The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1874-12-03
Report Of Postmaster General Jewell.

Completed. lie revenues for the year ending
June 80, 1874, mere $24, ,56s, and the ex-
pehdltures s32, 1ass IA. The estimated expen-
dlt''res Tor the year ending June 30, 1876, are
s36, ,034 total estimated revenue $780, AIS,
l56. leaving deficiency to be appropriated
out OF the General Treasury of 8l5,s7S.-
These estimate do not include appropriations
for steamship service and stamps. amounting
to- ,o9o,ooo. The use Of the registered let
ter system is steadily increasing. There has
been marked gain in the time Of transporting
through mails, any average gain from New
York to San Francisco of five hears and thirty
two minutes, gain for mails to New Orleans
OF two hours and tifty-seven minutes, and, go
ing north, of one hour and fifty mintes, and a
perceptible gain OH all through routes in regu-
larty and certainty. The foreign mail system
is in better condition than ever before. The
number OF postofficcs in operation June 80,
1874. was 24,294 total number of appoint
nents during the. year, s. 24. The results of
the extension OF the letter carrier system are
of the most gratifying character. There has
been gain of over 80 pei cent in the amount
OF fees received from money orders. There
has been only one erroneous payment in 3d.
GIT payments, and only "a in5all The increase
in money exchanges with Great Britain and
Switzerland has been very, marked. =
NEWSPAPER POSTAGE. d
By an act of Congress approved june %,
1874 it is required that oa and after the LIST of
January, 1873, postage on newspapers and PEI
riodical publications mailed from a known Of
flee of publication or news agency, and adj
dressed to regular subscribers or news agents,
shall be charged at the rate of two cents per
pound, if issued weekly Or oftener and ar
three cents Per pound, if issued less frequently
than once week. The act provides that mat
ter shall be weighed in bulk and prepaid with
adhesive stamps to be specially devised for the
purpose. The manner Of applying stamps is
left discretionary with the Department, and a
system, it is hoped satisfactorily, has been de-
yised for carrying the law into effect. The
stamps are now i'll course of preparation and
will be ready at the time appointed for their
use. 1t is expected that the revenues of the
Department from postage on printed matter
will be increased by the. enforcement of this
act, notwithstanding that rates are cheaper
| than before. as now postage will be prepaid,
while heretofore much loss has been OCCASION
ed to the Department on account of the non
collection OF postage at the point Of delivery.
THE MONEY ORDER SYSTEM.
The money order business Of this Depart
ment appears to be rapidly growing i'll public
AttfOis dHu 10 utItOuUtcuif ttCCOuItuOut-
tien to a large number Of persons who ara not
! within reach OF banking facilities or who are
unaccustomed to the use of them. Yet see
no reason why this branch OF service should
not be made self-sustanihg. The apparent
profit OF the money order system during the
last year arc about 100000, while certain ex-
penses to the amount of $l92,O00 for clerk
hire and stationery in the Postofftce Depart
mcnt, Auditors Office, and for money order
clerks in the Postoffice, are net xhM ged to the
money order business, but are paid out Of APP
preparations or that. while the money order
system appears to yield a revenue OF 100000,
there is, in fact, deficit of $780, 900. suggest,
therefore, that the fees Of money orders be in
creased in accordance with the views of the
Superintendent submitted herewith (sec appen-
dix or that the money order system SHALL like
any other business, be made to defray all its
! own expenses.
TRANSPORTATION Or NAILS.
lFhe number and length of mail routes in
the Emitted States require an expenditure for
transportation which dWarfs into insgnifcance
the cost of similar service in other COUNTRIES
For the year ending June 80, 1876, it is esti-
mated that this item alone will exceed $l0,000,-
900. The portion to be paid to railroads will
amount to more than $50 0.0oo. Opinions
have differed widely as to the be st method of
determining the .fightfni rates of compensation
to be paia to railroads for services 1en( cred to
this Department. Heretofore their pay has
been based on the weight of mails, with an adj
ditional allowance on certain tiloroughfarcs for
providing postal ears. AT present the matter
is in very unsatisfactory condition, and some
suitable mode of adjustment should be at once
devised and sanctioned by lazy. Some Of the
roads have represented to the Department that
the e&rfy tlg spf the mails Was little Or no object
to them, because the express companies were
willing to pay much more for the accommoda-
al.
low. On the other hand, representatives of
the leading express companies have contendeI
that the act, which took effect July l, 1874,
permitting the Transmission by mail of packa-
yes of merchandise weighing not over four
pounds at the rate OF one cent for each two
ounces, is taking away the most profitable part
OF their bushes, and will soon render them UNI
able to meet the heavy rentals dem inded by
the roads. Thus is presented a cuiuls anon
ly. the roads claiming that the Government
does not pay us much rs the express companies
are ready to pay, and the express companies
claiming Oh the other hand, that the law is eff
fecting such a diminutlon OF their revenues
that they are unable to accede to the demands
of the roads. find no disposition on the part
of any railroad or transportation company to
deal otherwise with the Department than in
spirit Of fairness and justice. trust Congress
will adopt some equitable plan, OF adjustment,
which will not be burdensome to the Govern
ment, and which will be satisfactory to the
companies, The act OF Marcn 5, 1878, read
islsting the pay OF railroads on the basis of the
weight of the mails carried, added much more
largely than was anticipated to the expenses of
the Department. The appropriation for that
purpose having become exhausted, have de-
clined to make further payments. l would
suggest that tire time has come when a resolute
effort should be made TO determine how far the
Postoffice Department can properly go in its
efforts to accommodate the public without tres
passing ullwarrantaby upon the sphere of PR
yate enterprise. There must be Il limit to gov
ernmental interference, and happily it better
suits the genius of the American people to
help themselves than to depend on the State.
THE FUNCTIONS OF TIE DEPARTMENT.
TO communicate Intelligence and disseminate
information are. primary functions Of this De-
partment. Any divergence from the legitimate
sphere of its operation tends to disturb the first
rule that, in the ordinary business OF life, the
recipient of benefit IS the proper party to pay
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 country
of vast extent like this, where most of the OPP
erations of the Department are carried OH re-
metc from the controlling centre, the DISPOSE
ton to engage in lateral enterprises. more or
less foreign to the theory OF the system. will
| lead to emharrassments whence extradition
would be difficult. For years the ranking
privilege was an incubus in the Department
and an obstacle to efficient postal reform. Its