The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-12-03
e224sos7o 26

pee psct issb sa1n 1875 rs
Deb,, less cash ia the Treasury, ..1Lf4a s.sa
!. November i, 675.. .,....... ,lls, 1921 So
Decrease Of aebe during thepastsH !, s.aaa, ..
i mouth...... -I.I.- 94ooo1o 90
s.a N .alI1 ,I.o \ . - ~ -
p Ris7s.. ". fi s1o,7715ss IS
IsJ trYitiGEQ9 5s.u 9u 3Edj ~
Bonds issued to, the Pacific Railway! Companies,
paasss s 1y nd 9S
United States, $500, so7.7 Interest repaid BY
transportation OF malls, &c, $6, 1874 Id. Bal
ance Of interest paid by the United Sta,es s21,-
626, 953.56. ~ ;3lt. --ltNSst'z.t iE|f@E
rr :, 7,-,-.s.r ~ 7--i9u .aaf.-.. ~.
Report OF the Postmaster General.
GENERAL RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURES OCEAN
:. MAIL AND RAILWAY SERVICE PROPOSED BE-
DUcrIDN OF TRANSIENT POSTAGE = SALARIES
OF PosTMAsTERs, ETC. f:ga-iges1 tn
i WASHINGTON, December 1.-The report Of
the Postmaster. General shows that the ordi-
nary receipts during the fiscal year ending
June 80, 1875, were S26, 87l, 2lS-an increase
of S299 3D. Including subsidies to steam
ship lines drawn from the Treasury $780,
OOO) and Sl20,142 from the money order bu-
siness, the receipts from all sources foot up
S27,441, 1850. Expenditures of all kinds
$50, GIL ,3O0-an increase of 81, 4S4 1874. Miss
ing letters, registered, during the year were
alleged to contain $76,216 Unregistered,
S75,997. Nearly one half Of the missing re.
gistered letters have been satisfactorily &C.
counted for, ninety actually lost, and the re.
mainder are, under investigation. Three
hundred and seven persons were arrested
for various violations Of the, postal laws,
most Of whom were not connected with the
service. or these, LOT were acquitted, and
157 are awaiting trial. .s.,Isf,g s..f;,.l .;,
The Department is in correspondence with
Great Britain in relation to an Increase of
the United States territorial transit rates on
the British closed mails .between New York
and San. Francisco by rail. The money.or.
der; business, the annual transactions of
which have reached $50, 100000. shows an
apparent profit of about $4,000, but is
really in. arrears more than that sum for
clerk hire, stationery, &c.,a< bfsEGY sa ...,.
y The fact that but one line Of steamships,
carrying our'fag Is employed in conveying
the United States mails across the Atlantic,
and none whatever TO South America, is re-,
ferred TO as humiliating, and should be rem
edied by thetpayment, it is suggested, Of. a
moderate mailcompensation in excess Of the
hostages Row allowed under. the provisions
of the general la ". IA moderate allowance
is also recommended for lines to- the west
coast, Of South America and to- China and
Japan. isft .f1tl5H ~ z1afs7 sgrd 70 -
The Postmaster-G General dwels with force
on the evils of straw-biddipg, and refers ut
length to the improvements in the rail way
service. The Department pays ten million
dollars annually TO the railroad companies,
and they in return are Offering all the facIi.
ties at their command. He thinks that at DO
distant day fast mail trains will be run from
New England to the Gulf, and from the At
lantic to the Pacific. ,,...,, 49,. ~. =. 80
He repeats the recommendation of Mr..
Creswell to allow, without additional charge,
the writing of form of presentation in
books, &C., or, q pane denOting the sender TO
be inscribed upon such maiEmatter, or q
of the articles enclosed. The
ranked mails have been distributed without
causing any delay, and with no perceptible
increase of cost or labor. He recommends
that the postage on transient newspa pers
and periodicals, books, printed matter Of all
sorts, Autographs and; maps, sheet-music,
photographs, and manuscripts designed for
shall be reduced to one cent for
each two. ounces Or fraction thereof, which
was the rate before the enactment Of thelaW
it, during the closing hours Of The
last Congress-. n,a! . .Ja aLias}!na& 49,.
~. - aii NEWSPAPER POSTAGE. 's;Gls ,,.,
The act Of June 49, 1874, requiring pre-
in stamps of postage on newspa'
pers and periodical publications mailed from
known offices of publication or news.agen-
cies, and addressed to regular subscribers or
news-ageDts, went into effect on. the list of
January, 1875, and from present indications
it will realize about one million dollars for
the first calendar year. This is not mate.
rial variation from the average results of the
old law, though during the last year in
which this latter was in operation the
amount was Increased by the payment of
postage on newspapers circulating within
the county Of publication, a require
ment that was discontinued. at the end
Of one year, While, therefore, there has
been no increase in the aggregate re-
ceipts there has been a large net
gain by saving the commissions on collec-
tons allowed by the old law, as under the
present law the great bulk of the postage is
paid at the large Offices, whose salaries are
not affected by this item: Under the old
law there was no check to insure collection
at the office of destination, and the conse-
quence was that much matter went unpaid;
and it is a satisfaction that under the present
more equitable mode the universal collec-
lions have made up for the. reduction in the
rates. The new system has worked SO ad.
mirably and has given such general satisfac.
ton that no change Is deemed necessary.
Full information as to the manner of exc.
cutting the law, with more specific state.
ments of its results, will be found in the
accompanying report of the Third Assistant
Postmaster-General.
After referring to the malpractice Of post
masters Of the fourth class in selling stamps
outside Of their delivery, he recommends
that the compensation Of postmasters Of that
class be based on the business of their Offices
as determined by the cancellation of stamps.
There is a great want of equity In the COM
pensation of postmasters Of the first, second,
and third classes under the present law, the
salaries, at many small Offices being as large
as those at the larger cities doing 3 postal
business Of hundred of thousands and "a
money -order business of millions. Hethinks
the salaries Of postmasters should bear seme
proportion to their services. ~" !. IL
Reiterating bis fundamental declaration
that the post.ofhce Isl business department,
and should be run on business principles. the
Postmaster General refers 10 the small in.
crease Of this over last years receipts, and
estimates q deficiency Of ss,1s1.eo2. He