Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-11-30
Postal Statistics.

WASHINGTON Nov. is.
The following interesting statistics. are
CLEANED from the report of Gen. Barber,
Third Assistant Postmaster! General, being
extracts from the reports Of the several
bureaus in his office, for the fiscal year
ending June 80, 1876: s.as sr:E.r..l ..ol
Four million seven thousand eight hum
dred and seventeen letters were registered
during the. year, and fees rec iYed thereon
amounted to $3.50, 1860 Of the letters reg
istered, upon which fees were paid, 3,l9S 93l-
were dome tic; 155,2 were sent to foreign
countries; 653 ISL were transmitted through
the mails without payment of the regis
try fee.
The losses of regis cred matter have been
very small. OF the total number of letters
transmitted, only l,049, or about one in
1000, were absolutely lost. These losses
occurred from various causes; some by rob-
berries of the mall others by burning of
pos al-cars and postoffices; most OF them by
unavoidable casualties to the service, and
no traces of the letters or their. contents
ever obtained. 1a.
The number of ordinary letter postage
stamps issued to PostmaStcrS for sale to the
public during the year ending June 80, 1876,
was SOS, 1885, 80, valued at SIS, ia, 454; of
newspapers and periodical stamps, 1880, BAT,
valued at S94o, Psi. rs; ordinary stamped en-
velopes, plain, 81, 467 600, valued at $780,
31S.74; stamped envelopes bearing return
request" "a, 554, 500, valued at =! 079, $3.50;
of newspaper wrappers, Is ,49S, $50, valued at
S273, 1880 of postal cards, 15G, S15, 900,
valued at 81, sos, $50; official postage stamps
for the use of the Executive Departments of
The Government, II, 49,, 665, valued at $780,
1883, making total number of L ,049, 797,-
507 valued at S26, !55 1912.
The increase over the previous year was as
follows: Ordinary postage stamps, valued at
"a =
stamps, Sl29, 1925, or 1885 per cent; of
ordinary stamped envelopes, plain, 1884,
20739, or II "A per cent; of special request
stamped envelopes, $2S7 1872. 05, Or 1906 per
cent; of postal cards, S431 $3.50, or 40.14 per
cent. r. .ra-ra ~ -r..r
The net increase in the value of stamps
issued over the previous year was 81 ,572,-
4G0.4S, or 16.47 per cent.
There were issued also within the year
1925, $50 registered envelopes; SCI ,975 lost
office envelopes, and 1,572 GOO dead letter
envelopes, making a total of Il, 271 ,425.
The amount collected from newspapers on
papers sent to regular subscribers was 3D.
Ola, l54.27 an increase Of Sal ,207.29, or 4.24
per cent
The New York Postof1ice alone during the
year mailed Is, 724 ,015 pounds, amounting to
S347, $3.50, an increase of ST., 2S6.24, or 3.66
per cent. over the previous year.
Gen. Barber, in his report, estimates that
-ne Government loses nearly -s2,000,0O0 a
year by frauds, Which consist mostly in the
washing of stamps, and, reviewing all the ex-
periIncnts made to secure an indelible ink
for Canceling stamps, thinks the preventive
to fraud is in the exclusive use of stamped
envelopes. -.asa 4r.. ... t#.-s.t
The issues of stamps are almost the only
| revenue Of the Postofiice Department, and
repre- ented last year nearly $27, 100000, the
| cost for their printing and preparation being
less than 100000. . I'D.
The following +, bIe shows the or1prations
of the Dead Letter Office for the fiscal year
ending Jupe 80, 1876: IS
Description No receired VqEue
Letters containing money!. 1852 .l S54691 SO
Containing drafts. bills of
| exchange, etc.. 1884 911 Is
Total ................. 49,156 81. $4,000 Oh
Containing jewelry and other
Containing receipts, bills Of 80 Ge#n
Containing photographs 49,. SIsIs ..a55l.
Containing stage stamps. 37,054
Ordinary letters without in .<afE-E IL.
Foreign letters without in ,fSS ...-~., j.. !.
closures OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 203523
Letters held for postage..... 3G7,559 # -
Total. ~ -: :. 1904 IA tg.a.l ?.
The work aof the Office shows that there
were l ,S35, 472 ordinary letters without ill.,
closures, containing nothing important, de-
stroyed, there not being anything in them to
indicate persons to whom they could be re-
turned. There were returned to the owners
], 1871 ,223 letters containing Enclosures, val
ued at 81 ,751 ,646.22, or about eighteen times
as much as the Dead-Letter office costs the
Government; 1890 are now awaiting returns
of notices sent to writer's sses t.-. r.
There have been large reductions in the
numbers of letters received at the dead
lie ter Office this year, which is accounted
for by the Superintendent, Mr. Dallas, as
follows:
1. That the use Of envelopes bearing re-
quests or business cards is becoming more
general, and thus postmasters are enabled
to return an increased number of unclaimed
letters direct to the writers. 2. The in
creased efficiency of the letter carrier service
in large cities. 8. The action of this Office
in calling the attention of postmasters to
cases OF mistreatment of correspondence,
and thereby providing against a repetition
of the error. The prcsentsnanner of treat
ing held for postage-letters, which was in
troduced in April, 1875, and referred to in
my last report, viz: holding them in the
Dead Letter Office unopened, and request
ing the addresses TO furnish the neces-
sary postage, has proven a success in
this, that the department now receives
It's revenue upon this class of letters, and
YET does not encourage the non-payment Of
postage by the writers, the delay in delivery
being sufficient hardship to incite greater
precaution in posting letters. OF the 307,-
either also misdirected or addressed to for
eign countries to which prepayment of post
age is imperative, and hence were opened
and returned to the writers. Notice to per-
sons addressed was sent IN 27S, 35i cases and
203, 203 were successfully delivered gn-
opened The balance, IS, POI, were finally
opened, after having been held the usual
period subject to the ordes OF the adj
dresses.
The whole number of applications made
to this office for missing letters during the
year was s,405 and in 2,Y15 of these cases the
search was successful. The amount of money
taken from letters which could not be re-
stored to the ownels was S6,052.2S, which re
verts to the United States Treasury. The
amount realized from the auction sale OF
property found in dead letters in January
last was s., S53.17.
The Calcutta wheat trade has grown
into enormous proportions. In 1870 the
exports amounted to only 1900 tons, and
during the first nine months of the pres
ent year 120, 600 tons had already been
shipped. II is grown chiefly in IRE Pan
jaub, and is much valued in the English
markets, especially on account of its dry