The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1872-12-07
Extracts from the Report of Postmaster.
General CresWell.
COMPARISON OF REVENUES AND EXpENDI
TURES

business, were sci, 915, 426 81. and the ex
pendituaes of all kinds $26, 65S 1872. 81
For the year ended June 80. 1871, the or
binary revenues were $20,037, 045. 40 ant
the expenditures, 1874, 800, 104.Os. The in
crease of revenue for the year 1872 over thu
year 1871 was $1,s7s, 1895, or 9.37 pei
cent: and the increase of expenditures So,
26S, 0SS.23, or 9.29 per cent. showing net
increase of expenditures of $3.50, YES
The increase in revenue for the year 1875
over 1870 was $3,036. 04s.72; or 160s pei
cent. and the increase of expenditures fol
1872 over 1870 was So, 300, 354 GS, or ID II
per cent. The increase in revenue fol
1872, compared with 1871, was greater thar
the increase for 1871, compared with 1870
by S120, 7131S; and the increase of expen,
dltures for 1872, compared with 1871, was
greater than the increase for 1871, com.
pared with 1870, by $122,S21.7S.
If, i'll addition to the ordinary revenues,
the Department be credited with $500, 000
appropriated for the transportation of free
matter, and the amounts drawn and ex.
pended for subsidies to steamship lines, ii
will appear that the deficiency provided out
of the General Treasury for the year 1872
is 1887, 1854, against So, 92s, O53. &C fol
the year 1871.
CONTRACrS-RA1LROAD NAIL SERVICE.
There were in the service of the Depart
ment on the sth of June, 1872, 5,544 con-
tractors for the transportation of the mails
on public routes.
There were at the close of the year 9, 1875
especial Offices, each with mail-earrier,
whose pay from the Department is not
allowed to exceed the net postal yield of
the Office.
OF public mail routes in operation there
were 1883, aggregating in length PSI, 1893
miles, in annual transportation ia, 9S4, 1929
miles, and in annual cost, $12. 572, 264.-
Adding the compensation of railway post,
office, clerks, route agents, mail-route mes
sengers, local agents, mail messengers, and
baggage-masters in charge of registered
packages, amounting to $2.206, 944, the
aggregate annual cost was IA. 779, 209.
The railroad routes have been increased
in length SOFT miles, and in cost, $777,-
792. The expense for new railroad service
may be set down at $422, 937, being an
average cost of $50. sc per mile per annum.
The length of railroad routes was first re-
ported to be S74 miles at the close of the
year ended June 30, 1887. The length in
1872 was 1911 miles, an increase of Sc
s37 miles in 80 years, being an average of
over $685. miles per annum. The largest
increase in length for any one year was for
1872, being SOFT. The first report of the
annual cost of railroad routes, uncombined
with steamboat routes, was 1851, 752 on
the 4th of November. 1915. The cost in
of $5,971, 019 in 81 years, and an average
increase of over $aa1, 14s per annum. The
largest increase in cost for any one year
was for 1872, being SIT, 1872.
FINES AND REDUCT1oNs-MAIL DEpREDA-
TIONs.
The amount of fines imposed upon con.
tractors and deductions made from their
pay for failures and other delinquencies
for the last year was $92, 3S1.47, and the
amount remitted during the same period
was $23 349.21, leaving the net amount of
fines and deductions 500, 032 &c, as appears
from the following recapitulation:
Amount of deductions s9,41346
Amount RENTED %, 1881
Net amount 9,o322e
The number of complaints of missing
letters during the year, was 4,s9S, of which
2,305 were registered and 1888 unregister-
ed containing bonds, drafts, and currency
tothe nominal amount of 1886, 1884. OF
registered letters, 500 were accounted for.
and only 172 have been reported as actual
ly lost. The remaining cases are in the
hands of special agents for investigation.
For violation of the postal laws. 1876 per
sons have been arrested of whom SO have
been convicted and sentenced to different
degrees of punishment. and of the remain
der some have been discharged and others
are awaiting trial.
FOREIGN MAILS.
The total number of letters exchanged
during the year with foreign countries was
"a, 362, 500, an increase of 4.066, 500 over
the number reported for 1871. Of this
number, IL, TIA, 064 were sent from and H.
5s9, 436 were received in the United States.
The number of letters (single-rate) ex-
changed in the United States and European
mails war II, 692, 500, an increase of 8, $685.,
439 over the number reported for 1871.
STEAMSHIP SERVICE.
The cost of the United States transatlan-
tic mail steamship service for the year 1872
was $3.50, 3O1 20, being an increase of $46,-
1853. 81 over the cost of the same service for
the year 1871. The payments made to the
respective steamship lines conveying mails
to Europe, receiving the sea-posta ges as
full compensation for the service, amount
ed to SEQ, 301. 20. The United States post
age on mails conveyed to and from the
West Indies, Mexico, Panama, South Pa
cific, Belize (Honduras,) Nova Scotia, New
foundland, and Bermuda amounted to
S137,415.31, and the cost of the conveyance
thereof was $S1, 1927. The United States
hostages on mails exchanged with Brazil,
Japan, and China, the Sandwich Islands,
New Zealand, and Australia, by means of
the subsidized lines of direct mail steamers,
amounted to $3S, 94522.
The total cost of the United States ocean
mail steamship service for the year 1872
Cincluding $725.000 paid from special ap-
preparations for steamship service to Japan
and China, to Brazil, and to the Hawaiian
Islands, was 81, 027, 020,97.
The contract for the conveyance of an
additional monthly on the mail steamship
route between San Francisco and Japan
and China, autiio, lied by the act of Con-
gress approved June l, 1872, has been
awarded to the Pacific Mail Steamship Com
pany of New York, the contractor for the
existing monthly service, the bid of that
Company for the performance of the re-
auired service, at compensation of $780,,
600 per annum. being the only one received
under the advertisement issued by this de-
partment. A new contract has been exc
cuted with the Pacific Mail Steamship Com
pany, contractor for the mail steamship
service to Japan and China.
OF the unavailable letters, 312, SAG were
detained for postage, not being prepaid, as
required by law. They were either wholly
unpaid, were not prepaid one full rate, or
were stamped with illegal or revenue
stamps; 90, 337 were instructed, the post
office, State, or some necessary part of the
address being omitted, and 4,841 had no
address whatever.
POSTAL MoNEY-oRDER SYSTEM.
The number of money-order post-offices
in operation during the last year was Z, 452.
On the 18th of July, 1872, 1924 additional
Offices were established and one was dis
continued so that the whole number is
now ATS.
The number of domestic mon
ey-orders issued during the
year was 2,573,349, of
which the aggregate value