Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1870-12-01
POST OFFICE DEP ARTMENT
REPORT OF THE P0sTMAsTrR GENERAL.
The Workings and Growth Of the Depart
ment-R Recommendation Is to the Frank
ing Privilege, the Use o: Postal Cards, &c,


ing Privilege. the Use o: Postal Cards, &C,
Postmaster General Cresswen, IN his annual
report, says: " The ordinary revenues or this
department for the fiscal year ended June 81,
1870, were S19112, o10.65, and the expenditures
Of all kinds, s23 99s s5I .6i. For the year ended
June 90, 1869, the ordinary revenues were SIS
3H, jl0i2, and the expenditures, S&5,69S Isl 80.
The increase OF revenue for the wear lSi0 over
the year 1859 was II ~ IG9 20, 7.7S per cent.
and the increase of expenditures, SJG5, 1O6l3,
l-32 per cent, showing mel increase IN revenue
O. u, ,OGS.sO Ii, IN addition TO the ordinary
revenues, the department be credited with
SlC0,0O, appropriated tor tree matter and the
amou MS drawn and expended for subsidies to
steamship lines, it will appear that the dei-
cheney provided oGt of the general treasury for
the ye1r 1870 is Hess, as against - $40,
~ for the year lSG9.
THE ESTIMATED EXPENDITURES
for the wear ending June 80, 1872, are $3.50 I9>.
The revenues estimated at 10 per cent. increase
over last year, S2O16I ,j15; standing apprOpriR-
tions for free matters, soc ,OOO-s2l, i61 ,315.
| estimates DO not include The following special
l appropriations IN the nature OF subsidies: For
| mail steamship service between San Francisco.
Japan aud China, see 800; tor like service be
| tween the United States and Brazil, - ,,f1n.
| for like service between San Francisco and
| Sandwich Islands, - 900. Total, So, eos.
TIE POSTAL SERVICE.
There were in the service OF the department
on the 10Th June, 1870, ,29J contra tor the
| transportation Of mails. Of mail routes in oper
| alton there were S, SGl. aggregating in length
~ .232 miles; III the annual transportation, @
o24 $50 miles, and in annual cost, Sl0,S>i.6hi
Adding the compensation of railway post Office
| clerks, route agents, local agents, mali messen
gers, mali route messengers ana baggage mas
| tiers in charge of re gistered packages, amount
ing 10 II 80, the aggregate annual cost wa
| Sl2T%35 Jl3. There was an Increase over the
preceding wear in length OF routes OF ,JJl mi les
iii annual transportation, 6,50i j93 miles, and in
| cost, S47s,Ij2. Adding the incref sed cost for
| railway post office clerks, route and other
agents, >l25 ,1J, the total increase IN cost wss
/ >t13 .slj.
| READJUsTNENT OF PAY on RAILROAD ROUTES.
After a careful consideration Of the subject,
am satisfied that the compensation liked by lag
| IL not a fair return for the important services
| rendered by railroad companies, and hence
repeat my recommendation that a read justment
of their pay be made by law, AMI that, at the
same time. they be required TO enter into con-
| tract with the department "a a condition pre-
l cedent TO drawing any increase OF compensa-
| ton.
THE THROUGH NAIL
| tables herewith submitted make favorable
exhibit "a to the average speed and regularity
| with which the mails have been conveyed over
| the lme-j:;0I miles lOng-between New York
! and San Francisco, during the wear endn@
l with the month OF September, lS10. Between
| New York and New Orleans, the double ,la!S
| service established in March, 1883, and men
| toned i'll the last annual report, has been con
! tinued during the year ending with the month
| OF September last, one of the mails being
II lGs '
| Washington, District of Columbia; Lynchburg
Virginia, and Knoxville, Tennessee; and the
| other over the Western route, via Cincinnati
| Ohio; Louisville, Kentucky, and Hun Joldt
Tennessee. Compared with the showing for the
period from March 70 September, ts,;9 inclu-
| sive, in the last annual report, the present
| returns make the average time by the South
| western route TO be greater than il was then bs
| : hours IL minutes going south, and hours "a
minutes going north; and by the Western rout.
less than II was then by hours s. minutes goiu.
| south, and hour - minutes going north. The
former il still entitled TO the credit, however.
of carrying Though the greater proportion O.
