Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-12-03
A Full and Complete Review Of the
Operations Of the Postal Depart
ment for the Year 1873.
The Railway Postal Service pace vs..
Weight Saving Over Former
iears-Expected Defcien-
eies for 1876.


PREVIOUS yer. The recorded complaints
! or missing hunters wers 5645, of which
! 2577 were gist6T=d letters containing
bonds, drafts, etc, amounting 10 S76 2l6,
while the unregistered letters contained
valuable contents amounting u SIS 992;
OF the former 1858 wGre satisfactorily
accounted for, Gil actually lost, and 6S3
remain under investigation. The ar
re Is for violation OF the postal laws
/ numbered 307-gTeater portion not con.
nected with the postal service; 1G7 con-
victions were had, and l57 swat trial.
The department is in correspondence
with the British department on the SUBJ
jsct 0! the Increase q the United States
territorial rates or British closed mails
transported by rail between New York
and San Francisco, the present rates
fixed by the postal convention q 1862
not paying the actual cost Of transport
tstion. The report SLOWS the operations
OF the various buTesux Of the depart
ment, concerning which mu h infolma-
ton has already been published. The
money order department, the annual
transactions Of which have reached
about $50 000, 900, shows an sppalent
profit Of Si20 O0O, though really in aTrsars
more than if the CLERK hire and sta
tioneTy required for the business were
charged dhectly TO is account. The in
crease Of rates on small orders, made by
authority of the last congress, will,
it is believed, enable the bureau here
after to pay its own expenses. The tact
that but one American steamship line
carr ca toe mails across the Atlantic,
and none to South America, is regarded
humiliating to American pride. Mr..
Jewell thinks, as a matter OF national
pride, az an aid 10 the revival of Ameri-
cap commerce, and as q means OF sup
plying 40 efficient steam marine, avail
a6le for immediate use by the govern
ment in case of war, provision should
be made for the transportation CT our
msis on important ocean routes in
steamships differed and manned by our
own citizens and sailing under our own
flag. A moderate compensation in eX-
Cess of the postage now allOHet would
enable the establishment and mainten-
ance OF American lines to Europe and
SJuth America, and moderate mail
compensation for line to Japan and
China will doubtless continue the mail
service to those countries in American
ships after the termination Of the exist
ing subsidy contract, which will expire
on tie thirty-first OF December, 1875 |
think it safe to say that the sum Of
S500,000 per annum, now granted rs a
subsidy t. the Japan aud China line for
= single monthly service on that route,
would, in addition to the hostages on
mails conveyed, be quite sufficient, II
judicioGsly sppOr.ioned between the re-
spective routes, tt maintain al Efficient
mail service by steamers sailing under
a IL 90.
routes which should te occupied by lines
Of American steamers. The evil of
stiaW-bjdling, which annually involves
the department in a loss OF many hun
dreds of thousands of dollars, can, in
my Judgment, be effeCtualIy removed by
such cha 1ge in the law as will author
iza the pOstmaster-genersl, on the fail
ure af any accepted bidder, to offer the
contract TO the next lowest bidder Oh the
list, if, in his judment, the bid be not
too high, and il this next low
est bidder declines 10 enter iu-
10 the contract, to be authorized
to enter into contract with a person,
not a bidder, at any price not exceeding
said lowest bid. The acknowledgements
speaks Of the railway postal service and
roads doing it in high terms. He thinks
/. would be more equitable to pay the
companies by space instead Of weight.
This would increase the compensation
of roads Of q larger class but reduce it
materially on many Of the smaller and
weaker ones. The fast mail service ls
praised, and the opinion expressed that;
st no distant day, the business of the
department will he 60 great as TO induce
railroad companies 10 run similar trains
from New England 10 the gulf, ami
from the Atlantic to the Pacific. II is
recommended that any person be per-
mitted, without additional charge, TO !
write a form presentation in any book, |
pamphlet, mag zine, periodical or any
other matter Of The JnIId class; and alsJ
that The sender of any pack
age be permitted, without adj
ditioDsl charge, to write his or |
her Rame aud: address on the Cutsije |
thereof, with the word "irOm" above or |
preceding the same, 80 &c to inform the |
person addressed of the name OF the |
sender, and to write briefly on any psgs |
the number and name Of the articles in-
closed. The sending of public dccu.
msnts through the mails has not Ge- |
iayed the delivery OF ordinary mails or |
percept!bly increased their cost. AS TO
transient printed matter the prst- |
master general ssys: Il racol- |
mend that the postage on |
transient Dewspapsis and periodicals, |
books, printed matter OF | s; re-, j. h. |
graphs and msps, sheet music, photo |
gra; rhs, and manuscripts designed for |
publication, shall be reduced t. one cent |
for each two Oulcss or fraction thereof, |
which Was the rate bef)Te the enact |
meut OF the law advancing IL during |
the closing houfs c. the last congress. |
ClnCerBing newspaper pGstsGe, he says |
the new Law which went into effect on |
the first OF January, 1875, from present |
in legations will reauZe about one mil |
ion do liars for the first calendar year. !
This is not a material variation from the |
average results Of the old law, though |
during The last year in which the latter I
Was 10 operation the amount was III /
creased hy the payment of postage on |
circulating gitbin the couE- /
ty Of publication, q requirement that /
was discontinued at the end OF one year. |
While, therefore, there has been no IN. 1
crease in toe aggregate receipts, there |
has been g large net gain by saving the |
comm ssioDs or collections allowed by 1
the old law, as under the plesent law |
the great bulk Of the postage is paid at |
large office, whose sslsries are not az /
fected by this item. Under tue CID law /
there was no check TO insure col .
leCtions sc the Office OF desti- 4
nation, ald the consequence /
y as that much matter went unpaid: il Is /
q tisfaclion that under The present and !
more equitable mode the universal col !
iectiCns have made up Tor the reduction /
in rates. The new system has worked /
Sd admirably and has given such gene 4
raj satisfaction, that no change has bSen /
deemed necessary. Il is recon- mended |
that the compensation Ct pcs.m ssteIs Of /
lhs fourth class be BASED upon the busi- 1
ness Of their respective office, as deter |
mined BY the cancellation OF clamps, |
the eceouCt 10 be duly sworn 10 for each |
quarter and returned TO the EiXth au- I
ditor There Is q great want al equity |
In the compensa ion OF pOstmasters Of |
the FIRST, second ard third class. II the /
salaries at smaller offices are not excess |
i've, those OF the larger cities ere GER |
tAiniy too low. find pOstmRsters AS q ,
class 10 bs efficient, capable and asten- 1
tive beyond my ex, ectation, and their |
salaries should be groDoItioDste to their !
duties. Cases arse.E1 TO exist, however, /