Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1875-11-10
The Post ONCE Department.

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
6S5,e0O. These were opened, classified,
indexed and distributed by four clerks
The figures show that the postal cards are
very popular. During the year there
were issued 1O7. $4,000, of the value of
81, O76, l6O. In the month of October last,
there were issued of the new cards O,13S,-
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 public or ordinary postal stamps
issued to Postmasters during the fiscal
year was 682, 342.170, of value of $1S,-
271,479. The value Of postage and peri
odical stamps was $S15.902. The number
Of official stamps issued to the Executive
Department was 1S,497, 800, Of value of
1884 $40. The total number of stamps of
all kinds issued was 973.275, ops, Of val
lie of $25,477,5 11. The increase in the
number of ordinary stamps is about 10 per
cent. The increase, including official
stamps, is about per cent. The postage
stamps sent through the mails by register
ed pouches to Postmasters numbered $780,
452. Of this entire amount there were
lost but ten packages, of an aggregate val
We of $3.50.
The statistics of the dead letter service
are of quite romantic interest. The num-
Der of dead letters handled during the
year was about four and half millions.
OF these 5l.799 contained money, aggre-
eating S6l 900; 1925 letters contained
drafts, notes, bills of exchange, of II value
of $2,o97 ,S47; 1902 letters contained
samples of merchandise, postage stamps
and miscellaneous articles 3,740,OOO con-
tanned nothing of value.
There were mailed to foreign countries
from the United States II, SOC, 900 letters ;
of these 106, 200 were returned undeliver-
ed. The number of letters received from
foreign countries was IL, 800 900, of which
1919. 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 retain the postage
on all letters mailed in its own territory,
and that no accounts shall be kept between
the countries. The excess of letters mail
ed from this country over the number re-
ceived from foreign countries is nearly one
!, million. The net gain to the United States
from the treaty, therefore, presuming ali
letters to be only single weight. is five
. cents each on a million of letters. or
, $4,000.
The result of the operation 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 rs they wer.
I t(,< a tIo 4
5 Government is greater. The Post Office
, Department estimated that the new law
t would yield one and 4 half million dollar:
S annually. This estimate was based upor
e the returns from fifty five leading office:
either erred or did not make truthful re
turns. for the receipts from this source ar,
0 less than one million dollars The Gov
d fact that this sum is mainly collected il
5 advance at a few Offices. where no commits
y sion is allowed upon the sums collected
e The amount received under this new sys
;. tenn is near $500, 900, about the sum re
b ceved under the old system in 1873. O
d the entire amount collected, commission
e thousand dollars. Newspaper prepayment
l. stamps have been supplied to 800 offices
n the total number Of places in the Unite,
# States where daily newspapers are pub
e liShcd.
: The increase in the number of register
n ed pouches during the year was fifteen pc
: centum. The system of registered through
k pouches works satisfactorily. They hay,
been used upon all the principal routes
5, Postmasters generally certify to their use
fulness