Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-04-13
THIRD CLASS POSTAGE.

Mr.. HAMLIN's HISTORY OF THE AMENDMENT IN.
CREAsING THE RATES ON THIRp-CLAss MAIL
MATTER.
During the debate ON the new bill fixing the
rates of postage on third-class mail matter, Sena
amendment offered and adopted last year for the
same purpose:
On the 18th day of February, 1875, the Post
master General communicated to the Senate let
ter which have here, printed, stating the condi-
ton of the department, the vast amount Of third
class matter that was being transmitted through
the mail, showing that we were not receiving one
half of the net cost to the government of transmit
ting it, inviting the attention of the Senate to that
| condition Of things, and recommending THAT the
rate of postage on merchandise should be doubled !;
that is the rate should be one cent for each ounce
or fraction thereof, instead of one cent for
each two ounces" That letter was referred to
the Committee on post offices, and post roads.
They gave to it q careful consideration. On the
lst day of March the chairman of that committee
presented to the Senate and had printed two
amendments; first, one reducing the weight Of
tbird-class matter transmitted through the mail !;
the other increasing the postage.
There has been great cry that il was meas
| ure in the interest of express companies. Who
says that The men who are seeking to put their
hands into your pockets and into mine, and then
into the treasury, and who asking us to pay
for transmitting their mail matter. 1t was meas
ure designed wholly, purely and sorely in the re-
lief OF your treasury, to save the people from q
| taxation that never ought to be imposed upon
them. That was the object of the anne udment
Ne member of the post office committee ever
| heard any express company. No member of any
| express company ever approached that committee.
| With view of relieving the treasury aud people
| from onerous taxation that should never be i'm.
| posed upon them, the committee considered the
! subject and obtained such information as was pos
sibe from the department and from contractors
carrying the mail, and facts of very extraordi-
nary character were presented to the committee
Upon small routes where the mail was carted bv
a single horse, the contractor was compelled to
double his force solely to carry merchandise trans
united by mail. On other routes the weight OF
the mail became SO much increased that the con-
tractors were obliged to abandon the service.
One most remarkable case was upon the route
from San Diego, in California, to Tucson, in Aii-
Zona. There merchandise was transmitted by the
ton. Large quantities of harnesses were manu-
featured in Massachusetts, and transmitted in four
pound packages through the mail, and many arti-
cles of dry goods and groceries packed in the
same wav were transmitted at the insignificant
rate of eight cents a pound from Massachu sets
and New York to Arizona. The distance between
San Diego and Tucson is about eight hundred
miles and the regular price Of transportation by
men who hauled il with their teams was sixty
cents pound.
Upon this condition Of things presented in va
riety Of cases. it became evident to the committee
that there must be some remedy. Hthe contrsc-
tors should be able TO continue their service, It
was very evident that large increase OF the COM
pensaton would necessarily have to be made on