Chariton courier. (Keytesville, Chariton County, Mo.) 1878-current, 1879-11-29
Postmaster. General Keys Annual Re.
port.


WASHINGTON, November Is.
The annual report Of Postmaster-G General
Key is made public to-day. Large portions OF
1t are devoted to- the presentation OF STATISTICAL
information already published in the abstracts
of reports of his subordinate officers.
RAILWAY SERVICE,
The epostfnastsr-GeneraI renews tho recon-
meDdation contaiffed in his last report Tor the
enactment of a law readjustine the compensa-
tion of railroads for carrying mail upon basis
of space, speed and frequency, supplemented
by the weight OF the mails carried. The rail-
road companies have as general thing neg
lected to furnish statistics of receipts expendf
lures, etc, as requested. The recomnicnds-
%,' the s 70 obtain the proper
facilities for the prompt transmission OF mails
by railroad be increased this year to $4ol %.
The cost of railway service on the. aUth OF
June, 1872 was at the rate of S96s2, . per an
mum, an increase over the cost of the service
during the preceding year OF Sl25y'o. This IN,
crease does not, however, represent the actual
rate of increase in the service, Us account
must be taken of reduction of five per cent.
| In the rate of compensation from July j, 1873,
made under the act of June II, 1873. The
amount of this deduction is, in round num-
an an increase % Of S5s5,99s for 1879 over ISIS,
being little less than 5-5 per cent. The
general increase OF business aI over yer the the
present prosperity will continue for some
years, will require the appropriation for the
Increased to at least SI0.OOOOOO, and the esti.
mate is accordingly placed at that sum. The
@ IS paeed see at he
General earnestly renews the recommenda-
tion of last year for a reclassifcation of the
employees of the Railway Mail Service by the
| General SuperintendentOf that service.
THE STAR ROUTES.
| General Key reports that the operation of
the present laws regulating the Increase of
compensation for increased speed and in
cresed frequency of service upon - star
routes q: e.; al those % wherein = the mails are
results in great loss to the Government, and
recommends legislation to enable him to re-
i ., in hi RI
The estimates for star" service the next
fiscal year contemplate the continuance of the
largely increased mail facilities in the States of
! Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, South Carolina,
North Caroline, Tennessee Georgia, Florida,
asked for 'star" service the next fiscal year is
! S7,3.5,000. The estimates for inland mail serv-
| ice by steamboats, is S9O0,OO.
FAST MAIL SERVICE.
! The report continues: The efforts Of the
Department to establish fast mail service
with Havana via Cedar Keys and Key w est, in
order to meet the demands of commerce, have
failed for several years on account of the in
| suiciency of the compensation allowed by
! law for such service. If the Postmaster-Gen-
| eral were authorized to contract for service
mem,ioned nv n snfIicient rate of nav TO secmrs
| the necessary speed and frequency, the
commerce of the country would be great
| ly benefited. L believe that a general law
/ should be passed authorizing contracts for
carrying mails between the United states and
| the West Indian and South American ports in
| AmericaIl-built steamers carrying American
| flags, at Il fixed minimum and maximum price,
the amount to be expended regulated by am
nual appropriations; or the service might be
! thrown open to competition, the same as the
| star service. The adoption of such service
by Congress would enable this country to con-
| troll the profitable commerce with South
| America and the West Indies, which is now
almost monopolized by Great Britain"
In regard to the use of mails by lottery COM
panies, the Postmaster-General suggests that
Sections 3,229 and 4,On. Revised Statutes, be
IL
lent" preceding the word Lottery in each
section, which will make the legislation more
harmonious and effective. 1t would aid the
| Department in the execution of the intent of
the law If the provision of Section 2, ,g39 requir-
ing the return to the writers OF registered let
tiers addressed to such schemes were in terms
extended to include all letters so addressed.
The circulars recently issued upon this subject
are given, and reference is made to a case now
Louisville, which, when decided, says General
Key, 81 will avail myself of the decision to
communicate further the views of this Depart
| mcnt upon the question. Whether an indi-
l.vidual may forfeit his right to use the mails
for legitimate purposes by voluntarily ming
ling such correspondence with prohibited mat
ter so that the Department must carry both or
neither is a question upon which additional
legislation might render the purpose of the
statute altogether unqucstionablc. The car
riagc by mail of newspapers containing lottery
advertisements soliciting violations of the
Postal laws renders the successful enforce
ment of the statute now in force still more
difficult"
THE NEW POSTAGE RATES.
General Key reports that the law providing
for a new classification of mail matter, and
adjusting the rates of postage thereon, passed
| at the last session of the Forty-tfth Congress,
| has given universal satisfaction.
PROTECTION TO PoSTMAsTERs.
Under the heading OF "Protectlon TO Post.
says: desire respectfully to call your atten-
tion to the fact that there is no United States
saulting or molesting postmaster in the dis
charge of his official duties, as in the case of
revenue officers, and l earnestly request that
In connection with a suit recently decided
against Postmaster James, of New York, for
use of canceling stamps, General Key says an
accounting in the case is now being taken; but
rs other postmasters are liable to be subjected
to expense in the same manner, because these
stamps have been in use at all the principal
post-offces of the country for the last ten
sbe fact ne Sat there is oa mo- Of
Federal law to secure certificates of
to United n States a
judgments for acts done in their official ca
pacity. 'In the present instance Mr. james,
as postmaster, uses the canceling stamps fur
nished by the Department. The Court adj
judges him to have infringed patent by such
him personally In like cases the property of
the Treasury officials is protected by law from
levy. 1 submit that similar protection is due
to all Government employees when acting in
the line of their duty"
DUTIABLE MATTER, ETC.
INC report recommends tuut tue prONlSiOu
of Section II of the act of March 8, 1879, author
| king the Secretary of the Treasury and Post
master.Gt neral to adopt regulations for de, s
dutiable books, with the collection of customs
, duties thereon, be extended to embrace all
articles of dutiable matter received In the
, mails from foreign countries
The Postmaster-General recommends legis-
lation to enable the Department TO adopt a
general regulation of the Postal Union rela-
tive to the payment of limited indemnity for
registered articles lost or destroyed in the
PAY OF CLERKS.
The report goes on to say that "the increaS-
ing demands of the postal service call for q
large increase in the appropriation for the
, payment of clerks in the post-ofhces. The es-
Innate, S3,65O,000, for this item is greatly be-
low the actual need for the service. have so
estimated, however, because l did not desire
; ; to increase the growing disparity between
the revenues and the expenditures @ or OF the the
= employment of clerks than l have estimated
. for will cripple the work of the post-othces,
and in many instances delay the TRANSMISSION
!, THE FREE DELIVERY SERVICE.
The free-delivery service is mentioned as
having obtained great success, but the Post
master-General remarks that with larger ap-
preparations more frequent deliveries could
be secured, and such Improvement he believes
would meet with universal commendation in
! the larger cities. A deficiency of about S2i-
! 900 is reported in the funds available to pay
the letter-carriers increased salaries author
lied by the act of last February, and Congress
D is requested to supply it.
5 THE OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS
of interest made are, in brief, that Congress
should provide at the next session for super
seding at the earliest possible date the mail
locks now in use by others of new and improved
, patterns for which purpose an estimate oi
I Sl50,000 is submittedl; that the Public Printer
be authorized to print a new edition of the codi
fed Postal laws and regulations, to be sold tC
| the public at cost; that authority be given to
the Department to contract for the publication
, of u monthly Postal Guide for a term of five
years.
MINCE MEAT.-Two pints of mince'