The national Republican., 1866-12-04

SieIn Sn mr.. irs.,..;...........'.'''''" s'sv a. a.
Premium paid on dfan........... Is
Miscellaneous, including furniture
R.nit...ss. io.t in IL: mali sss @
Eue... Of receipts over expenditures. 7,iss %
This sum repres.nt. the gross amount Of rey.
money -order business for the past year, and
ved deduct thsrsfrom the amount Of The
deficiency in the receipts as compared with
the expenditures during the period Of eight
months ending Juiy !, fse,, Is stated in the
last annual report, viI:.................. Io<7 VI
There remains the sum mof................. % 81
As the proceed. Of the system from its eommsncsm sns
The cost Of blanks for postmastsrs, which isrs
furnished by the department Of public printing, 10
not included in the foregoing statement of exps od-
itures.
Th. present charge or fss established BY law for
an order Of $40 or or less h 10 cents, and for an
order exceeding $50, rs cents Thess rates are de-
fsctivs In this respect, that an applicant who de-
sires to remit any under $40 could do II more
cheaply BY two orders than By one, inssmueh - q
cents while for single order Of $40 he would have
TO pay rs cents The manifest tendency Of this
state Of things 10 to augment unneocssariy the num-
ber Of orders issued, involving waste Of time and
of clerical labor at both the Issuing and paying Of
8ces, as well a. increasing the liability to error.
Tho adoption Of an additional rate Of 16 cents for
all orders Of more than $40, bat not exossding $50,
without any change Of the present fees for orders
Of $40 or less or for ordors szcssdang $50, would
remedy the defect in question, and promote sxped.
tion and accuracy in the transaction Of the bus.
ness.
At some post Offices, particularly those located
at centres Of trade and commerce, the number OF
orders paid very greatly exceeds the number issued
so that the payment Of orders constitutes the chief
business of these Offices, and ns the postmastsr's
compensation for paying orders, being oneeighth Of
ono per cent. on the amount thereof, is much less
than for issuing them for which he receives one.
third Of the fees II 10 recommended that the COM
mission for paying orders be increased from one.
eighth to nefourth Of per cent, SO as to afford
postmasters at such Offices . compensation proper
tionate to their services.
In case Of the loss d . money order, the owner.
in order to obtain duplicate thereof Is required
.to furnish statement under oath or Affirmation"
setting forth the loss or destruction Of the original
together with certificate from the postmaster By
whom II was payable that It has not been and will
not be paid. A csrtiaoste must also be obtained
from the issuing postmaster that the order IN ques-
ton had NOT been and will mot bs repaid to the pur
chaser. In the majority Of cases the appliosnt's :
information with regard to the loss OF the original
order Is limited to the fact that 1t was mailed at
| certain ONCE, but failed from causes unknown to
him 10 reach the person addressed Hs Obliged,
however, to furnish statement to that effect under
oath, (which 10 to be administered BY the postmas-
tor without charge) and to defrsy tho cost Of i've
| cent revenue stamp afhxod to such statement
This additional expense Is burdsnsome to the owner
who Is rsrsly TO be blamed for the loss Of the orig
nal order. for which the regular fec had already
been paid to the Department. and the latter having
undertaken in confederation Of that fee to transfer
through the mails the sum Of money represented BY
the order should perform that duty without exaong
| any further compensation. Experience, moreover,
shows that the certificates Of both postmastori
afford complete security against the srroncou! issue
| of a duplicate in lieu Of an order that had once
been paid II would seem therefore, that the iega
| annlioan 0f 4 state
ment as to tho loss destruction Of the original
entirely unnecessary Is we'll As onerous and should
bs abolished. For similar reasons no charge what
| ever should be made for the issue Of duplicate
order to replace an original that mas become invalid
because not presented within one year after 1T
date, or became improperly indorsed In suof
cases the invalidation Of the order Is In itself
penalty for any negligence Of the holder, who. OF
application, should receive payment OF his money
by means OF duplicate without second foe.
During tho last fiscal year i've cases have 90
CURED Of the payment Of orders to persons who hst
forged the signatures Of the psyess. These person.
had previously, through lack Of preosution or In
judicious confidence Of the rsmitter or Payss osel
obtain payment of the order. To forge or counter
felt q money order Is made . penal offence By th'
act Of May II, 1884, but there Il NO provision o
law to punish the forgery Of the pavees signature
repeated, especially at the large Offices. there Is
necessity for additional legislation to provide Al
sdeouste punishmeut for IT, as we'll q for any st
tempt to obtain payment Of money order b!
) fraudulent means
A remittance Of surplus money order funds
amounting to s6l7 sent in q registered pscksg
from Nstchez, Mississippi, to 81. Louis, Missouri
was lost by the destruction the mail steamer Cit.
, Of ofMemphis on the 3lst Of May but In consequenc
OF delay in obtaining satisfactory evidsnos that thi
sum had been duly counted, registered, and mailed
and had subsequently, been totally destroyed, th'
claim Of the postmaster at hatcher to bs credte,
, Herewith was not allowed by this Department an
transmitted to the Auditor in time to be inserted Il
his report. -
= MISCELLANEOUS.
In addition to the details Of this report submit
A few suggestions Tho condition Of all branches
. this Department is most encouraging. The genera
plan proposed BY my predecessor for re-estabshin
postal service In the late nsurgent States has beer
to large oxtent, carried out and efficient service
. with economical expenditures, has resulted. Jus
as rapidly as the condition Of the country and th
i necessities Of the people will warrant new pot
l. offices will DO opened and mail service increased
The surplus OF revenues over expenditures for th
. fiscal year ending June 80, 1865, was not antici
2 pated for the year ending June 80, 1856. The o.
pense incident to reestabshng mail service in th
!. Southern States where such service had been II
terrupted by the rebellion, It was known would II
crease largely the general outlsys Of the Depart
msnt beyond what had been required during eiths
'r Of the proceeding four years.
There Is better evidence OF national prosperit
u than the constant increase from year TO year {
10 revenues derived from domestic and foreign posi-
ages There Is no better evidence Of the inoroasin
general intelligence Of the American people tha
ID that furnished by the loaded mails.
The change in modes Of conveyance from carrie
'f pigeons and special messengers, and post ridel
to with billets and small packages and few letter.
O. to railroads and steamboats,, carrying every ds
Is hundreds Of tons Of letters and newspapers an
books, all through the length and breadth Of th
v land, is an extraordinary commentary upon the il
10 creasng wealth and prosperity Of the nation, an
or the energy and intelligence of the people. Th
of few thousand pounds Of postal revenue in Franl
Inns time for single year give place now to nftee
m millions Of dollars annually, sum greater tina
IS the annual revenues Of the Federal Governmer
ns during the administration Of John Quincy Adam
SO This SERVICE under the liberal patronage Of th
Or Government has done more to aid In devolopin
the resources Of the country than anything else
Us cept the cultivation Of the soil II has done moi
Is to aid in enlightening and Christianzing the pei
pie than anything else except the spelling book an
a, Bible The post Office and mail route travel wit
ID civilization and mark its progress as distinctly
the school house and meeting. house.
1t has always been an erroneous theory In th
history of the postal service Of the United State
'e that 1t was established sustained the primo
N pie of wholly defraying Its own expenses out Of Il
IL