Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1865-12-06
Report Of the Post Master General.

surplus Ol Poo1, ,foO-tE-du lhCIchSc VI AcN-
enue of II per cent, and of expenditures
of 8 per cent. The expenditures for the
current year are estimated at SIS, 1913, GOO /;
receipts, 17,47o, ,543; deficit $l,2O7, ,457.
No special appropriation, says Mr.. Dem
nison, will be required to meet this deficit
as previous appropriations are still une1-
pended. An appropriation of $5OO,oOo is
however, recommended for the payment
of steamship mail service. The depart
ment has issued 3s7, ,419, 455 postage stamps
representing $l2,Oss, 1880; 25,94O,42
stamped envelopes, representing $724,l 1885,
90; l,165,75O stamped wrappers, repre-
senting s23, 3,3l5OO, making total of $l2,-
BAT, 1880, being an increase of 81, 3,lOS
over the previous year. The sales
amounted to sl2, ,399, 727s5, an increase of
1923, 1927. The Post Master General
says:
"The introduction of stamped envelopes
bearing request for the return to the
writers of unclaimed letters has cOnsid-
erabIy increased the sale of envelopes, and
is believed to have diminished the returns
to the Dead Letter office"
"Business cards are printed on envel-
opes without additional cost when ordered
in quantities not less than one thousand
for the same parties.
ITO encourage the purchase of request
eaUeLoDes, the law should be changed so as
to allow the return of such letters to the
writers free of postage"
@As stamped envelopes are cancelled by
use, and therefore safer against fraud than
those with stamps attached, it is submitted
whether the Postmaster General should
not be authorized in his discretion to fur
nish them as the separate stamps are now,
without reference to the cost of manufac-
ture."
The following figures show the receipts
and expenditures of the department from
January l, 1881, to June 80, 1865:
Aggregate receipts . $500, ,s1l, ,se447
Aggregate expenditures 244, ,74S, ,ssl.59
Deficit A, ,436, ss7I2
Average receipts per annum SOC, ,l4ls7
Average expenditures per snnum-. 1904, ,l7O4s
Average deficit per l,2ss, ,02s 81
CONTRACTS.
The aggregate length of the mail routes,
June 80, 1S65-of W hich there were 6,ol2
in number-was 1924 miles, costing
Sc, GAG, sS4 per annum. The cost per mile
was, by railroad ll4c, steamboat l43c,
celebrity, etc, 1Oc. The increased length
of routes was 3,l6s miles, and of cost
s42s,4I5. Fines to the amount of $685.
443.3T have been collected from contract
ors.
In relation to the experiment of railway
postofices, we quote:
Railway postofices have. been estab-
lished on several leading railroads, and
arrangements are in progress for their in
PRODUCTION on other lines. The result, so
far, encourages the hope that the system,
by accelerating the transmission of cor
respondence, and lessening the number of
distributing offices, will be of permanent
advantage to the postal interests of the
country"
On the subject of mail service in the re-
constructed States, the Report states:
The number of routes ordered into op-
Grafton in States lately in rebellion is 24l
their length lS, 7404 miles; and compen-
sation S72l, ,949; reduction, compared
with former cost of service in those States,
of 1881, 100 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
dor railroad service $3.50, ,053, instead
of 1888, 1865 per annum.
"For star service $3.50, ,S4s, instead of
$32O,02 per annun-
aFor steamboat service, which having
been increased, estimated at former num-
Der of trips, is s63, SOL, instead of $685.
66s per annum, making the aggregate pay
Dro rata for all the service $3.50, ,402, in
stead of 81, ,6O3,O5s per annum; showing
an aggregate decrease pro rata OF S722,-
O56 per annum."
FOREIGN MAIL SERVICE.
The report states the general results of
the foreign mail service as follows:
"The aggregate postages, sea, inland,
| and foreign, upon the correspondence eI-
changed with foreign countries, amounted
to 81 .sl9,O2s 56; of which amount 81 ,449,-
$40 76 accrued on the mails exchanged
| with Great Britain, France, Prussia, Bre-
men, Hamburg and Belgium s275, 1877 O6
| on the mails exchanged with the British
North American Provinces; and $95, 200
| "a on the mails transmitted to and from
the West Indies, Central and South Amer
| ica.
HThe amounts of United States postage,
sea and inland, we're:
On the correspondence exchanged with
| Great Britain and the continent Of
EUROPE SOL 81
The British North American Provinces 162, ,4s5 q
| And on West Indies, Central and South .
American So,zVO -
s27 ,s42 8;
"The cost of the United States trans
Atlantic service performed by steamships
receiving the sea postage only was S4O5,'
479 Sc"
APPOINTMENTS.
The number OF postofhces established on
June 3Oth, 1865, including suspended off
ces in the Southern States, was 2s,ss2
new offices established during the year
$50; offices discontinued, 5s2; changes o
names and sites, 500. Total appointment
during the year, 5,447.
'The free-delivery system has been dis
continued at twenty-five of the smalle
Offices, and is now in operation in forty
five of the principal cities. The numbe
of carriers employed was 757, at an ag
gregate compensation of $44s,664 81"
DEAD LETTERS.
The Report states that
aTbe number of dead letters received
examined, and disposed of was 4,36s,os'
an increase of 1852 over the previou
, year
seThe number containing money, and rt
mailed to owners, was AZ, ,l54, with enclC
l sures amounting to $244,37s 81. Of thes'
81. 26s, containing $2lO,954 so, were DE-
!, hvered, leaving G, 1856 undelivered, with Ell
closures of the value of $33, OF. III
number containing sums less than one do
7 lar was l6, 7O9, amounting to s4647 %,
D which l2,6 ,69s, containing S3,577 81, weI
delivered to the writers.
ssThe number of registered letters an
: packages was 1886"
4 Postal. MoNEY-oRDER SYSTEM.