The national Republican., 1866-12-04

The estimated expenditures for the year ending June ~ w
The Is1sna.:, c,tin.i.i at Sp.i s:ni IL s!:: 81
Aps;sS,.,jon Is;s ys., 70; ,, 1855
Excess of xponditures. sl.77esss
For this deficiency no special appropriation will
be required The standing appropriations for free
sufficient. The following amounts will, ,however,b be
required from any money in the Treasury not other
wise appropriated, viz:
For overland mail transportation between Atehison and
Folsom and for marine mail transportation betwsen
New York and Csliforna. a.................. 100000
For steamship service between San fraIeiseo,
Japan, and China, for one year from Julyl,
For Steamship service between the United
States and Brazil, for the same period. 100000
LEO GOO
For detailed information as to the finances of the
Department, reference is made to the full and sat-
isfactory report Of the Auditor.
The number Of postage stamps issued during the
year was BAL 1874 1926, representing $40, SIC, SOL
stamped envelopes 80. 1856, 200, representing $921,
500 SO; stamped envelopes bearing printed cards
and requests 1888 525, representing $3.50, 006. .75
stamped wrappers lo25. 900 representing $40, 500
making in ali S1l, ,9ss 66s. .25 decrease Of $685.
1926, as compared with the previous year.
The aggregate of stamped envelopes and stamped
wrappers issued during the yoar ending June 80,
1865, was 80, 094 725, representing $l,172, O0725
an increase of H. 1885, $50 representing $424, $685.
or nearly 80 per cent. being largely in excess Of
issues during any previous year since the intro
duction Of stamped envelopes.
| Tho sale Of stamps, envelopes, DC during the
past year amounted to $l2, 204, 729 54, or $216,-
06l 20 more than the issues; showing the absorp.
ton to that extent Of the stock remaining unsod in
the hands of postmastsrs, which amounted on the
1st Of July 1865, to SAL, 10.
The issues Of postage stamps and stamped en-
velopes during the current fiscal year, from lst Of
| I,,lx, tok ! khn 1stn nf IL
of the issues for the corresponding period Of
last year. being at the rate Of more than g. 900
per annum.
The increased demand since lst July for envel.
opes with printed cards and requests for returning
direct to the sender if not promptly delivered to
the address, is very notable, being about 66i per
cent. The general use Of such envelopes will tend
largely to reduce the number of dead letters.
During tho year sixty six cases of claims, on ao-
count Of robberies by armed forces, involving an
amount of - 226 O6, have been acted upon. Fifty
seven of these claims amounting to S3 s52 04, have
been allowed under the provisions Of the acts ap.
8 amounting to s374.02, have been rejected as not
coming within the provisions Of the law.
} CONTRACTS
There were in the service of the department on
the 9th June 1866 069 contractors for the trans.
portation Of the mails
of mail routes in operation there 9, $50; ag-
gregate length, 1S0, 92l miles; aggregate annual
transportation, S37 9l4 miles, aggregate annual
} cost, $7,630,474; including the compensation Of
route, agents. local agents. mail messenger postal
railway clerks, and bsggage-master in charge Of
mails, viz $779 no. the aggregate annual cost was
r $6,4l0,lS4. This service was divided as follows:
: Railroad routes: length, 80, Os2 miles; annual
Q transportation, S0,6os,467 miles. annual cost,
. So, 39l, 500, about IL cents per mile.
s Steamboat routes: length, H. 346 miles annual
s transportation, 3,4ll, 1852 miles; annual cost,
0 S440, S44 about 13 cents per milo
CELEBRITY &c. routes length, 1874, ,4s3 miles, an.
5 nual transportation, 81 BIG 485 miles; annual cost
b So, 79S, 03S, about 10 cents per mile.
{ The length of routes was increased over the pre-
ceding year, 3S .5Sl miles; the annual transports
tion, 10, 724. .42O miles and the cost 81 393 500
: the increase arising principally from the rsstora
8 tion Of service in the Southern States.
S A table herewith annexed shows the rate of pay
per annum for mail transportation in operation Ia
9 late insurgent States on the 30th June, 1866
8 $l,l70 529 compared with the amount due for ser
vice actually rendered in those States in the yea
S4O1, 3l1 resulting from the fact that much Of tbs
j. service was In operation only part of the year
= The net postal receipts from those States for tn,
same period being $693 87b, the liabilities with
l. out including the compensation Of route agents
g local agents and mail nessengers) exceed the re
d ceipts only by $75, 1888.
10 A table is annexed showing the mail service II
operation in these States September 80, 1866 com
pared with the condition of the service In the sam
States November /, 1865, the date to which th
ID statements on this subject were made up In th
le last annual report. From this table 1t will be
that there are in operation in the States enumer
10 ated ninety railroad routes, with an sggregat
- length of 8, 170l miles at cost Of $5S7 58l pe
d annum; twenty-sx steamboat routes, with ag
gregate length of 557 miles, at cost Of $l95, So
per annum; and /, 1877 "star service" routes, Zee
lerity, &C., with an aggregate length of 40, ,442
- miles, at O cost of 81, ,062, AIT. 81 per annum
J. making the whole service in operation in thes
l. States of all grades 1853 routes, with an aggrs
}. gate length Of 60, l70t miles, at cost Of 81, 846
!, 623 81 per annum. Compared with the service IL
operation on the lst November, 1865, viz: seventy
}, one railroad routes, with an aggregate length o
., g. 242 2.l0 miles, at cost Of $437 1857 per annum
r, twelve steamboat routes with IN aggregate leng
4 of S69i miles, at n cost Of $93, 260 per anuum
Il and l54 "star service" routes, with an aggrtgat
length Of $780, miles, at q cost Of $l77,743 pe
IN annum, there appears an increase of ninetee
routes l 928 55-l0O miles, and $3.50, 324 annus
Is cost of railroad service; fourteen routes, 297l
Of miles, and $lO2 3O5 annual cost Of steamboat sci
n. vice. and 9S3 routes, IS, ,256i miles, and 1884,
s, 1884 81 annual cost Of ''star service;'' making
total increase of ], ,Ol6 routes Al, ,s72 551O0 miles
% and 81 1871, 1853. "a annual cost.
OF Another table is annexed showing the number
IN termn and length of Southern railroad routes
ce in operation September 80 1866 the number bein
ry only fourteen, and the aggregate length 500 1910
ey niles Comparing this with ninety routes in OF
ld eration having al aggregate length Of 8, ITO
D. miles, shows remarkable progress in the resusci
cd aton of the railroad system Of the South. Ther
being two thousand two hundred and fifty routes /
or all the States enumerated these statements sho
c. more than half the whole number to be in opera
tion, comprising nearly nine tenths Of the rairoa
Mt routes All the routes in these States were dul
n advertised to be let to contract part from Il
January 1866 and the residue from LIST July, 1885,
at but on a large number OF them no proposals wei
a. received under the advertisement, and on man
in others the bids were extravagantly high. In th
70 latter case offers of the highest admissible rate
were submitted by the department to the lowe:
10 bidders and In some instances negotiations wei
er opened through special agents, postmasters an
al leading citizens. By all these means combined
'. the amount Of service here stated has been oil
8, tained.
at The existing contracts In all the States named
y except Tennessee, will expire on tho 30th June
O. 1897 New advertisements, inviting proposals fo
b four years. service from lst July, 1867, are mo-
10 being issued, under which 1t Is hoped all routes
In r.aI ntiIitv In thu whola asation will be lat