Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1867-12-03


the con ven.ou with the Ne.her.aad ana
Italy, and in each OF ths other conventions
very low transit charges are established.
pettll convention, with simple provisions
avoiding poe'ase accounts, has also been con-
elnd'd win the colonial government OF Hong
Kong. Chins, n COPY OF which is annexed.
The aTrsr cement between the United States
auo Canaoa for toe mutual exchange OF regis
red letters has been extended 10 registered
letters exchanged with New Rrunswick, Nova
Sco's, and Prince Edwards Island, respect
vely.
The mail steamship servics between the
UnEed States and China, snth orized by the
act OF Congress approved February IL, 1866,
vas commenced on The ist 0f January, 1857,
BY the departure of the steamship Colorado
ircm Sen SrIrctsco VIII the mails for Japan
aud CHINA. END two addition al ronad trips
have be- performed between San Francisco,
Yokohama, and Hong kong, by that steamer,
departing from San francisco on Sd OF Aprl
snd &tn Of July, and delivering return mails
al inst port o. l5ih June aud Ism September,
respectively.
The G -eat Republic and Csina, built ex-
pressfy for this service, have been placed npon
tse line. The contractors expect 10 hSye the
japan, the third Steamship building for the
| iine, resdy for service about the is: OF Jnly
| les, and the fourth steamship, not yet named
but now on the stocks in s state Of forward
ness, VIII Likewise be ready for service Ia jan
| nary, 1869
The posta, con ven ton between the United
| States and Venez1els went lao operation on
the lst OF October, 1866, and The Govern naut
| OF Venezuela has, through lis minister, pro.
| posed 20 this Department the IS, abl shment or
| direct line OF mail pat ksts be ween the two
countries, the expense of the service 70 bs d,.
| ylded equally be.wesn the two Govern n .nts
| The pIopfieiy Of au hcrizing this Department.
10 unite With VepezueiS N establishing such
| q line on the basis proposed, Is respectfully
reteared TO the consideration of Congress
The numb OF post offices established dur
| Ing the year. was l,SS5; number dis continued
t,lll; decrease OF offices, i.226; number of post
/ ofices IN operation on The 3Jth june, 1860 IN
clocinE sUs pended offices in the Southern
States, 2e,see; 10 al number In operation on tns
ject TO appointments: by the President, s37; num-
Der Dy the Postm aster General 2l,32i.
sarge aloTiiy OF Offices discontinued are
IN the southern states, the service a; which
was suspended by the Postmaste General ia
Msy, 1901, and were not in operation thereaf.
ter but not regularly discontinued.
These offices were reported by the auditor to
the appointment Off ce As having failed 70 axe
returns for i've years, and their dscontinn n.
ance ecommendad az necessary to enable that
omcer to close the accounts OF the late post.
masters on the books OF his Office and for that
reason il was deemed advisable 10 formally
discontinue them
been in operation during the past year In forty.
seven Of the principal cities. The number of
carriers employed was 943, al an aggregate
compensation OF S699, 934 "a.
This made of delivery continues to grown in
public favor, as 10 shown by the increase OF
hostages on local matter, the reductions OF the
~
crease OF advertised letters in several of the
cites where the sy stem has been more efficient
ly conducted. Experience, 80 far, just,fies the
belief that it will supersede the present sys-
tenn OF box delivery, increase correspondence,
especially in large cities, and not only pay
its expenses, but yield revenue to the de-
partment.
The details OF postal service have been
revised and carefully analysed in all their
bearings upon the tran mIssion and delivery
OF letters 10 their address, and also upoH the
m nf Ao0 lot
10 the writer's thereof. The improvements
which investigation and experiment s a gested
are too numerous to be included in this report
Like improvements have been made in the
arrangements and labors OF the dead letter
off1ce. Statistical records have been amplified,
and now cover all important details. The
letters received, and their miscellaneous in.
closures. have been thoroughly classified
The most approved safeguards OF valuable
letters have been Introduced, and all available
measures have been adopted TO secure the
speedy return to proper owners Of all mail
matter sent 10 the Department for final dispo-
stion.
given to the reduction Of the number dead let
tiers. In large cities and thicKly populated dis
iricts, improved modes OF delivery have been
attended with beneficial res ults; but in general
the obstacles in the way Of reduction FREQ uently
mentioned In the annual reports since 1850
present difficulties which no official action can
remove. These are, in substance, the migra.
tory habits OF our people, the great territorial
area over which cur mail service extends, and
the pertinent fact that fully three four,hs of
the letters re,urned as dead become SO through
CIRCUMSTANCES exclusively associated with the
par ties Immediately concerned. MISTAKEN ad-
DRESS" 'lllegible," removed" s,dead," are
reasons found en- ,hree-fourths Of the letters,
tested In this res pect by repeated examinations.
IL rs evident that no efforts OF the department
ear reach such difficulties; and hence II follows
that the dead letters, from year TO year, will
retain somewhat uniform proportion to the
whole number mailed.
The whole number of money order post OFF,
cef now in operation is ,,,2i, OF which ass have
been established since the date of the last an.
nuRl port. This increase has occurred main
ly In the western and Southern States where
the facilities OF the STEM for the transmission
Of money appear at present TO be most u eeded
Excess over expenditures, ~26, U6I.
To forge or counterfeit money order 10
made penal offence by the act OF May Il,
l-64 But one instance OF this kind has hap
pened since the establishment of the system
A late postmaster distracted, in June last. fif-
v-two blank money orders, especially pre-
pared and numbered from the book which he
delivered 70 his successor, filled them M in
the usual manner, so that they appeared TO
have been duly issued on several postmasters
for small sums, and forged upon each he sig
nature OF the postmaster. Payment of TWEEN
ty-nine Of these forged orders TO the aggregate
amount OF Sl322 was obtained on presenta-
non: Inc fraud was speedily detected and the
guilty person was recently con victed of the
crime OF forgery At the United States court at
Cleveland, Ohio, and duly sentenced TO three
years imprisonment and hard labor, and to
pay fine of five hundred dollars
BY existing law postmaster at a money
order ONCE is not authorized TO issue an order
payable by himself Hence money ORDER offices
cannot III present be estab lished al the stations
or sub-post offices in the large cities, although
In some instances these stations furnish ordi-
nary postal facilities to larger population in
tneir vicinity than that OF many considerable
towns. IL Is evident that the con W nience of
residents within the delivery OF such stations /
would be sensIbly promoted IL they were al.
lowed TO purchase and receive payment of
money orders at these stations, instead Of be-
ing compelled, as now. TO resort for such facil-
ties TO the central post office OF the city The
latter would moreover be relieved, to some ex.
tent, OF great and constantly increasing . res
sure OF applicants for the purchase and paw.
ment OF orders. 1t would also prove useful
IN the sparsely settled States where the county
loWh usually has money order Office,
through which, under the proposed modified.
uon. small debts could readily be paid in any
part OF The county by means Of money orders
issued aid pay able at the post office in the
county town, which Is babituaily visited nv
residents OF the county.
II is gratifying to be able to state that not
withs tanuing the increase Of expenses Of the |
uepdr nnent, growing out OF the increase of !
compensation Of clerks, agents; and employees
OF Inc department, and increase in the extent
ant expense of the mail service throughout |
tne country and on the sea, the disbursements |
were not only kept within the estimates for |
1867, hnt there remained an unexpended hal |
m A-A 1rn n