National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-11-30
STORY OF THE MAIL BAGS.
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE POSTHAS-
TER GENERAL.

REVENUE and EXPENDITURES OF THE
DEPARTMENT FOR THE PAST YEAR
POSTAGE ON EEwsPAPERs-FEEs OF THE
MCNEYoRDER SYSTEM TOO SNALL-MAIL
INSTRUMENTATION RECoAIMENDA-
TONS.
The rel brit OF the Postmaster General is COM
pleted. The revenues fOT the year ending June
80, 1874 tere S24, 5sS,56s, and the expenditures
S., l2644. The estimated expenditures for the
year ending June 30, 1876, $36, 96I, O3i; total
estimgth revenue, $29, 14S,1 5S, leaving q de-
ficieneyto be appropriated out of the General
Treasury Of &7,s15,s7s. These estimates do not
neutrality-suspicious. for steamship service and
stampS amounting to S2,09s, $780, The use oil the
registered letter system is steadily increasing.
Thershas beee a marked gain in the time Of
transferring through mails, an average gain
from New York to San Francisco of five hours
and thirty-tWo minutes, gain for mails to New
Orleans Of two hours and fity-seven minutes,
and going North, of one hour and fifty min
utel and a pereeptible gain on all through
rOhtes in regularity and certainty. The foreign
mail system is in better condition than ever be-
fore. The number OF post offices In operation
June 80, 1874, was 81, 29i; total number Of ap.
POintments during the year, 9,I24. The results
of the extensions Of the letter-carrier system
are of the most gratifying character: There
has been a gain of over thirty per cent. in the
amount Of fees received from money orders.
There has been only one erroneous payment in
09,otG payments, anu Ouly - IN all 1nc III
crease in money exchanges with Great Britain
and Switzerland has been very marked.
NEWSPAPER POSTAGE.
By an act of Congress approved June %, 1874,
it is required that on and after the LIST of January
1875, postage on newspapers and periodical pub
locations mailed from a known office of publica-
tiOn or news agency, and addressed TO regular
subscribers or news agents, shall be charged AZ
the rate Of two cents per pound, If issued weekly
or oftener and st three cents per pound, II issued
less frequently than once week. The act pro-
Yides that IL e matter shall be Weishe in bulk
and prepaid with adhesive stamps to be specially
devised for the purpose. The manner Of apply
ing stamps is left discretionary with the Depart
ment, and system, which It is hoped Will work
satisfactorily, has been devised for carrying the
law into effect. The stamps are now in course Of
preparation, and will be ready at the time ap-
pointed for their use. 1t is expected that the
revenues Of the Department from postage on
printed matter will be prepaid, while heretofore
much loss has been occaSioned 10 the department
on account OF the nOn-cOlleetOl Of postage at the
point Of delivery.
THE MONEY ORDER SYSTEM.
The money order business OF this Department
appears to be rapidly growing in public favor,
and is undoubtedly a very great accommodation
reach Of banking facilities or who are Unaccus-
toned to the use Of them. Yet see no reason
selfsustaining. The apparent profits of the mon
ey order system during the last year are about
slO5,000, while certain expenses to the amount Of
Sl82 900 for clerk hire and stationery in the Post
Office Department, Auditors Office and money
order clerks in the Post Office are not chorged in
the money order business, but are paid out Of ap-
proTiriations; or that while the money order sys-
tenn appears to yield revenue of S10j, 900, there
is, in fact, deficit of $4,000. suggest, there
in accordance with the views Of the superinten-
dent submitted herewith (see appendix) or that
the money order system shall, like any other bus
mess be made to defr0y all its own expenses.
TRANSPORTATION OF NAILS.
