The Montana post. [volume] (Virginia City, Montana Territory [i.e. Mont.]) 1864-1869, 1867-01-12

ington and California, have been in fire.
quent conflict with the savages. and In
dian affairs are in their usual unsatisfac-
tory state, with no prospect of immedi-
ate improvement. The permanent de
lenses of the country have been
strengthened. the troops are 20 be armed
with breech-loading rifles, and the dis
banded troops stand ready to respond to
| the national call az any moment.
POST oFFIcE.
The revenues were $f4.3S6, ,9S6; ex-
Penditures, S15,352, ,O79; decrease com
pared with last year, one and one-ffth
per cent; increase of expenditures, 10
per cent; number of stamps issued,
357,734325 stamped envelopes, &c, 1885,
200; excess of sales over last year, $780,
765. There are G,O69 contractors; mail
routes, $3.50; miles, Il, ,s37,914; cost.
S7,63O.474; by rail, 32 ,O92 miles; steam
boats, 14,346 miles The amount of
postage with foreign countries is $2,-
2S9,213, an increase of 100000 The
number of dead letters was 4,50O,OOO !;
the number unavailable, for want of
stamps or address. 100000; they con
tanned $244. $50, of which 1921 ,OGG were
delivered; 100000 dead letters were
destroyed: number of money orders is
sued, 243.6O9. value S3,677,25 The
overland mail to California has been 10y
st. Louis; it is now by Chicago and
Omaha. The shortest time from San
Francisco 20 New York was nineteen
days. The Pacific Mail Steamship Com
month, from San Francisco to Japan,
via the Sandwich Islands 10 is recon-
mended to increase the pay of clerks in
the department and postoffices.
INTERNAL REVENUE.
The total amount raised from this
source is 31O,9O6,9 ,9S4 This the Commits
sioner says is within twenty-five millions
OF the total revenue of the British EN-
pire, and is an increase of nearly ninety
millions over the proceeds of the last of
fetal year. The tax on iron and steel
produced S13, ,72S, ,I33, an increase of four
and half millions. Petroleum pays
S5,317 ,396, an increase of nearly two and
quarter millions Tobacco and cigars
nearly $4,000, 900, an increase of over
four millions, and spirits $29, ,19S,57S, an
increase of over thirteen millions. A yet
more remarkable increase exists in the
income tax, which is $50, ,S94 135, this to
$40, ,567, $50 last year. This increase of
revenue cannot but be taken as an evil
dence of the prosperity of the country,
and furnishes abundant proof of the
ability of the country, not only to sus-
tain itself, but to pay off rapidly the ma
tional debt. The Commissioner COM
plains of the difficulty of collecting the
tax on spirits, and the evasions of the
law practiced by distillers. He suggests
an increase of the amount exempt from
income tax to 1000, and recommends
a reduction of the number of taxable ar
ticles, revision of the system under
which cigars are taxed, some modifica-
tions of the stamp act. and of the rela-
tions of the office to the District Attor-
news. The estimated receipts of the
coming year are placed at $2S5, ,000,O
He says in conclusion, that the i'm
mense revenue of the last fiscal year was
raised with probably less pressure upon
the people than that of smaller amounts
in previous years. Their enterprise and
spirit of accumulation have prevented
the depression of business which ordi-
narily attends heavy taxation. Their
means for the ultimate extinction of the
national debt are rapidly multiplying
from the increase of population and the
constant development of new sources of
wealth The reduction of taxes will
stimulate production, and in few years
the national debt will cease to be an OBJ
iect of anxiety, or even annoyance to a
great and united people
The Troubles i'm Utah.