Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-12-17
Postal Statistics.

Postal Statistics.
THE following interesting statistics arc
compiled from the annual report of p. Nj
Gen. Jewell:
DEAD LETTERS.
Number of domestic letters received at the
Dead-Letter Office during the year, 43fS,41S; nun.
Der of foreign letters received 2S3,3n0; total a.,
6ol ,1'3-representing an actual or nominal value
of S4,b31, 429.0S. Number of letters delivered,
l,s9a2si, representing S3909, 1856 tinclud-
ing 2sS,S93 foreign letters returned I'M
opened To the countries whence they
representing $40, 1882; number at the
close of the year either remaining not acted
upon or outstanding in the hands of Post
masters for delivery 56l. 100, representing S4S7.
81; number which, containing circulars or fail
ing In delivery and being worthless. were de-
stroyed, 2,622.6le. The number of applications
for dead letters was $40. In 2iio of these cases
the letters were found and properly delivered,
The amount received during the year and de-
posted in the Treasury from unclaimed dead let
tiers and from proceeds of sale Of waste paper was
Sl3,54s.6S
REGISTERED LETTERS.
The issues of registered packages TO Postmas-
tiers upon their requisiton during the past year
were 30 per cent greater than during the previous
year. The increase Is attributable In part to the
reduction of the fee for registering domestic let.
tiers from fifteen cents TO eight cents which took
effect on the Let of January last, and in part to
the increased care which the department has
given to the subject.
TuRnUGH MAILS
The through mail tables show that for the year
ending Sept. 80, 1874, the average time to San
Francisco from New York was La hours 30 min
utes, against l7g hours 4 minutes the previous
year-a gain Of hours 80 minutes: and to New
York from San Francisco, III hours / minute,
against l15 hours y minutes the previous year-a
gain of hours "a minutes. The number of mails
carried through westwardly between the same
points IN schedule time this year was 597, and be.
hind time "a, against 4S7 in time and los behind
time last year: and eastwardiy 3gI in time and 81
behind time this year, against 235 In time and 1870
behind time last year. Between Washington and
New Orleans the average time gong south this year
wac seventy-eight hours forty eight minutes,
against eighty.one hours forty.hye minutes last
year--a gain Of two hours ity-seven minutes (;
and going north the average was seyenty-one
hours three minutes this year, against seventy
two hours fity.three minutes last year-a gain of
one hour and nfty minutes. And on most of the
other through mail routes there ~ perceptible
improvement both in speed and regularity com
pared with the tables for the preceding year.
MAIL DEPBEDkTIoSs.
The number Of recorded complaints for the
past year Of missing letters of value was 52B3, of
which 2UiO were registered and 3,iy3 unregis-
tered. The registered letters contained, as re
ported, In bonds, drafts and currency SiO5 80,
and the unregistered $3.50, 20 OF the regis
tered letters, glS were satisfactorily accounted
for, J0I are reported az actually lost and B1S
cases are In the hands OF special agents Tor IN
vestgaiion. During the year 2S5 persons were
arrested for violations of the postal laws and
regulations. or these nInety-Dine have been
I'll,
capped before trial, two forfeited bail; prosecu-
ton was abandoned In thirty-eight cases, and
i2G are awaiting trial.
RAILWAY PosToFFfCEs.
The number of postotec lines in operation on
June ~. 1874, was sixty-threc, extending over
i6,ai4 miles of railroad and steamboat routes, an
increase of four lines and 5is miles over the
preceding year The number Of clerks employed
was $50, AT an annual cost of Slh5S,a00, an IN
crease Of niuety.eight clerks and sti7,10.
FOREIGN MAIL STATISTICS.
The total number of letters exchanged during
the year with foreign countries was S,57g,oi5, an
increase of l,llBhG0 over the number reported
for 1873. or this number II 1893 were sent
from, and l3,693056 were received In, the United
States, The number Of letters (single rates. ex.
changed in the United States and European
mails was Jg,iB7,0i2, increase Of 3S ,tss over
the number reported for 1873. The total post.
age on the letters exchanged with foreign
countries amounted to- S2,0iI st3 VI, an increase
OF SBi'2.A0 over the amount reported for 1873.
| The aggregate amount OF postage (sca, inland
aud lureigni on the letter mAlls exchanged
with the United Kingdom OF Great Britain
and Ireland, Germany, France, Belgium, the
Netherlands, switzerland, Italy, Denmark,
Sweden and Norway was Si,45s, hOO.65, an In
crease Of S32, 2g3. 10 over the amount reported
the postage on letters received from the same
countries In the sum OF Si2Sos.i5, being 800 per
cent % the aggregate amount. The aggregate
weight of mails sent TO Europe was giG, gli
pounds and Of mail received from Europe sSS,.
3a2 The weight Of letter correspondence sent to
Europe 2l6,5g1 pounds and Of letter cor
rcspondence received from Europe 1851
pot. The total cost of the United States
ocean mail steamship service for the year 1874
uncluding sb62,O paid from special appropria'
ti0n for steamship service 10 Japan aud China,
to Brazil and to the Hawaiian islands, was S9gi,-
ssI32
PosTOFFicEs AsD APPOINTMENTS.
Number Of postofices established during
sss