Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-12-07

Their his ambition falls to the ground in the
presence of the appointments. Up to al
most the very day of the assembling of
Congress Mr.. Dawes did not know he was
to be appointed, and the shrewdes sur
misses scarcely touched him. Aside from
this the appointment would not swerve
Mr.. Dawes from the path of honor a
hairs breadth; so that the idea of bar
gaining has nothing to hold to. The
Pennsylvanians would undoubtedly pre-
fer to have Kelley on the committee.
and it was thought because the Speaker
is a native of that State, has property
interests in it, and withal in tavor of pro-
lection to American industry, that he
might cast that way; but when Mr.. Blaine
came to inquire and reflect what was best
for Congress and the country he concluded
that Dawes was the right man.
We think even Pennsylvania will re-
spect the honesty and manliness with
which Mr.. Blaine acted, and accept his
appointments as the best that could be
made outside of the choice of Mr.. Kelley.
in the Committees New England is ably
represented, and Maine has her due pro-
portion of the honors and responsibilities.
REPORT or THE POSTMASTER GEN
ER1L.
| This official states that the ordinary revenues
| of this department for the fiscal year ending
| June 80, 1871, were $40, 037 ,0i5 AZ, and the
| expenditures of all kinds S24 800, l04 0S. For
the year ending June 80, 1870, the ordinary
revenues (not including the amount OF mon
ey-order funds deposited as postal receipts
| tor convenience OF transter) were SIS, S79-
81 65 and the expenditures (not including the
| amount of money-0rder funds retransferred)
were S23 34S, s37 63. Thy increase Of rev
enue for the year 1871 over the year 1870 was
81 l57 .G67 II, or 6 10 per cent . and the in
crease of expenditures 81 ,04l 2G6 A. or 40
per cent, showing a net Increase i'll revenue
OF SllG40l 81. The increase in revenue for
the year 1871 over the year 1869 was 81 l22,-
500 20, or 10. ~ per cent, and the increase of
expenditures for 1871 over 1869 was Sl,25l,-
912,5S, or 5.4l per cent The increase in
revenue for 1871, compared with 1870, was
less than the increase Tor 1870, compared with
1869, by S210,042 10; and the increase of ex-
penditure for 1871, compared with 1870, was
greater than the increase for 1870, compared
with 1862, by S740,5 $50 81.
IT, in addition to the ordinary revenues. the
department be credited with 500, 900 appro-
priated for transportation of tree matter and
the amounts drawn and expended for subsidies
to steamship lines, it will appear that the def
cheney provided out OF the general Treasury
for the year 1871 is S2,92S, 05s &C, against
81 .Sl4,llG 9S tor the year 1870.
Contracts - TRANSFORMATION STATISTICS.
There were in the service of the depart
ment on the Both OF Juna 1871, 1886 con-
tractors for the transportation of the mails.
Cf mail routes in operation there were 1851
aggregating in length, exclusive of special
routes 23S- 500 miles, in annual transportation
l01 512,191 miles, and IN annual cost 81 ,529 =
800. Adding the compensation OF railway
post office clerks, route-agents. local agents,
mail messengers, mail-route messengers and
baggage masters in charge of registered pas
sages, amounting to 81, S75 ,526, the aggre.
gate annual cost was S13, 4U4 ,92l.
The service was divided as follows:
Railroad routes Length, As, 1874 miles; an
nual transportation So 557 04s miles; annual
cost, So, IA ,979--about 10 30 cents per mile.
Steamboat routes Length 20, 1874 miles :;
annual transportation, 6Si.71o miles; an
nual cost, SIG, 943-about 1858 cents per
mile.
Other routes, on which the mails are re-
CURED to be conveyed with celebrity, certain
ty and security; :" Length, l6S, 1911 miles; all
nual transportation, AZ $50, 96S miles; annual
cost, So, OPT ,473-about 81 cents per mile
There was an increase over the preceding
year in length OF routes of 1927 miles in an =
nual transportation 1851, 79S miles, and in
cost $G44, 742. Adding the increased cost for
railway post-office clerks, route, local and
other agents, S4U4 G36 the total increase in
cost was 81 ,049 31o.
The foregoing statements of distances and
costs do not Include service for special"
offices. There were at the close of the year
2ll5 of these, each with mail-carrier, whose
pay from the department is not allowed to ex-
coed the net postal yield Of the Office.
Especial routes and their carriers are includ-
cd, however, in the number OF contractors
and routes as given above.
The new railroad routes put in operation
during the year 1871, amounted to 6lO7
miles; during 1870 to 4l90 miles; and dur
ing 1869, to 1919 matchmaking in the ag
regate an addition in three years of 1856
miles to the G.Olo miles in operation on July
l, 1868. The increase in three years exceed,
80 per cent, and in the lat year alone it
reached the unparalleled proportion OF II per
| cent.
| DEAD LETTERS.
The number of dead letters, domestic and
foreign, received at the dead letter office dur
t:ng the last fiscal year was as follows:
Domestic letters, classed as
Ordinary, 1881 pa
Drop, 492.309
Unmailable, 1913 1863
Hotel, 20, 1862
Fictitious, &C PA
Registered, G,l62
Returned from foreign countries, 700
|
Total domestic letters, 1913 075
Foreign letters, 22l ,613
Whole number, 4l9474S
Of.domestc letters not registered, lG 2lS
containing money amounting to $50, sos 81 in
sums of one dollar and upward; and of the
registered letters, 1853 contained SO 204 81.
making total of Is 81 letters, containing
S76,Sl2.JS. OF these, Il, 0S2 containing ST.