Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1870-12-09


on Saturdays, for term of two years, oommenc-
ing October 1, 1870, and ending September 30 1872
a copy OF. which is also annexed. At present,
three weekly malls are dispatched from New York
to Great Britain by steamships of the Liverpool &
Great Western Cunard and Inman lines sailing on
Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays with an
occasional extra mail by steamships of the Cunard
line, sailing on other days of the week. When
the German steamships of the North. German
Lloyd and Hamburg line resume their regular
trips, and the new steamers, OF increased size and
greater speed, which have been rendered by the
Ocean Steam Navigation Company, OF Liverpool,
for the conveyance of the mails from New York,
Monday, are placed on the route between that port
and Liverpool, there will he at least six rst-class
weekly lines of trans Atlantic steamships leaving
New York for European ports, Sufficient TO estab-
lish a regular dispatch of mails to Europe on
each week day, provided the sailing days Of the
respective lines can be 80 adjusted as to secure that
The United States postage on the mails convey
cd to and from the West Indies, Mexico, Panama,
South Pacific, Belize, Honduras, amounted TO
$3.50, ,95l as, and the amount paid for the con-
yeyance thereof was $72,456sl. The contractor
for the mail steamship service from New York to
Rio de Janeiro Brazil, and from San Francisco to
Japan and China have performed In satisfactory
manner the full service required by their respect
i've contracts of twelve round trips per annum, but
ten round trips only have been made by the steam
ships of the California, Oregon & Mexican Steam
ship Company, contractors for the monthly SER
vice between San Francisco, Honolulu. and Ia
waiian Islands. I respectfully renew the recon.
mondation made In my last report for an increase
of mail service from monthly to semi-monthly
trips on the mail steamship route from San Fran
cisco TO Japan and China. Impressed with the
great national importance OF maintaining this line
OF American steamships, and the necessity of pro-
viding increased facilities of communication with
those countries In order to retain and extend the
commercial advantages already gained by its cs-
tablishment, l felt 1t my duty to address
a special communication on the subject to
the Chairman of the Senate Committee on
Post Offices and Post Roads under date of 2ist
April, 1870 [Senate Document No. 1915, Forty first
third in which
showing the growth of our trade with Japan and
China since the line was established, and the
amounts Of correspondence transported, and the
financial results of the enterprise. beg to refer
to that communication for the special considera-
tions which render 1t 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 Offlces 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 follows Letter car
riers, 1l6; mails delivered 17740 T7s local letters
delivered 3,417022 newspapers delivered 8, ,912.-
1875; letters collected, 79,060.370; amount paid
569, FPS
During the past year, the salaries of o. 4a9
Postmasters have been readjusted The establish
ment OF new offices and the increase of salaries
will not, II is thought, exceed the appropriation OF
$4,000, 900 for the current year
Whole number of letters received at the Dead
Letter Office during the year, 4,152, ,460, of which
100 i15 were foreign letters; 223,291 letters
tanning money in sums of 81 or more, amounting
to S92 $50. g. of this amount $7116 % deliver
ed to the writer's OF persons addressed 29.94 let
tiers contained money In sums less than 81,
amounting to $5,7g360, of which sS,056 - was de-
livered to the writers persons addressed; H.
$50 letters contained cheeks drafts deeds &c. to
the nominal value OF 50, ,075 h54 90 of which 81,
036, 400 09 was restored; 312,64 letters were de-
were misdirected 3016 had no address
whatever; $50 new money order offices were
created up to August 1. The whole number now
open, 2,706. The number of domestic money
orders issued was ,s7 ,253 of an aggregate value
of $34.054 1S4.71 an increase of S9,en6, 125 ~.
Amount of fees x235, ,295. so; increase, s5904 20
average amount of each order S23.73: profit of
the money order business. Sa01 ,174.63. The drafts
drawn against credits during the last year were
s3A, 9o5.si The sum of s1,320, ,2G0.59 was trans
ferred by Postmasters from the postage to the
money order account to enable them to meet or
ders presented for payment
am thoroughly satisfied that II the franking
privilege were repealed the department in short
time would become selfsustanng. This asser-
ton has heretofore been warmly aepiedyv,The de
sI41t6 q9 An accurate account of the cost Of free
matter dispatched through the mails was ordered
10 be kept by all Postmasters for six months he
ginning January and ending June 30 last, and re
turns now being received. Enough Is known
to enable an opinion TO he expressed that the ac.
tual returns will show the actual cost Of free mat
ter to he 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
or the public documents are transmitted. Should
the amount of franked matter he actually ascer-
tained during the Presidential canvass and sub
jected to the same postage rs like matter sent by
private persons, am sure that the average cost
per year would be greatly enhanced. My anxiety
to make the department self-sustaining, arises
from strong desire to reduce and make uni
form rates of postage in 1871. The amount de-
rived from letter postage was s16,77 ,92S 40,
and from newspapers and pamphlets only 1884,
1872 %, and vet the weight and bulk of news
paper mails are at least ten times greater than
Of shows n Nys-
papers are charged much less than the cost of
their transmission, letters are charged much more,
and in fairness letters should he reduced in post
age as soon as the finances OF the department will
permit II letter postage could be reduced from 3
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 he established; but despair or securing any
further reduction of letter postage so long as the
franking privilege shall be imposed upon this de-
parment II is not intended 10 intimate that there
should be an increase of postage on newspapers,
On the contrary. II IL the duty of the government
TO aid IN the education of the people by carrying
newspapers as cheaply rs possible, and hence am
of opinion that the present rates are not too low,
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 deem
advisable in the treatment OF newspapers, and
that applies only to those sent to points outside
OF the county where published. would require
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 office of de-
livery, is a 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-
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 II by the usual arguments. He advises
that the rate be fixed at one cent including cost Of
card, as a first step toward general reduction OF
letter postage.