The star of Pascagoula. [volume] (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1873-1878, 1875-12-11
Annual Report of the Pestmaster.Gen.
eral.

WASHINGTON, ID. c., Dec. 1.-The Post
master-General's annual report shows the
receipts of the Department to be ST Al 800,
and the expenditures S33, GIL 500. The re-
ceipts exceed those of 1874, l 1900 per
cent, and the expenditures 4 62-lO per
cent. The actual amount drawn from the
Treasury was s., ZIG, 329, or S543, COG less
than the previous year. The recorded com
plants of missing letters number 5,645, of
which 2,671 were registered letters contain
ing bonds, drafts, ETC., amounting TO SO
PIG, while the unregistered letters contained
valuable contents amounting to $40, y97. OF
the former, l,0S3 were satisfactorily account
ed for, OIL actually lost, and 6S3 remain IN
der investigation. Arrests for violation of
the postal laws numbered 307, the greater
portion not being connected with tue postal
service; 107 convictions were had and l5I
await trial. The Money-Order Department
the annual transactions of which have reach
ed about $50 900 900, shows an apparent
profit Of S120, 900, though really in arrears
more than that if the clerk and station
cry required for the business were charged
directly to its account. The increase of
rates on small orders made by the authority
Of the last Congress will, it is believed, en-
able the Bureau to hereafter pay its own eX-
penses.
AMERICAN MAILS ON AMERICAN STEAM
SHIPS.
The fact that but one American steamship
line carries the mails across the Atlantic,
and none to South America, is regarded as
humilitatiDg to American pride. Postmaster
General Jewell thinks as n matter of Ma
tiona piide, and as a means Of supplying an
efficient steam marine available for immedi-
ate use by the Government in case of war,
provision should've made for the transport
tation of our mails or important ocean
routes i'm steamships differed and man
ned by our citizens and sailing under
our own flag. He SAYS: ga moderate COM
pensation in excess of the hostages now al
lowed would enable the establishment and
maintenance of American lines TO Europe
and South America; and n moderate mail
compensation for IA line to Japan and China
will doubtless continue the mail service 10
those countries in American ships after the
termination of the existing subsidy contract,
which will expire on the 3lst of December,
1876. | think it safe to say that the sum of
500, 600 per annum now granted as a subsidy
to the Japan and China line for a single
monthly service on that route would, in adj
dition to the hostages on mails conveyed, be
quite sufficient, j~udiciously apportioned be-
tween the respective routes, to maintain an
efficient mail service by steamers sailing un-
derl our flag on all the important ocean
routes which should he occupied by lines Of
American steamers -
''sTTAv''
Mr.. Jewell says the evil Of "'straw'' bid
ding, which annually involves the Depart
ment In the loss of many hundreds of thous-
ands of dollars, can, in his judgment, be ef-
fectually removed by such a change in the
law as will authorize the Postmaster-Gen-
eral, on the failure OF any accepted bidder.
to offer the contract as at present to the next
bidder on the list, If, in bis Judg-
ment, the bid be not too high; and, II this
next lowest bidder declines TO enter into a
TO be authorized to enter into q
with q person not a bidder at any
price not exceeding said lowest bid.
THE RAILWAY POSTAL SERVICE.
The Postmaster-General speaks Of the
-ailway postal service and the roads doing it
high terms, but thinks ii would be more
TO pay companies by space instead
IF weight. This would increase the COM
Of roads Of the larger class, but
il materially on many of the smaller
weaker ones. The fast mail service is
and the opinion expressed that At
10 distant day the business of the Depart
nent viii be so great as to induce railroad
companies to run similar trains from New
to the Gulf, and from the Atlantic
o the Pacific.
jill RATE ON THTRD CLASS MATTED
SHOULD BE RESTORED.
The Postmaster General says: II recon-
mend that the postage on transient newspa-