4 mails within its schedule time: and. when IL.
| time, its mails going south reach theiT deStira
l ton simultaneously with those which a tran,
number on the Western route, with the al
| vantage OF departure several hours later rom
| New York,
THE RAILWAY FosT OFFICE SYSTEM
/ spTarg from necessity. IL was establi, he'd d.
| insure TIE Transmission Of the mails with al,
| greatest possible rapldity, by asserting aud d
l tTibUtipe them while in motion. thus avo dIng
delay in local distributing post Offices. The g
l TEN has been fOnnd in practice, to accomplish
ell that has been clS ined for ii, ana its useful
ness has l-een Clearly demonstrated by the test
| OF experience.
| FOREIGN MAIL SERVICE.
The amount paid for the transportation o.
1 the mails TO Great Britain and countries on the
| continent of Europe, was 1922 s3l.s1, the steam
| ships employed receiving the sea postage on the
mails conveyed as fun compensation for the
1 service.
The cost of the transatlantic nail steamship
l service during the three preceding fiscal year.
was a. follows :-lstI, SOL ,tj3S. OF; isGS, 1921
| I14.ii 1863, 1886, 5GI Al.
respectfully renew the recommendation made
| in my last report for an increase of mail service
| IRON monthly TO semi-monthly trips on the mat
! steamship route from San Francisco 10 japan
1 and China. The recommends tons made in NV
| report Of last year reiative 10 the necessity o.
1 some legislation to encourage the re-estabiish
| ment of American lines OF transatlantic steam
| SHIPS for the transportation OF our mails to
| Europe are respectfully renewed. Twelve postai
| conventions with foreign countries have been
| been made during the year, in all of which there
have been reduced postage-frOm twelve 10 six
| cents with Great Britain, the Netherlands italy
| Belgium. Switzerland, ana the North German
| Union.
APPOINTMENTS.
| The report of the appointment ONCE shows
| the number OF post offices established during the
| year TO be 2,3j9. Appointments made during
l the year, s,il0.
| FREE DELIVERY
The Tree delivery system has been in opera
ton during the year IN fifty OF the principal
| cities.
POSTAL roNFY-oRDHR SYSTEM
l The NUMBER OF money order offices now in
operation is 2,O16. The number of domestic
money orders issued during the year was l,G7l,-
| 25S, Of which the aggregate value was >34O5I
RAJ, al increase during the year lS1 OF -, O6
l25Is, or Soc Ier cent. in the amount OF ISSUES
In my last annual report additional legislation
was recommended to authorize the extension OF
TIE money-order system TO the stations or sub
post Offices in tue large cities. renew the sug
geston that tue law re latlng 10 the money order
system he so far modified as To permit the post
master of any CITY which the Postmaster Gen
eral may designate to issue and pay money-Or-
deTs at the stations or sub-offices in the same
/ manner as at the main office. An international
money order system for the exchange OF postal
orders between the United States and Swizer-
land was put into operation September I. 1869.
Negotiations are now In progress for the es-
tablshment of an international exchange OF
postal orders between the United States and the
United kingdom OF Great Britain and Ireland.
1t is hoped that system of that Kind will soon
be inaugursted, and that IL viii prove highly
advantageous TO the people Of both countries"
GROWTH OF THE POSTAL SYSTEM.
The report refers to the wonderfully rapid
expansion OF the postal system as strikngly dis
playing the wonderful growth OF the United
States in population and wealth. Among other
Illustrations Of this kind IT refers to the fact
that during the first year Of President Wash
ington's administration, the number Of letters
transmitted in the mails did not probably eX-
&C ed 800 Geo. and the annual transportation was
about $4,000 miles. During the first year OF
the present administration the number OF let
tiers carried in the mails could not have been
less than e90,0s 900, to cay nothing Of the i'm
mense amount of printed matter; and the ag-
gregate of distances Travelled amounted 10 81 =
024, 800 miles. These cOmpArsoUS are Efficient