The number and length of mail routes in the
United States require an expenditure for trans
pOrtatiOn which dWarfs into insignihcance the
cost of similar service in other countries For the
year ending June go 1876 it is estimated that this
item alone will exceed SO OO 900. The portion to
be paid to railroads will amount to more than
Is, COO, 600. Opinions have differed widely as to
the best method of determining the rightlul rates
Of compensation to be paid to railroads for SER
vices rendered to this Department. Heretofore
their pay has been based on the weight Of mails,
with an additional allowance on certain thorough
fares for providing postal cars. At present the
matter is in a very unsatisfactory condition, and
some equitable mode of adjustment should at
once be devised, and sanctioned by law. Some of
the roads have represented to the Department
that the carrying Of the mails was little or no OBJ
ject to them, because the express companies were
willing TO pay much more for the accommodation
furnished than the Department would allow. On
the other hand, representatives Of the leading ex-
press companies have commended that the act,
which took effect July l, 1874, permitting the
transmission by mail OF packages Of mer-
at the rate Of one cent for each two
part Of their business. and viii soon render them
unable to meet the heavy rentals demanded by
the roads. Thus is presented a curious anomaly,
the roads claiming that the Government does not
pay as much as the express companies are ready
10 pay, and the express companies claiming on
the other hand that the law is etfecting such
diminution Of their revenues that they are IN
able to accede to the demands Of the roads. iind
no disposition on the part Of any railroad or trans
portatlon company TO deal otherwise with the
Department than in spirit Of fairness and jus
tice. trust Congress will adopt some equitable
plan Of adjustment, which will not be bUrdens0Ae
TO the Government and which will be satisfactory
to the companies. The act of March 3, 1873, read
lustlng the pay Of railroads, on the basis Of the
weight Of the mails carried, addel much more
largely than was anticipated to the expenses Of
the Department. The appropriation for that pUr-
pose having become exhausted, l have declined
to make further payments. would suggest that
the time has come when a reSOlute effort should
be made to determine how far the Post Office De-
partment can properly 90 in its efforts TO accom-
mOdate the public without trespassing unWar-
rantably upon the sphere Of private enterprise,
There must be limit TO Governmental iuterfer-
ence, and happily it better suits the genius Of
the American people to help themselves than to
depend on the State.
THE FUNCTIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT
To communicate intelligence and disseminate
information are primary functions of this Depart
ment. Any divergence from the legitimate
sphere Gifts operation tends to disturb the first
rule, that, in tie ordinary business of life, the
recipient CT benefit is the proper party to pay
for IT, since there is no escape from the universal
law that every service must, in some way, be
paid for by some one. Moreover in a country of
vast extent like this, where most of the opera
lions OF the Department are carried on remote
from the controlling centre the disposition to en-
gage in lateral enterprises, more or less foreign
to the theory Of the system, will lead to embar
easements whence eXtradition would be difficult.
For years the ranking privilege was an incubus
on the Department and an obstacle to efficient
postal reform. Its abolition, for which we are
largely iedebted to the resolution and wisdom Of
my predecessor, opens the way for other meas
uTes which have yet to be inaugurated and
pressed to a successful issue before the Depart
ment can become selfsustaining. While do
not fatter myself that shall be able TO accom-
plish this desirable end during the short period
Of my service propose to Keep it steadily in
view and to direct my best efforts toward its at
tainment.
For the first time in the course of a life devoted
actively to business ind myself in charge Of an
establishment, the expenditures Of which largely
exceed its receipts state Of affairs WEish
strikes with great force q mind more or less dis
ciplined by that close inspection Of accounts en-
forced in mercantile pursuits. In ordinary bust
ness affairs there is but one end TO this condition
Of things-bankruptcy The deficiency Of this
Department has varied Of late years from fifteen
to twenty per cent, while from the best data at
my command have been compelled to submit
estimates for the year ending June so, 1876,
which Will show an expected excess Of ey Dendi-
lures over receipts Of nearly $1,000 900, or about
twenty-1Y per cent. of the entire revenue Of the
be willing to go in this direction remains 70 be
seen. The difficulties in the way Of adopting and
enforcing policy Of economy which, while prop
erly guarding the revenues Of the Department,
shall also afford to the new and growing patrons
OF our country the mail facilities to which the
teTprtSe Of the people entitle them, are few or
small, but in some way they can and must be
surmOunted. deem pit suitable to say here that
propose to guard with strict vigilance the ex-
penditures Of this Department, sanctioning no
outlay which can be avoided without detriment
to the service, and so to conduct its affairs gem
orally that the interests Of the public shalt be
paramount to those Of any individual, corporation
or party.
Very respectfully, your Obedient servant,
MARSHALL JEWELL,
Postmaster General.