The New York herald., 1874-12-31
w WASHINGTON. A
FROM OUR REGULAR CORRESPONDENT
WASHINGTON, Dec. 80. 1874.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 80, 1874.
THE PACIFIC MAIL DEVELOPMENTS.
The Pacific Mail investigation attracts more and
more interest here. and private dispatches are
received giving the salient points OF the days
work. People who pretend to know wondered
to-day why the committee limited their inquiries
made OF Mr. Roach so strictly to the year 1872,
and why they did not require him to produce the
conditional contract to bu,d two new steamers
of 1000 tons each, referred to In the testimony OF
Hatch and Sage the condition being either ex-
pressed or implied that the subsidy should be
saved" II is said that the company claim that
TINS contract expired November 2, while Roach
claims that 1t Is absolute.
THE FALSE SYNOPSIS OF THE PRESIDENTS MES
SAGE GIVEN BIZ THE ASSOCIATED PREss-A
MYSTERY.
Reuters New York agent having justified him.
self for his false report Of the paragraph in the
Message relating to Cuban affairs, by showing that
he took 1t from the synopsis OF the Message sent
out by the Associated Press, q good deal OF curl
osIty is felt here TO know how the head OF the
Associated Press was deceived. No one suspects
him Of doing wrong. Everybody Is sorry that he
was the victim OF what proved to be grand
fraud. He will not give up his authority to in
quirers here preierrng, 1t Is supposed, to answer
only to his employers, the members or the Asso-
ciated Press IN New York. To those who question
him here he replies that ne has friends; that the
President speaks freely with his own intimate
friends, and tnat it was, on the whole, very
successful synopsis OF the Message He ADDS
solemn assurance that the Presi lent did not
superinduce the synopsis and did not ask to have
It made; but when asked By person VINO was
strongly deslrous to have the President and his
associates entirely cleared OF suspicion to say
that he did not get his Information from the
White House, the agent plumply refused to make
such statement. 1t Is unfortunate that he can
not or will not give q satisfactory assurance on
this point. That the President should confde to
the agent OF the Associated Press The contents OF
forthcoming Message is not an unusual proceed
ing. Such thing has been done with two pre-
viOus annual Messages, and each time the synop-
SIS was correct. 1t Is the more remarkable that
this time the ASS sociated Press agent should have
been deceived and should nave been used to de-
Ceve the public.
IMPROVEMENT IN THE MAIL SERVICE FOR NEW
YORK CITY-ADDTTIoNAL TIMES OF DELIVERY
AND COLLECTION OF LETTERS.
Postmaster James, OF New York, was here to-
day, by order OF the Postmaster General, to ar
range for the more frequent collection or letters
from the m4l boxes in New York. and 1t has been
determined that there shall also be two more daily
letter delverles-at seven IN the morning and
in the evening. Besides these there will be,
as soon as arrangements can be mace, a Sunday
morning delivery above Canal street, which will
be great convenience to the residents and to
visitors at the hotels. The letters will be delivered
about nine O'Clock Sunday morning. There Will also
be an additional Sunday collection In the afternoon
at three O'Clock When these improvements are
made, which Will be soon as the additional
force can be put on, New York will enj ~ more
perfect and thorough letter delivery system than
even London The Sunday afternoon collection OF
letters will enable all letters then gathered to 20
py the Sunday evening mails.
THE NEWSPAPER POSTAGE REGULATION.
Stamps for prepaying printed matter in bulk will
be sold to publishers and news agents. to be ap-
piled oy them to the bags containing their mail
matter. under the new law.
GENERAi WASHINGTON DISPATCHES