The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1874-03-13

practical graduation for the country pres.
to 60 through the postofice window
would be not even one cent a year
Clearly an exact graded system is I'M
practicable.
FAvoRITIsM IN FREE DELIVERY.
4th. AS 10 the free delivery in the
cities. The Post and Tribune both
contend that we take wrong view OF
it, because they say the cities pay more
than their own expenses. But so does
Lansing return to the Department near
ly $4,000 per annum after paying all
expenses yet she is denied carriers for
free delivery. An arbitrary rate OF
population (20,000) is fixed, and no
matter how small the postal business of
a city having that number or how large
the postal business of one having less
number, carriers are only provided in
the former.
The Post says that the expenses of
free carriers are 81 100000 year in
stead of Sl,700,000. as we stated. Our
figures were taken from the 18th volume
L. 5. Statutes at large, page 557. We
naturally supposed that all the appro-
priation was expended, for such is the
case generally. But after looking in
vain in the Detroit dailies for the last
annual report of the Postmaster Gen.
eral, we found it in the Republic Maya.
zine for December, 1873; and the
amount stated there as paid to carriers,
including incidental expenses, is 81, 422 ).
4S5, for the fiscal year ending June 30,
1873. While the Post was correcting
our error, it might have stated the ex.
act figures, and given US the benefit of
the SD ,495 difference. The average
cost per piece for handling is stated at
$40 mills. This shows that where a
three-cent stamp is put on letter to be
delivered in one of these favored cities,
it takes almost mills, or II per cent.
of the sum the Government gets, to
place it in the hands of the party to
whom it is addressed.
COST GREATER THAN RECEIPTS.
The amount of postage reported on
local matter in cities having free deliv-
cry is 81, 1929. The difference be-
tween the cost and the receipts is $780,
224. Therefore the people of the
whole country are taxed at least this
amount, according to the Postmaster
Generals report, to place mail matter
free in the hands of city people He
says that the expense of the system at
each Office is paid out of the revenue of
that office; but there must be a good
many offices which do not pay, for other.
wise where would the S310,244 be re.
CURED? Besides, there is no evidence
that the salaries Of clerks who handle
this local matter, stamp the dates and
deface the postage stamps on it, are paid
out of the tree-deliyery system. If they
are, it is still burden of S31O,244 on
the people of the whole country; and if
they are not SO paid, then the burden is
a good many thousand dollars heavier.
TIE " DROP" LETTER BUSINESS.
1t is wrong to count all the income
from local or drop" letters as earned
by free delivery. That system has
doubtless increased the drop" cores.
pondence but there were " drop" let
tiers by the million prior to any free de.
livery and the city of Lansing last year
paid nearly $500 drop" postage, with
no free delivery, but the tramp-tramp of
everybody going to the postofhce. From
the 81, l12, Psi, al credited to free de-
livery. should be deducted that proper.
ton which would come from 4" drop"
matter if there were no free delivery;
and it could not fall short Of 20 per
cent. This increases the actual public
burden of free delivery 500, 40 more,
or a grand total of about S532, 900, be.
sides the extra expense of handling,
stamping dates, aud cancellation of
stamps, which duty we understand the
carriers never perform.
Loss FROM POSTAL CARDS IN CITIES.
The drop" letters which are deliv-
cred by carriers all pay two cents by
stamps instead OF che cent, the rate
charged on drop" letters in places hav.
ing no free delivery. While this swelled
the receipts during the last year, and
justiies ia some sense the claim that
the cities pay for their ewn free delivery
by double postage, yet the postal-card
system-which has been in operation
since July 1st and which now engrosses
a large part of the local mail service
is heavy burden to the whole country.
For if there are 25,000,000 postal cards
distributed through the cities having
free delivery, the net receipts of the
Government would be only $215, $500.
But if the same number OF "drop" let.
tiers paying two cents each were delir-
cred, the Government would receive
less the trifitg cost of the
two.cent stamps. In one case the Gov
ernment furnishes the postal cards at a
cost to the Treasury of about sl.39 per
1000. In the other case the letter
writer provides his own paper and en-
velopes. Here is a drain during the
last eight months of more than kali the
revenue coming from local mail service
in the large cities, with the likelihood