Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1873-02-28
ssATES OF pOSz'.AGE.
Mia. they Were, Arc. and Are to Il

FROM the DpSlDu .AuNCllisSi.I
III, history OF the reduclioa of postage III
III. cu1try is c,mprehrusiveiy given 10 u re-
,',,t made week u two ago to the House oi
irrrrrsenativcs by Mr. Farnsworth, OF Iii.
/, l742. the first postage act was passed. Ii
;,ir,iuccd highly complicated system The
west postage was SIX cents to places within
.;yry miles ten ccuts to places within one
inn.iyc1 miles twelve aud a-hat cents to
,,m,, within one hundred and fifty. mlleS ;
:,.n cents to places within two huHdred miles;
..yrrtceu cents to places within two hundred
and 6.ty mics twenty ccuts TO places within
three hundred and tfty miles, and twenty-five
..r,, I, places more than tour hundred ahu
INV mile, distant. lu 1899 the rates We're
raupcI. The lowest rate Was raised to elEh'
rrurs and the lowest distance to forty miles
Instead 0. niue rates there were but SIX !;
;w,ut; cents carried letters five hundred ul!eS,
and twenty-five cents were atl!l charseu lof
.rsatc. distances. lu Is! . the MINIMUM rates
w,.r, apaiu reduced to SIX cents. and the dis
,aur, to thirty wicS ouiy hve rates were es,
,.I,,h,d eighteen and a-hai cents carried
,rttcrs iour hundred niles ; auu Tor longer
distances twenty live ccais was charged sun.
These rates. with siugle exception where
,hr r,starc was increased, continued until lot2,
4 wLvu tie first lu.tcrlal reduction TOOK place;
Five cents bccatuc the postage !or letters Carried
distance o. less than three huudrcd miles; ten
cents for all the greater distances. At the same
! tine the drop letter system was introduced
. ,!rh lett rs being charged two cents. frt-
] y,,;s to this time the rule had been that the
4 above rates we're ior '>lnglc, letters
INA, is. letters Oh one sheet OF paper large or
4 small. and without reference to weight. In 1919
The hat.ouncc weight was made the stahdaro'
j stead of the number Of sheets. La 1851 the
>nsc rate was made three cents TOR ali dis
,auccs under three thousand miles and six cents
!Jr .rcarr distances, If prepaid, this being the
liz, Indictment held out to prepay letters. On-
lmi !ellcrs We're charged five and ten cents,
at,r.ng u the distance. La 1888 prepayment
w4snou red, three cents being still the rate Tor
distances under three thousand miles aud ten
u trn, charged for greater distance. In 1868
"A the prc>rnt rate OF three cents. prepaid by
IA >'au.p tvr all distances wa5 establlSEed. Inc
"a history vf these Reductions show also that no
E& malern loss vi revenue has been their lmme-
~ salc result aud that no loss at all has been
M lrnaucut Since 1851, when substantially
Bss The present rate was fixed, the revenue OF the
E@ l">to!lce Has Increased from $5,3OO: 900 for
IA that year TO so UOU, 900 iu 1872; but We uccd
IA Aot 20 further into details.
ii lhepr0poScd reduction OF the single letter
Eair 10 two cents is an exceedingly important
step We can estimate very nearly what the
eject o. the prcseut reduction will be. During
Il he last year there were sold four hundred
AID four aud nall million three cent.
stamps, aud ninety-three million shree cent
r'Sropc> As double rates arc almost
.1a:> paid by additional stamps OF this
leu mnarion, and as foreign postage is
"a" frequently paid with two or more
'alrc cent STAMPS, We may take S5O:Oo0-
~ the value of five hundred uilion three
cu stamps, as the sum to be affected priuIarl'
Iy the new reduction Were the number
WI to he stationary, the consequence would
tra loss to the revenue Of ouc-third OF thl,
slm-n other words, loss OF $1,000, 600. A>
natter OF fact. however the natural Increase
10 The lumbcr of letters is about ten per cent.
sDAnlIy, and this would make the number OF
tx cent stamps, substituted for thrccs, for the
!rar cndibg June 80, six hundred millions,
ssfa value of twelve milion dollars, and re-
i.cNgt the loss to three million dollars. Tx
!ui"tc, mas uniformly shown that reductions
u postage cause au immediate increase 0t cor
''>lcndcncc, and it would not be at all sur
1,>'Is II the revenue FROM stamps aud stamp
'rhVrlorr> IN 1874 were nearly as large ;,s IN
~ Accompanying the letter postage reform
"a reduction of one half on the postage OF
,e,";,lap,rs regularly mailed bypu hll>hcrS. The
.'@ revenue IN this department last year was
wv 4n'te million dollars 1t is part OF the
N'"' system that does not exhibit as rapid
,'y"tn u! as others, and loss of from Il quarter
Inevitable.
y IHHW STORM IN LoNpoN.-Oue Of the
,h.,ns "'s"S amusing Of the weather events OF
sr,r. rn.>e"' season Was the CONSERVATION which
nro,n,. I'Cfll OF every moderate Dimensions
rvbh,.''11 ~ London. The utter helplessness
v<,,,;ts eu 'y the cOckncy metropolis under this
mr";ni ,ln Is no. not only laughable, but would be
m>I IIoe' ". did not the writer's of that city fur
and fI'r;, ;Ie description with Defoc-like palhoS
a,sr ",'l'y' ,I The cable dispatch on the day
iaan ;"' H'rin said: The snow is six inches
vba,,. +" 'Ne streets OF London. Business is
eraS~5 Su>leudet; the omnibusses aud cabs
Jcrr;,,'Hn 'Hnh'ng, and scarcely a vehicle of any
i,v '";''I,n has been seen in the streets all
srs ,< 49,, u must have struck many Of our read
<;y ;n,t ,,ba' Aatle that during whole day after
uor,;n, NY" snow storm, which had ended by
yerv mS, ou>ineS> was wholly suspended in the
Lri'" u,e'foF"IlS Of commerce. But the files of
ssoni>I paper, draw the picture in still more
v,in, H.,a"s ut coiors. The Saturday Review, de.
4y> ,ba. m'fr Than two columns to the event,
at.r .a' "a, iondon was "a pitiable spectacle of
a>> 1"T "a miserable degradation and helpless
esrl,n.n ane effect is compared to that of an
u. Ipu"Ae' ,nu' At the outset "aIl locomotion
res,,r r""> vS Instantly arrested Next day the
aprlrF part OF London was still impassable.
,e' 's",. ,n1. quick thow came to the rescue. II
Ia 'U" Wv, had not melted of its own accord there
d + FanE 'nT when II would have been remov-
lupcj ~, ,""'s: the price of coal. already high.
trea>cI .n'. ~ s'r' higher, partly from the ''iu-
thick wnb S' 5p ol ae9;:lvery when the ground was
ly>,s, % snow produced such terror 70 70 nc- 10
ca5> AS ,S ra', ana such hopeless struggle" to
think ~ ~ would be extremely mclauthoIv n
" We're II not so lulcrnns