Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1871-12-08

ABSTRACT or 1uz REPORT or tbs rlTNAsrrs
GENERAL.

,Bsrnacr oF THE REPORT OF rHE fatTNAsI rs
GENERAL.
Tie ordinary revenues Of the Post Om;e De
psr,ment for the year ending June 80, ISL,
we're so .G37, 04j &, and the expenditures oil
81 kinds S24, 330.loi Us.
The increase Of revenue for the year III over
he year 1870 was s .ll7, fG7 y, OF dla per
cent, aud the Increase OF expenditures u
Oh .266 -, or 4 4j per cent, showing net IN
crease Of revenue Of SllG,40l34. The IN
crease in revenue for the year 1871 over the
wear 1863 wss = 20, S69.1O, or - - per
cent, sud the number Of packages OF posisge
representing SOS snd Of stamped envelopes
stamps lost 10 the mails during the year wss SIX,
three, representing S5l07 being much les
than the losses from similar delinQueuciet III
1870 and the previous years.
There we're il the service Of the department
on the 3)th Of June, 1871, $50 contractors
for the transportation Of she mails OF nail
routes in operation there we're e,9jl, aggregst-
ing in leagth exclusive Of special routes) Z3s,-
$50 milcs, 10 annual transportation lO1.oi2,-
"a miles. and in animal cost Sll,5Z3,39'-
There was an increase over the preceding
wear in length Of routes Of .l21 miles, IN sn-
nusl transportation l0,5i7,79S miles, and in
cost S6H.i42 Adding the increased cost for
railway post Office clerks, route, local and other
agents As S404 ,62G. the total increase in cost
Was II ,O+9, 31s.
The Postm.tter-Genersl rcnsEs his recon-
incubation for readjustment Of the rates paid for
carving the mails, and and for q new survey OF
toe post route maps,
The amount Of tines imposed upon contractors,
snd deductions made from their pay on account
Of failures and other delinquences, for the last
year WIS SO, 2j6.7 and the amount RENTED
during the ssme period WAS SlO,OIG.94, leaving
the net smouut OF lines snd deductions So5,-
I79 -.
The number Of complaints Of missing letters
during the year is 4 800, Of whioh 2,O5I were
registered, and > ,5i3 unregistered, containing
bonds. drafts and currency TO the nominal
amount SHs,74S.92 Or registered letters
$50 were accounted for as received 81 their
destination, and only 2s3 have been reported as
actually lost. The remaining cases are IN the
hands of special agents for investigation. For
violations Of the postal laws l23 persons have
been arrested, Of whom 81 have been convict
ed and sentenced to different degrees Of pun
ishment. and the remainder are in the hands
Of the DEPARTMENT OF Justice TO be dealt with
according to Law.
The total number of letters exchanged, dur
ing the year, with foreign countries was ~
2J5 .993. sn increase Of l,93G,620 over the
number reported for 1870. OF this number,
lO46l SOS we're sent from, aud 9, S34, SOS were
received in the United States.
The cost Of the trant- Atlantic service was
Stalls 0-SI4S,I 53.4S less than in 1870
The total cost Of the United States ocean
mail steamship service for the year 1871 I'm
GLIDING S725, 900 paid from specisi appropri-
atoms for steamship service to Japan and Chi
ma. to Brazil, and to the Hawaiian Islands was
1915, 995 Il.
Noticing the project for establishing an Am
ericsn line between Philsdel phia and Liverpool,
Mr. Cresswell remarks: " A reasonable com
pensation for converting the mails, in excess Of
the postage receipts, IS probably the only gov
eminent aid needed to insure the permanent es-
Enlistment ofthis or sny other similar line Of
American ocean steamers and, in my judg-
ment, the granting Of such aid, in connection
with proper legislation TO encourage the con-
struetion, by American builders Of hrst-cass
iron steamships, is the most simple, economical,
and practical method of establishing American
lines Of ocean steamers, and advancing the gen.
eral commercial prosperity of the country.
The total appointments IN the department
during the year number $3.50, and the total
number Of employees is now 1874.
during the last Usual year tuC HumNSA y.
money-order offices in operation was 2O76. On
the 3l,t of July, 1871, 376 additional money
order Offices were established, so that the whole
number of such Offices is at present 2l52 the
number Of domestic N oney-ordrrs Issued during
the year was 2, Isl .765, the aggregate value of
which was S42, l64. llS.09 the number OF
such orders paid was 2,l2l ,66f. amounting in
value to S6l, 705, 66703 to this sum is to be
added the amount of orders repaid to the pur-
chSsers, 1921 ,669.2S total Of payments, s42.-
OF, 330.5l.
The adoption Of the postal telegraph and
post-office savings bank systems is urged. The
Postmaster-Genersl renews his RECOMMENDATION
for.the repeal of the frsnking privilege, as
" utterly incompatible with an economical and
vigorous administration of postal sfisirs." He
also favors the postal-csrd clause in the new
postal code, and recommends the increase Of
the salaries Of the three Assistsnt Postmasters-
General and the Superinten1ents Of Foreign
Mails and the Money Order system to $4,000.