Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-12-14
u,srxAsTER.GENERAL'S REPORT.

y. m ~.
ssorSinary revenues mot including the amount o
ineoaynrder funds deposited as postal receipts fol
noro,nience of transfer) were $1S,879371 Is anC
,ss expenditures mot including the amount OF mon
e,der funds retransferred) were $<3, 34S. S37 81
G ;nerease Of revenue for the year 1871 over the
~. is7 was ST. .667. or g. per cent and the
.ssse OF expenditures 81 OIL ,266.45, or AS pei
SHOWING ne. IN nr he
=, over the year 1859 was 81, 722. 30, or 151s
o. cent and the increase OF expenditures for 1871
pser 1859 was 81, PSI .9725S, or BAL per cent The
o'. n,ase in revenue for 1871, compared with 1870
as less than the increase for 1870 compared with
so Nv S27O O42 16 and the increase Of expendi
ors. for 1871 compared with 1870. greater than
Sa increase for 1870, compared with 1869, by $40
~ in addition to the ordinary revenues the De.
,.ament be credited with 100000 appropriated for
.ansnortatron of free matter and the amounts
drawn and expended TOR subsidies to steamship
hines il will appear that the deficiency provided out
" The General Treasury for the year 1871 is So 92S
@s 6S against 81, 814, 1868 for the year 1870
Estimated expenditures for the year ending June
IN ISL S27 4S9, 750 revenues, estimated at ten per
,sni Increase over last year, including $70OOOO
sanding appropriations for free matter SEQ 740 749
Leaving deficiency OF $4749,0O1. These esti-
mates do not include special appropriations, in the
nature of subsidies, for mail steamship service be-
,reen San Francisco and Japan and China, between
tho United States and Brazil, and between san
Trsncsco and the Sandwich Islands, to the amount
Of sI25o0o
unexpended at the close of that year the of
"a 40 600: appropriated for deficiency in 1871 81
S5 032-making total of 1922. 032.
There were drawn during the last fiscal wear of
,be amount unexpended at the close OF 1870 for
myments on account of that year. S1,050.0O0; of
smonn appropriated for 1871, 81 $50, 0J0-making
total of s,70O 600, and leaving in the Treasury,
t6sreable sundry unliquidated accounts estimated
81 1921. 81, leaving, after settlement of all liza
bties to June 80, 1871, net balance of deficiency
appropriations Of $5,446. 1903
The number of adhesive postage stamps issued
Iuring the year was 49S 175, representing S14.-
Esl15: stamped envelopes plain, 40, 954 625, repre-
nting 81, 432 rs; request envelopes, AZ ILL.,
10 representing 81. 434, 80; newspaper wrappers.
$4,000, representing 1872, 1S0-makng a total of
b sll, 450 stamps, envelopes and wrappers, repre-
enting S17.629, 55125. The increase in amount
yer the fiscal year ending June 30 1870, was ST.
r. 1925 or I. 10 per cent.
The number of packages of postage stamps lost
b the mails during the year was six representing
aS; and of stamped envelopes three, representing
81 70: being much less than the losses from SINH
deinquencies in 1870 and previous years.
TRANSPORTATION STATISTICS.
There were in the service of the department on
Both June, 1871, 1886 contractors for the trans
ration Of the mails.
rregating in length exclusive of special routes
359 miles, in annual transportation 101.572,-
miles, and in annual cost 81 ,529,3a5.
ding the compensation OF railway post,
sscngers, mail-rOute messengers, and baggage
sters in charge Of registered passages, amounting
81, s75, 526, the aggregate annual cost was SD
1881.
The service was divided as follows
Railroad routes Length, 1884 miles: annual
transportation, 55,557 ,04S miles; annual cost, S.,
4,979-about 1913 cents per mile.
Steamboat routes: Length, 20,334 miles annual
transportation, 4,64, 77S miles annual cost, $40,
23-about 1858 cents per mile.
I Other routes on which the mails are required to
h." Length, 1863 1911 miles annual transportation,
800 1853 miles annual cost, S5,O2' ,it3-aDout
80 cents per mile.
