The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1869-12-18
The Post Omce department.

The Postmaster Generals report shows that
the receipts of his department tor the last year
| were SlS.344,5l0, and the expenses $23,69S,-
ISL; leaving deficiency of S., 35462l. The
increase of revenue for 1869 over 1868 was
S996,33O; and the increase of expenditure
$2,521,510. The estimated receipts for 1870
are SET, S7S96l the estimated expenditures
s25,5o1 ,O93; leaving an estimated deficiency
Tor 1870 Of "a, ZOE 1872. The value OF postage
stamps sold in 1859 was 81, 706, 220 the value
OF stamped envelopes, plain, sold was 81 49,, :
s62 stamped envelopes, request, $50, 726
newspaper wrappers $11,905, making total
OF stamps, envelopes and wrappers, Of $751;
0s9. On June 3Oth, 1869, the department had
1906 contracts in the employ, and 254, 731
miles of mail routes in operation, the annual
cost of which was Sl16Sl,72S The records
show that mails are carried through from San
Francisco to Washington city in days, 20
hours; to New York in days, Is hours; to
Boston in Z days, hours; to Cincinnati in 5
days, % hours; to Chicago in days, hours,
and to ST. Louis in days, hour. This time
table corrects the popular impression that the
time between San Francisco and Chicago is
shorter than between San Francisco and St.
Louis. On the Goth Of June there were post
offices on thlrty-seven railway lines, having a
one miles.
The number of letters that passed between
the United States and foreign countries, exclu-
sive of Canada, was l2,596654, of which g.
63o,66S were sent, and 5,957,796 received.
The increase over 1858 is ,46S, l22 The total
postage on foreign letters was S2Ol4 1873. The
report recommends that the present cemplica.
ted system of international accounts be dis
pensed with, and providing that the hostages
collected on oil international correspondence
belong to the despatching offices 1t is stated,
as 4 notifying fact, that of the many line. of
steamships now employed IN the carrying of
trade between this country and Europe, there
is not one steamer bearing ali American flag
The number of postOtfices in the United
States on June Both, 1869, was q, lUS, being
an increase of 625 over the previous year. The
Tree delivery system is in operation in 4S OF
the principal cities; in 1869, it EMPLOYED
,246 carriers; delivered S0U7 1852 mail let
tiers, lS,3SO,637 local letters, 21,954,S9S news
papers; collected 00.8S5,009 letters paid to
carriers Si,lS4,9l5; and paid postage on local
matter 1866, l67. This shows An increase of
4S curriers', Is, 730,566 mail letters, 1928, 72l
local letters, 5,044, 1888 newspapers, 26.72O, 1884
letters collected, and $lS7,yOO IN the amount
paid to carriers There were mailed during
the year 3,952,S52 dead letters, of which lS,-
22T contained money to the amount OF $94,-
10, in sums of 81 and upward OF these L.
lS7, containing $3.50 were delivered to the
writer's, or the persons addressed, and 2,O4O,
$l2, lao, were filed for reclaim alton.
The number Of letters containing bank checks.
drafts, deeds, &c, was $685. OF the nominal
value of SPOIL 1854 of which 1926, of the
nominal value of $2799,ll were delivered TO
the owners, and 1899, OF the nominal value of
S2l2,24o were filed for reclamation. The
number Of letters containing photographs,
stamps and articles Of small value was ia |
1885, the number not signed by the writers.
illegibc or containing circulars was ,lS8, 6S3.
The number Of money order offices in 1869
was ,46S; the issues were $34,S4S, O5S; pay. |
mcnts were $24,654, 1873; the receipts from
tees were $lS6,247, the expenses $liO,694
giving surplus of $65,553. The increase of |
The business Of these Offices is marvellous, and
it is continually growing in the popular favor. |
There are no less than 3l,O33 persons in !
government employ who are authorised to use |
the ranking privilege, and the expense of the |
privilege to the department is estimated at |
100000. The report urgently recommends
the abolition of the privilege.