Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1870-12-16

to that communication for the special considera-
uons which render it expedient In my Judgment,
TO sustain this important national enterprise,
and to express the hope that Congress will
promptly pass the bill reported by the Senate
Committee on Post Offices and Post Roads at the
last session, authorizing an increase of the SER
| vice to semi-monthly trips under the same terms
and conditions as the present monthly service.
| The excess of business of the Department, as
compared with last year, is as follows: Letter car
riers, 1885, mails delivered IT, TAO, ,778; local letters
delivered 3,417,022; newspapers delivered, 5,912,
1885,. letters collected, 79,d60,370; amount paid
carriers, $4616, ,4S4; postage on local matter, ST.,
$50, ,T28. ~ -
During the pas year, the salaries of as;492
fostmasters have been readjusted. The establish
ment of Lew Offices and the increase of salaries
will not, 1t is thought exceed the appropriation Of
S., 900 for the current year.
Whole number of letters received at the Dead
Letter office during the year, 4,152 460, OF which
22O 415 were foreign letters; 2232s1 letters con-
tanning money in sums of 81 or more, amounting
to $92 S69 g. of this amount s.. % was deliver
tiers contained money in sums less than S1
amounting to $57 go, of which S 056 70 was de-
1eo yered TO the writer's or persons addressed; r.
the nominal value of $3,075, ,554 90, of which Sc,
1886 400 02 was restored; 3l2,6S4 letters were de-
tanned for postage not prepaid 6s,133 letters
were msdirected, 3,016 had no address
whatever 3s2 new money order offices were
created up to August l. The whole number now
open, a7O6., The ,Iumber of domestic money
of $34,054, ,1S4.71, an increase of $9,206135.7 7S.
Amount of fees, 1895 235. 80; increase $59 044 90
the money % order business, M ssoi ii 6s The drafts
drawn against credits during the lastsyear were
S34 3O5. 81. The sum of 81 ,320 SO was trans
ferred by Postmasters from the postage to the
money order account to enable them to meet Or
ders presented for payment. lu 3lFg
l am thoroughly satisfied that if the franking
privilege were repealed the department in short
time would become selfsustaining,3 This asser-
ton has heretofore been warmly denied. The de-
ciency for the past year has been reduced to S2,
Ana 10 nfp of hQ oOetO of
matter dispatched through the malls was ordered
to be kept by all Postmasters for SIX months be-
turns are now being received, Enoughi is known
to enable an opinion to be expressed that the ac-
tua returns will show the actual cost offree mat
ter to be fully equal to all the deficiency. The
term during which the account was kept was con-
fined to the first half of the year when few cleo
tions were held and when only small portion
of the public documents are transmitted. Should
the amount Of ranked matter be actually ascer-
tanned during the Presidential canvass and sub
iected to the same postage as like matter sent by
private persons, am sure that the average cost
per year would be greatly enhanced. Ny anxiety
to make the department sef-sustaining arises
from strong desire to reduce and make uni
form rates of postage in 1871. The amount de-
rived from letter postage was S16g77l 1928 70,
and from newspapers and pamphlets only 1884,
32.99, and yet the weight and bulk OF news
paper mails are at least ten times greater than
those of letter mails. This shows that while news
papers are charged much less than the cost OF
their transmission, letters are charged much more,
age soon as the finances of the department will
permit. If letter postage could be reduced from
to cents am sure that the increased correspond
ence thereby stimulated would, in few years,
compensate for any temporary loss of revenue,
and that many veXatious losses would be avoided
by uniform rate for all distances which would
thus be established; but despair of securing any
further reduction of letter postage so long as the
franking privilege shall be imposed upon this de-
partment 1t is not intended to intimate that there
should be an increase of postage on newspapers.
On the contrary, it is the duty of the government
to aid in the education of the people by CARRYING
newspapers as cheaply as possible, and hence am
nor do object to the free transportation of news
papers to regular subscribers in the counties Of
their publication. AS now authorized by law,
their conveyance without charge does not inter-
fere with the speedy and regular transmission of
the mails. There is but one change that l deem
advisable in the treatment of newspapers, and
that applies only to those sent to points outside
postage on printed matter In all cases to be pre-
paid by stamps. The law allowing postage to be
paid in money by subscribers at the Oficei of de-
livery. is departure from the accepted theory of
Post Office management, and only subjects the
department to heavy losses. .,..-
The Postmaster General earnestly recommends
the adoption early in the session of Congress, of
the bill introduced by Mr.. Farnsworth, to revise,
consolidate. and amend the statutes relating to
the Post Office Department.
The new postage regulations, and the accumu-
lation of copper and nickel coins in Post Offices,
receive some attention in the report. He respect
fully recommends the establishment of the postal
card system of which so much has been said, and
advocates 1t by the usual arguments. He advises
that the rate be fixed at one cent including cost of
card as first step toward general reduction of
letter postage. r+,...