rebellion is 2ll; their length s6i0
miles, and compensation S72l 9l9-a reduction com
pared with former cost of service in those States of
SSSl,Io9 per annum. This, however results in part
from reduced service which. if increased to the
standard OF frequency previous to the war, on the
present rates OF pay, the cost would be
80
For star service S256slS instead of S32oo-5 per
annum.
For steamboat service, which having been in
creased estimated At former number of trips, is
aggregate pay rata for all tho service $50 l2
instead of 81 6U3U5S, per showing an aggre-
gate decrcasepro rata of S122,Gj6 per annum.
FOREIGN MAIL SERVICE.
The general results Of the foreign service are rs
follows:
The aggregate postares sea inland and fora;c,
upon the correspondence exchanged with foreign
countries, amounted to SlSl9,92S.56 of which amount
~ ,449,l3l.I6 accrued on the mails EXCHANGED with
Great Britain, France Prussia, Bremen, Hamburg
and Belgium: $50 1877 o6 on the mails exchanged with
the British North American Provinces and SO 200 "A
on the mails transmitted to and from the West In
dies, Central and South America.
The, amounts Of United States postage. sea and
inland, were:
On the correspondence exchanged with
Great Britain and the continent of Eu-
The British North American Proyinces l61,iS5.2S
And on West Indies, Central and South
american 95,20DI4
SZ7.8l2.s3
The cost Of the United States transatlantic SER
vice performed by steamships receiving the post
vas earned by the NV ork, Queenstown and iiv-
ergog Dale line, 81 ig6!0 BY the Canadian line;
$73,273.ll by the New York, Southampton and Brc-
men and $tf,lUt.52 by the New urk SouthaMItyu
and Hamburg lines respectively.
The cost Of the ocean transportation OF mails to
and from West India ports BY United States steam
ers receiving different rates OF compensation within
rs c Il h Sh the a hostages " ON b9 @ 9SHs Con-
ycye; and Sii 69l 81 paid for the sea and 18th
aus conveyance Of the correspondence with Central
and South America.
The excess of collections in this country over tho
hostages upon the correspondence
changed with Great Britain and the continent Of
Europe was SIll .5S2, causing balances against this
department settlements of the quarterly accounts
With the respective post departments, amounting to
During the rebellion American steamers engaged
IN the carrying trade between this country and Eu-
rope were Withdrawn from service resulting TO the
advantage of foreign lines which continued their
regular voyages; and while the subsidies granted by
Great Britain to the CuGard line and by France to
the line recently established between Huvrc and
New nrk. materially aided those lines il does not
follow thai they would not have been sell support
ing, and even remuneravc. without such aid; neither
has this department information warranting the
clusiOn that American lines would not have been
Of the existing law allowing the United States postage
as go e%n"pensatiop for the service
The subject OF substituting American lines to British
ports may be presented to Congress at its approaching
session. Although in the last report the policy was
commented OF granting incidental aid to certsin
classes OF new routes as of those to Brazil and China
no modification of the system, based upon the post
age earnings was proposed in favor Of established
routes The results OF this system in regard to the
service on new as well old routes raging
As to the new, several lines have been established
since the close of the war 10 which less than the
hostages have been allowed. A. TO the old, applica
ton has been made to resume service by American
steamers between New York, Southampton. and
Other lines 10 Great Britain are projected; one of
which, between Baltimore and Liverpool is in OPERA
ton; and II Is believed that our citizens directly in
terested IN ocean steam navigation will establish
lines at no distant time 10 all the important com
mercia ports Of Europe.
1t is urged. however that there is no sufficient as
surance of the permanency of such lines in view of
tho competing heavily subsidized mail packets of
Great Britain and France unless like subsidies are
given by this government. While it would crafty
our national pride TO encourage the commercial IN
tcrpriso Of the country through the agency of subs
n4 81
highest grade to MI ports where foreign lines are or
may be in opcration, and which il cannot he doubted
would contribute to the earlier development of the
commercial interests of the particular routes covered
by such lines, this department is not prepared re-
commend any departure from the established policy,
not only because OF the financial wants of the gov
eminent, but as well from the absence of any neces-
sity for special legislation Oh behalf Of the postal
service.
