The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-12-05
Generals Rcpor,.

Inc revenues OF this department for the year
ending June 30, 1866, were $14, ,386, ,9S6 21, and
the expenditures $15 5352O79 30, showing an ex-
cess of the latter of S965O93, 90. Anticipating
this deficiency, a special appropriation was
made by act of Congress approved July
28, 1866. The decrease of revenue compared
with the previous year was 1 1-5 per cent and
the increase of expenditures 12 per cent f..
The number of postage stamps issued during
the year was 3i77a4 325, representing S10,s16,-
66l stamped envelopes 80 Ss6, 200, representing
1921 800 80; stamped envelopes bearing print.
ed cards and requests 7,6S3,525, representing
$230,G06 75. The increased demand since first
July for envelopes with printed cards and re-
quests for returning direct to the sender, If
not promptly delivered to the address, is very
notable, being about G6 2-3 per cent 1t is
thought that the general use of such envelopes
will tend largely to reduce the number of dead
letters
The transportation statistics show that Of
mail routes in operation june 80, 1866, there
We're $3.50; aggregate length 1S0,921 miles; ag-
gregate annual transportation II ,837 ,914 miles,
the annual cost of which was about 10 cents
per mile. The net postal receipts from the
late insnrgent States for the year being $685.
S35, the liabilities without including the COM
pensation ofroute agents, local agents, and
mail messengers) exceed the receipts by s75,-
3S3.
The portion oftbe report relating to foreign
mail service is especially interesting. The in
creased correspondence with foreign countries,
particularly with the continent of Europe, dur
ing the year is unprecedented, amounting to
more than twenty-five per cent. as compared
with the previous year. The excess of postage
collected in the United States upon the cores
pondence exchanged with Great Britain and
the continent of Europe was $500,627 7G; caus-
ing balances against the United States on set
tlement of the international postage accounts
amounting in the aggregate to $278714 49,
The report announces that preliminary basis
for new postal convention between this coun-
try and Great Britain has been agreed upon,
reducing the international charge on a single
letter from twenty-four to twelve cents; ad-
mitting into the mails printed matter of every
kind and patterns of merchandise, at such
rates as the despatching country shall
establish; and granting to each country,
reciprocally, the right to transmit correspond
ence in closed bags, or in the ordinary mails,
through the other, at the same rates of charge
paid by the inhabitants of the country through
which the correspondence is forwarded A
liberal postal convention has been concluded
with the kingdom of Italy, which adopts The
leading reforms in international postal inter
course, recommended by the postal conference
held at Paris in May, 1863
FNr,aH Hv,, ol,k.-. I.
nifcant. The whole number of these for the
year is 4,679, of which ], 1,O65 are from removals.
The whole number of dead letters received
and disposed of during the year, was about
four and half millions. OF th ,se there were
registered and remailed to the respective own
ers, as enclosing money in sums of one dollar
and upwards, 32,S14 letters containing an a.-
gregate of $244 $50 90, of which number 27,94
containing $22l066 49, were delivered, being
so per cent. OF letters containing papers of
value other than money, as deeds, bills of ex-
change, drafts, checks, &c. and of packages
containing photographs, daguerreotypes, and
articles of jewelry, there were registered, re-
turned and delivered IS per cent IL
The postal money-order system has worked
well. A comparison of the amount of trans
actions in this year with those of the last shows
that the business has been almost trebled.-
The average amount of each order issued dur
ing the whole year was 1852. The whole
number OF orders for the year was 2436O9, rep
resenting the sum of nearly four millions of
dollars, yet only five cases have occurred ofthe
payment of orders to persons who had forged
the signatures of the payees.
The report recommends more lberality in
the payment of the employees of the Depart-
ment The salaries ofclerks in the Post Office
Department during the four.years of war were
not increased, while all the expenses of living
were more than doubled. The salaries were
fixed in times of peace and low prices They
were not raised when war raised prices
Clerks were compelled to run in dept, and, in
many cases, their families suffered from want
They worked faithfully and slillfully and hon
estly in discharging important duties for the
government. 1t is the urgently expressed
opinion of the Postmaster-G General that they
ought to have some reasonable allowance for
the past, and an increase of salary in the fi-
ture. rU