&There was an increase over the preceding year in
&mgh of routes of 7.127 miles, in annual transpor-
zion TO- 547, 1913 miles, and in cost $644, 742. Add
the increased cost for railway post-oflice clerks
rte, local. and other agents, $40i, $685. the total in
lease in cost was 81 ,049,3TS.
The foregoing statements of distances and costs
not include service for special offices. There
ere at the close of the year 2.l15 of these, each
th mail -carrier whose pay from the Department
not allowed to exceed the net postal yield of the
Gee special routes and their carriers are i'll
Eded, however. in the number of contractors and
ues az given above.
The new railroad routes put in operation during
wear 1871 amounted to 6. l07 miles during
TO- to Also miles, and during 1869 to
Pc matchmaking in the aggregate an ad-
bon in three years of 1856 miles to the 36,OlS
es in operation on July l, 1868 The increase in
zee years exceeds 80 per cent, and in the last
Ter cent.
both my former reports have advocated re-
on and read justment of the rates of compensa-
b for the transportation of mails on railroads,
AZ yet no effective action has been taken by
agress The Department continues to encounter
ny annoying difficulties in its efforts to secure a
i'd Transmission of the mails, particularly those
ntaining newspapers, to the South and West, ow.
to complaints by the managers OF railroads OF
nadequacy of their pay, and their refusal to
Ow the use of their fastest trains and most com
plOus mail-cars. 1t is important to the service
this ong-pending controversy should be set
and hence again renew my recommendation
the act of Sd March, 1915, be so amended as to
Ow fair and reasonable increase OF the compeh-
ion of railroad companies upon CONDITION tllat
BY shall enter into contract with the Department
the prompt and faithful performance OF their
FINES AND DEDUCTIONS.
he amount of fines imposed upon contractors, ana
auctions made from their pay, on account OF fail
and other denquencies, for the last year, was
5.267, and the amount RENTED during the
PIE period was S10,016.94, leaving the net amount
lines and deductions SG5, 1I971
MAIL DEPREDATIoNs.
he number of complaints of missing letters dur,
the year is A. 600 of which 2057 were registered
2,543 unregistered. containing bonds, drafts,
currency to the nominal amount of $41S, 1882.
registered letters, 659 were accounted Tor ar re-
wed at their destination. and only 2S3 have been
ported as actually lost The remaining cases are
he hands of special agents for investigation:
Or violations of the postal laws 123 persons have
En- arrested. of whom 81 have been convicted ana
ltenccd to different degrees of punishment. ana
remainder are in the hands Of the Department OF
tlce to be dealt with according to law
RAILWAY PosT-OFFICEs.
he statement hereto appended shows an Increase
ght lines and 1856 miles of railway postomce
Wee The number of lines in operation on the
day OF June, 1871, was 40, extending IN the az
gate over II ,20S miles Of railroad and steamboat
les Upon s, $50 miles the service Is performed
", upon 2,527 miles twice daily, and upon ~
es four times daily equivalent in all to l3,'S
e each way daily. Counting all the lines both
the aggregate service is n $50 miles daiiy:
lO,072,540 miles annually. The number OF
rKs employed was 513, at an annual cost OF $o4s'-
against 375 clerks at q cost OF $442,ooo ior Ihe
'lous year, showing the increased cost Tor the
a year to be 1905. 800 OF this amount, the sum
$2S,6O0 was expended for the equalization OF sal
Deducting this sum- the increased expehdl-
Is $l7S,2OO
he value of the railway post office system was
ecislly demonstrated after the destruction by FIRE,
me great distributing post-office at Chicago, lll'
me 9th Of October last But for the lines lead
70 the West and concentrating at Chicago me
Tor the extreme Western and NORTH
lem States would have been seriously
ETIapted for many weeks. During inc
nun OF October, besides the letter maiis
re portion of the great paper.mails Tor the
les mentioned were successfully distributed or
cars and passed to their destination with the
al dispatch
le want OF sufficient room upon the cars now III
prevents, however, the proper distribution Oh
afge through paper-mals, sublectlhg thein 10
taeh' delays at the various distributing ONT,
separation, while the lctter-mails go directly
"afd TO their destination.
FOREIGN MAILS.
NC TOTAL number of letters exchanged CURING
!ear, with foreign countries. was 2O,2JJ,J'o' an