The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1875-11-18
Interesting Postal Statistics.

Mr.. II. 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 Endorsed
and distributed by four clerks. The figures
show that the postal cards are very popular.
During the year there were issued 10Y ,6l6,-
600, of the value of $l,076,l60. In the
month of October last there were issued of
the new cards 20, 19S, 900, which is one.fifth
of the entire amount sold during the nscal
year. The estimate of the number necessary
for the next fiscal year is 54,967, 900. The
postmasters during the fiscal year was 6S2,-
342,77O, of value Of$1S,271 ,479. The value
of postage and periodical stamps was $685..
9O2. The number of official stamps issued
to the Executive Department was Is, 495, 900,
of value of $S3497O. The total number Of
stamps of all kinds issued was 073,-
275,025, of value of $25,477,5l1. The in.
crease in the number of ordinary stamps is
about ten 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
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 number of
dead letters handled during the year was
about 100000. OF these 32,799 contained
money, aggregating $6l, 900. One hundred
and forty-twO thousand and two hundred
letters contained drafts, notes, and bills of
exchange of value of 81, 99747. One nun
dred and thirty-fve thousand and twenty
seven letters contained samples of merchan-
disc, postage stamps, and miscellaneous arti-
Giles. Three million seven hundred and
forty Thousand contained nothing of value.
There were mailed to foreign countries from
the United States II, SOC, 900 letters, of these
10000 were returned undelivered. 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 Berne.
That treaty provides that each country shall
return the postage on all letters mailed in
its own territory, and that no account shall
be kept between the countries. The excess
of letters mailed from this country over the
number received from foreign countries is
nearly one million. The net gain to the
United States from the treaty, therefore,
presuming all letters to be only single
weight, is five cents on million letters, or
$4,000.
The result OF the operations of the new
law, which requires prepayment of news
paper postage, presents a 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 Postoffice De-
partment estimated that the new law would
yield 81 500, 900 annually. The estimate was
based upon the returns from ffty.five lead
ing offices for uniform period, but the
postmasters either erred or did not make
truthful returns, for the receipts from this
source are less than $1,000,000. The govern
ment makes a gain, however, from the fact
that this sum is mainly collected in advance
at a few Offices, where no commission is al
lowed upon the sums collected. The
amount received under this new system is
near $4,000 about the sum received under
the old system of 1873. OF the entire
amount collected, commissions were paid
upon only about 100000. Newspaper pre-
payment stamps have been supplied to 3,4O0
offices, the total number of places in the
United States where daily newspapers are
published.
The increase in the number of registered
pouches during the year was fifteen per
cent. The system Of registered through
pouches works satisfactorily, and they have
been used upon all principal routes. Post
masters generally certify to their usefnl-
ness.