The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-12-02

and San Francisco, the present rates tixe(
by the postal convention Of 1862 not pay
ing the actual cost OF transportation.
The report shows the operations OF III,
various bureaus OF the Department, con
Cerning which much information has al
ready been published, The money order
department, the transactions Of whicl
have reached about Sc, 100000, shows al
apparent profit Of $4,000, though real
ly in arrears much more than tha
il clerk hire and stationary required foI
business were charged directly to its nc
counts. The increase OF rates on small
orders made by the authority Of last Con
gress will II Is believed enable the Bureau
hereafter to pay its owl expense, The
fact that but one American steamship
line carries mails aCCross the Atlantic
and not to South America, Is regarded
humiliating to the American pride, Jew
ell thinks ~ matter Of national pride IL,
an aid to the revival of American com
merCC, and as n means OF supplying suili'
Cien steam marine available for immedi
ate use by the government in case Of war
Provision should be made for Transports
ton Of our mails on impOstant ocean
routes in steamships, oiliCered and man.
ned by our own citizens, and sailing un-
der our flag A moderate compensation
in excess OF pOstages now allowed would
enable the establishment and mainten.
anCe Of American lines to Europe and
South America, and u moderate mail
compensation for the line to Japan and
China, will doubtless continue the
mail service to those countries
in America. The ships after the
termination OF our existing subsidy con.
tract which will expire on the 3lst Of
December, 1876. think It safe to say
that the sum Of $780, 600 per annum now
granted rs subsidy the Japan and China
line for n single monthly service on that
route, would in addition to the postages
on the mail conveyed be quiet sufficient
II judiciOusly proportiOned between the
respective routes to malntrin efficient
mail service by the steamers sailing I'M.
der our flag on all the important ocean
routes which should be occupied by the
lines OF American steamers.
Postmaster Jewell says the evil Of
straw bidding which annually involves
the department in the loss Of many hum
dred Of thousands Of dollars can in my
judgement be ellectually removed by a
change in the law rs will authorize the
Postmaster General on the failure Of any
accepted bidder to offer the contract IA
at present TO the next lowest bidder on
the list. lin his judgement the bid be
not too high, and If this next lowest bid
der declines to enter into contract with
person not bidder ut any price not ex.
ceeding said next lowest bid, the Post.
master speaks Of the railway postal ser.
vice and roads doing II in high terms
but thinks il would be more equita.
bic to pay the companies by the space
instead Of weight, this would increase the
compensation Of roads Of the large class,
but reduce II materially on the smaller
and weaker ones. The fast mail service
Is praised, and the opinion is expressed
that at no distant day the business Of the
department will be so great as to induce
the railroad companies to run similar
trains from New England to the Gulf and
from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
1t recommended that any person be
permitted, without additional charge, to
write form OF presentation in any book,
pamphlet, magazine, periodical or other
matter of the third class, and also that
the sender ot any package be permitted
without extra charge to write his or her
name and address on the outside thereof,
with the word "irOm" above or preceding
the same, 40 as TO inform the person ad.
dressed oi the name Of the sender, or write
briefly on any package The number and
name OF the articles inCl0Scd. The send.
ing Of public documents through the mails
shall not delay the delivery Of ordinary
mails or increase their cost.
As to transient printed matter the
Postmaster says: l recommend that the
postage on transient newspapers, period.
fcalS, books, printed matter Of all sorts,
Autographs, maps, sheets Of music, pho
tOgraphS and manuscripts designed for
publication shall be reduced to one cent
for eaCh two ounces or a fraction thereof,
which was the rate before the enactment
Of the law advancing II, during the clos.
ing hours Of the last Congress.
Concerning newspaper postage he says
that the new law which went into effect
on the lst Of January, 1876, from the
present indications, will realize about one
million dollars for The first calendar year.
This ia not a material variation from the
results Of the old law, though during the
last year In which the latter was in opera.
ton the amount was increased by the pay.
ment Of postage on newspapers circula.
ting within the country Of publica.
tioh. A requirement that was discon-
tinued nt the end Of one year. While
there has been no increase In the
aggregate receipts there has been
a gain by saving the commissioners In
collections allowed by the old law, as un.
der the present law the great bulk Of the
postage Ia paid at the large Offices, whose
salaries are not affected by this. Under
the old law there was no check to insure
collections at the office Of destination, and
the consequence was that much matter
went unpaid, and II is n satisfaction to
know that under the present more equita-
bic mode the universal collections have
made up for the reduction in rates. The
new system has workedsO admirably and
given such general satisfaction that no
change Is deemed necessary. II isrecom.
mended that the compensation Of post
masters Of the fourth class be based upon
the business Of their respective offices as
is determined by the cancellation Of
stamps, the account to be duly sworn to
for each quarter and returned to the
Sixth Auditor. There is great want of
equity in the compensation Of postmas.
ters Of the first, second and third class.
II the salaries at the small offices are not
excessive, those Of the larger cities are
certainly too low. | 1ind postmaster5 as
class to be efficient, capable and attentive
beyond my expectation. Their salaries
should be proportionate to their duties.
Cases are said to exist, however, where
few or no duties are actually performed
by postmasters. Alaw compelling post.
masters whose net income is say 81 900
or more TO give their entire attention 10
the duties Of their office, or, failing in this,
to employ some person or persons TO per.
form them at their own and not at Gov.
eminent expense, would be most undoubt.
edly beneficial to the service.