Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1874-11-20
Postal Affairs rs-Annual Report.

WASHINGTON, Nov. ii.
Hon. E. M. BARBER, Third Assistant
Postmaster General, has completed his
annual report. 1t shows that during the
last fiscal year there were issued to Post
masters, for sale to the public, 632, ,733, ,00C
adhesive postage stamps of the value OF
| 1920, PAP; of plain stamped envelopes
about $4,000, 900, valued at 81 ,927 ,952; OF
stamped envelopes bearing a return re.
quest $4,000, 900, valued at 81, ,733, ,739; of
newspaper-wrappers some 100000
valued at 100000, and of postalcards
0l ,OOO, ,000 The increase in value of the
ordinary issues over the preceding year
was 81 1868, 4SS, or over 8 per cent. These
figures represent the cost of manufacture
added to the postal value.
1t is estimated that for the fiscal year
ending June 80, 1876, there will be re-
quired to defray the cost of adhesive
postage stamps $149,764; of stamped en-
velopes and wrappers $446, $50; of post
al-cards $159,S06; and of advertising
| $115,000. The number of stamps, etc,
issued each year increases at uniform
rate of about 1Oper cent. per annum, but
in consequence of more advantageous
| contracts having been effected the esti-
| mate for the above items is some $31 900
less than the sum appropriated for them
for the current fiscal year.
The DeadL Letter Division received dur
ing the past year 4,601 ,773 letters, repre-
senting an actual or nominal value of
| 1857 429, exclusive of jewelry and other
property, which class of enclosures is
| treated as possessing no money value
| that can with correctness be determined
One million three hundred and ninety
two thousand two hundred and twenty
four letters, representing SO, 900, 1858, were
| delivered to the owners or writers, in
cluding 225,893 foreign letters, which
were returned unopened to the countries
from whence they came. OF the re-
mainder some 100000 were either
worthless, containing circulars, etc, or
could not be delivered and were de-
| stToyed. The rest are filed for reclama-
ton or are in the hands of Postmasters
for delivery
The Third Assistant strongly recon-
mends that provision be made by law
| for furnishing to each and every Post
master throughout the country indelible
ink and other requisites for efiectually
canceling postage stamps and for post
marking. None of the postoffices are
now furnished by the department with
any such articles for the protection of
the Government. Mr.. Barber estimates
used again in payment of postage is 5
per cent. of the value of all the stamps
sold each year, causing an annual loss of
81 100000 to the revenue of the depart
ment.
The report describes the plan devised
by the Third Assistant, and approved by
the Postmaster-Genera for collecting
newspaper postage under the Prepay
ment law, which is to go into effect next
January. This system provides in brief,
for the prepayment by stamps affixed to
a memorandum of mailing, or, in other
words, to stub in a book retained by
the Postmaster at the mailing office, a
receipt showing the weight of the matter
and the amount paid being given by the
Postmaster to the person mailing the
same. The stamps affixed to the stub to
be cancelled by cutting-punch. 1t is
expected that, Notwithstanding the re-
duction of rates by the new law,
this system of compulsory prepayment of
newspaper postage will yield larger
revenue than has ever been collected
Comprehensive inquiry seems to warrant
the belief that in the city of New York
alone not less than 100000 per annum
will be paid, sum which is little less
than one-half of the entire revenue from
newspaper postage throughout the United
States during the fiscal year 1t is, how
ever, impossible to estimate the actual
increase for the whole country, owing to
that provision of the law which allows
free mail circulation of newspapers in
counties in which they are printed.