Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1875-11-12
The Pos, once Dcnar,mcn,.

Mr.. Il. w. Barber, Third Assistant Post
master General, has completed his annual
report. 1t contains many facts Of interest.
The number of official letters received in
that bureau in the last fiscal year was 0s5,-
600. These were opened, classified, index
ed and distributed by four clerks. The
figures show that Tie postal cards are very
popular. During the year there were issued
107, $4,000, of thu value Of Sl,076, 100. In
the month Of October last there were issued
Of the new cards 20, l3s,OOO, which is one
tillh Of the entire amount sold during the
fiscal year. The estimate of the number
necessary fnrtho next fiscal year is l5I, 067,-
600.
Tho public or ordinary postal stamps is.
sued to Pustmayiers during the fiscal wear
was GS2, 342, 40, ol value of 40.
The value of postage and periodical stamps
were SSl50 The numberof official stamps
issued to tho Executive Department was
$ls, 1895, 900, of value Of sS34,97O. The TO-
tai number of stamps of all kinds issued
was 973,2 75,025, Of n value of SOS, Az 1l.
| The increase in the number of ordinary
stamps is about 10 per cent. The increase,
per cent. Tho postage stamps SEM through
the mails By registered pouches TO Post
masters numbered 350, 1852. OF this entire
amount there were lost but ten packages
of an aggregate value of $3.50.
The statistics of the dead letter service
| are of quite romantic interest. The mum
Der Of dead letters handled during the
year was about four and half millions.
OF these 1879 contained money, aegtegat-
ing s61,OO0 4,225 letters contained drafts,
notes, bills Of exchange, ola value of g.
997,S7; 1S5,027 letters contained samples
of merchandise, postage stamps and mis-
cellaueous articles; 3,74O0 600 contained
nothing Of value.
There were mailed to foreign couu tries
from the United States 1900, coo letters /;
of these log, 900 were returned undelvered.
| The number Of letters received from for
eiRn countries was II 100000 OF which 2l0,-
100 were returned undehSered. These fig
ures show the advantage which this couu-
try will derive from the new postal treaty
Of Bernc. That treaty provides that each
country shall retain the postage on all let
tiers mailed in its own territory, and that
no accounts shall be kept between the
countries. The excess of letters mailed
from this country over the number receiv-
ed from foreign countries is nearly one mil
lion. The net gain to the United States
from the treaty, therefore, presuming all
letters to he only single weight, is five cents
each on million letters, or $4,000.
The result Of the operations Of the new
law which requires prepayment of news
paper postage presents curious paradox.
While the aggregate receipts from this
source have not been as large as they were
under the old system, The net gain to the
Government is greater. The Post Office
Department estimated that the new law
would yield one and half million dollars
annually. This estimate was based upon
the leturns from fny-fve leading offices
for uniform period. But the postmasters
either erred or did not make truthful re-
turns for the receipts from this source are
less than one million dollars. Tho Gov
eminent makes gain, however, from the
fact that this sum is mainly collected in
advance at a few oil ces, where no commits
sion is allowed upon tue sums collected.
The amount received under this new sys-
TEN IS near 100000, about the sum receiv-
ed under the old system in 1873. OF the
entire amount collected, commissions were
paid upon only about one hundred lhous-
and dollars.