The national Republican., 1867-12-06
}. Tho following nro the leading feature, of

1858. The following are the leading features Of
this treaty:
l. A reduction Of the international letter rate
from twenty. -four TO twelve cents.
2 The standard weight for letters, one half
ounce In the United Kingdom, or fifteen
grammos In the United States, with uniform pro.
gression from that basis, one additional rate for
each additional weight or fraction Of IT,
3. Prepayment Of letters optional, but un.
paid letters to be subject 10 q fne on delivery.
4. Prepayment Of all other postal packets
compulsory In tho mailing country, at rates to
be established by each department. within a
prescribed minimum for book packets and sam.
ple,, and the receiving country to deliver free
Of charge
8. The postage collected in each country upon
intern atioaal correspondence written OF printed,
to DO equally divided, on the principle that
every lettor receives an answer, and the labors
Of each Office are substantially equal But
each country 10 collect for It's own use the fines
imposed on unpaid letters which It receives from
the other.
0. The transit charged for letters In closed
mails, one half the interior rate In each country,
viz: one and n half cents for the United Statcs,
and one half Of a penny for Great Britain, to be
computed by tho ounce, or thirty grammes on
letters ard by the pound or kilOgrammo on other
mails.
Each country to make its own arrange.
ments lOr tne uHpatcn OF mhlis W tue Otner by
well. appointed ships, and to pay for tho trans
portation Of the mails which 1t dispatches.
g. The free transfer Of extra territorial mails
In the seaports Of the two countries.
Tho conventions concluded with Belgium, the
Netherlands, the North German Union, Italy,
and Switzerland. respectively. contain substan.
TALLY the same principles and provisions rs the
convention with the United Kingdom, with such
slight notifications as were necessary to meet
the peculiarities Of the postal system Of each
country.
The single rate for letter. between the Uuited
States and Belgium, by closed mails through
England, Is reduced from twenty-seyen to ff.
teen cents between the Unitei States and Prus.
sia, embracing all the States not included within
tho North German Union, the single letter rate
Is reduced from thirty to fifteen cents, and the
same rate of ffteen cents has been established
to tho Netherlands, Italy, and Switzerland, re-
spcctiyely, by closed mails through England,
thus securing uniform rate Of letter postage to
each Of these countries.
The conventions with Belgium and the North
German Union also establish a reduced inter
national rate Of ten cents for letters transmitted
by regular lines Of mail steamships plying
directly between any port Of the United States
and any port in the north Of Europe. The prin.
ciple Of free transit for correspondence trans.
mitted In close mails is adopted in the conyen.
tion with the Netherlands and Italy aud in
each Of the other conventions very low transit
charges arc established.
GENERAL REMARKS.
The exhibits Of this report show a remarkable
increase In the Importance Of the foreign mail
service, and the increased care and watchfulness
required Of those in direct charge Of it.
Under the new postal conventions With foreign
countries, and under the contracts recently made
for Atlantic service, tho large balances against
tho Department, which have burdened 1t for SO
many years, will be entirely wiped out, and a
| very handsome revenue derived In aid Of its
| finances.
1t is to be hoped that Congress will relieve
labor and shipbuil1ing materials OF taxes and
| impositions, So that our own ships may be built
10 our own waters, to bear our commerce and
carry our mails. As long as subsidies are paid
by other Governments to aid In establishing
and maintaining lines Of ocean steamers to and
from European ports, giving them the command
Of the carrying trade, with comparatively little
competition, It is duo to the citizens of the
United States that like aid should be furnished
to American enterprise. This can, In his judg.
ment, be very properly and proftably done
by subsidies to lines Of steamers already estab-
lished, as confederation for carrying tho ocean
mails.
Until the whole country 10 we'll settled by a
stable, producing, thrifty population, Ii cannot
be assumed, with certainty, that the Post Office
Department oan become selfsustaining. Now
channels OF postal Communication are ming
everywhere, and necessary expenses grew faster
than legitimate. revenue increases. When the
waste countries becomes better settled, and the
facilities for mail transportation increased aud
cheapenel, as they will be in very few years,
the increase Of revenues and comparative de.
crease Of carrying expenses will entirely change
the relation Of the taxes and resources Of the
department, and, at the present rates Of postage,
1t will not only be selfsustaining, but furnish no
inconsiderable revenue to the Government.
There is no appropriation Of public money which
brings back, directly or indirectly, go large q
return to the Government and the people as that
made in aid Of the postal service Only one
other department Of the Government gets back
a revenue anywhere near its expenses In return
for the outlays Of public money
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