During the past year ST. lT9 was paid 10 foreign
lines conveying the mails to and from Great Britain
If to this sum be added the United States inland
postage amounting approximately to Sl6G,657, the
amount which would have been available as COM
pensaton to American steamers for the service
was S5IO,l56
The argument in support of heavy subsidies rs ne
ccssary to enable American lines to compete success
when it is remembered that the postage earnings Of
the British contract packets on the mails which they
convey arc retained BY the government and form
part Of the revenues Of the British postothce. The
British portion of the postage-sea and inlant-upon
the mails exchanged with thi! country alone by
amounted approximately to S4650OO if to this sum
DC added the postage on the mails conveyed to and
from the North American colonies, Of which this de
partment has no official data, but which must have
been quite large, it will be found that the actual ho
nus paid to that line in excess of the postage
5 si76$6 j 'lH' "'H'"SA 'H' H0A"in" SUBSIDY
It is also to be observed that Great Britain grants
subsidy to but single line of steamships to the Uni
ted States Ii it was advisable for this Government
to grant like monopoly to any single line of Ameri
can steamers it could be paid, under the provisions
of the existing law, liberal mail compensation equal
to subsidy that Congress would be likely to grant
But were it practicable to satisfy the conflicting
claims Of our principal Atlantic cities by granting
monopoly to u single line of steamers sailing from any
one port the effect of such measure would be to re-
tard rather than advance tho general commercial
prosperity of the country; and as II would be nju-
diciOus to subsldlAe separate lines from each OF our
Atlantic ports because of the large expenditure ii
would involve, it is submitted whether our CONNER
cial interests not best advanced by the present
mode Of encouraging competition III ocean steam
navigation AT least, the wiser course will be to
postpone additional grants, in aid OF ocean steam
lines, until the system based upon postage earnings
has had fair trial IN time OF peace, and OF greatly
increased activity III commercial affairs,
APPOINTMENTS.
The number Of post offices established on 3Oth June,
1861 including suspended offices in Southern States,
| 2h,ss2: number subject to appointment by the
President, 7l2: by the Postmaster General, 2Sl7p
New offices established during the year, $50; Offices
discontinued So changes of names and sites, 200.
Appointments made to fill vacancies caused by
designations 355; removals CPS; deaths, 229 changes
Of name and sites, l32; establishment of offices,
| 5s6; Total appointments 5,447.
| S902 of which l,05l were re0pened on November d.
| 1865.
Number of route agents. 3S7; aggregate compensa-
ton, S22522. Number OF local agents, 81; aggregate
! compensation, SSO'949. Number of special agents
| 33; aggregate compensation, So2,IsO. Number OF
baggage masters 10; aggregate compensation $500
Number of postal railway clerks 81: aggregate COM
| pensatiOn, $4,000.
| The free delivery system has been discontinued at
| y of the smaller Offices and Is in operation il
10 of the principal cities. The number of carriers
| employed was 15T, at an aggregate compensation VI
| S44S, 6645l,
| DEAD LETTERS.
| The NUN Der OF dead letters received examined
and disposed of 1865 CS7 an increase of $50 26
| over the previous year. The number containins
money, and remaied to owners, was H. l64, with en-
closures amounting to $2A 313gT. OF these, 3d. 26S
undevered, with enclosures of the value of 3 l9 07
The number containing sums less than one dollar wa:
! l6,709, amounting to $i6l7.23 of which l269S con
tanning S3,5T162, delivered to the writers Thu
number of registered letters and packages 3,966
The mum Der of letters containing checks, bills of
change, deeds. and other papers of value, l534
with nominal value of S., 800 SSS, of which l3, 46
containing S3,2i6 1i9 delivered, leaving I'M
claimed l,55S, of the value of SS3 139 he number
containing photographs, jewelry, and miscel iahenI'
articles was 50 SU2 OF these, Il, 800 were deilNersu
and 2S,302 remain for disposal. or, b'in wOrineSs
have been destroyed. The number OF tai1apl,
sent out l07, 979 an increase OF 81, ~ oosi pe
Gus wear There were returned to pubic ohceS, IN
Guiding franked letters; go iIo luz - .Sur
tanning stamps and articles OF small Naiu9 was SOB
| ond aF nnna;d and msdrected letters 1920.
| Tho number of ordinary dead letters returned tC
rho Iyrters was lsS 500, and the numbernot deliver