The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1875-11-20
THE MAILS OF THE UNITED STATES.

Mr.. E. 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 esq.,
600. These were opened, classified, in
dexed, and distributed, by four clerks
The figures show that the postal cards were
very popular during the year. There were
ISSUED 107, GIG, 900 of them, of the value
of $1,076, 160. In the month of October
last there were issued of the new cards
20, 1873, 900, which is one fifth of the entire
amount sold during the fiscal year. The
estimate of the number necessary for the
next fiscal year is 154, 967, 900. The amount
of public or ordinary postal stamps issued
to postmasters during the fiscal year was
6S2, 342, no. of value of $1S 271 40
The value of postage and periodical stamps
was $s15,902 The number of official
stamps issued to the executive departments
was 1S,495, 900, of value of 1884, $40.
The total number of stamps of all kinds
issued was 975, 275, 025 of value of $780,
AT, 511. The increase in the number of
ordinary stamps is about 10 per cent. The
increase, including official stamps, is about
seven per cent. The postage stamps sent
through the mails by registered pouches to
postmasters numbered 359, ASP. Of this
entire amount there were lost only ten
packages, of an aggregate value of $3.50
The statistics of the Dead Letter service
Der of dead letters handled during the year
was about 4, 800, 900. OF these, 81, 100 con-
tuned money aggregating SOL 900; IA, 225
letters contained drafts, notes, and bills of
exchange of the value of 1897, S47; 1885,
027 letters contained samples of merchau-
disc, postage stamps, and miscellaneous
articles; $40, 900 contained nothing of
value.
There were mailed to foreign countries
from the United States, 10, 100000 letters.
OF these LOG, 200 were returned undelvered.
The number of letters received from foreign
countries was II, 100000 of which 219, 100
were returned undelivered. These figures
show the advantage which this country
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 countries.
The excess of letters mailed from this
country over the number received from
foreign countries is nearly 100000. The
net gain to the United States from the
treaty, therefore, presuming all letters to
be one single weight, is five cents on 1,000,-
900 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 81, 900 annually. This
estimate was based upon the returns from
80 leading offices for a uniform period, but
the postmasters either erred or did not
make truthful returns. Receipts from this
source are less than 81 ,000,0 The Gov
ernment makes gain, however, from the
fact that this sum is mainly collected in
advance at a few offices where no commits
sion is allowed upon the sums collected.
The amount received under this new sys-
TEN is nearly $500, 000 about the sum re-
ceived under the old system in 1878. OF
the entire amount collected, commissions
were paid upon only about 100000.