Morning journal and courier., 1880-11-24
News by Telegraph
 FROM ALL QUARTERS. OUR POSTAL SERVICE. Annual Report of the Post master General. Some Important Recommendations. AMERICAN LINES OF STEAMERS TO
 CERTAIN PORTS. No Rise of the Mercury.
No Rise of the Mercury.
Grain Laden Vessels Shut Up
 in the Canals.
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.

l mendations for the Benefit of the Ser l vice.
 l WASHINGTON, Nov. 23.-The Postmaster General to-day submitted his annual report
 to the President The greater part of the re- port is devoted to review of the reports of
 the bureau officers of the department, all of | which have already been published in these l dispatches. The important points not yet I published are given as follows: The total ex- penditures of the department during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1880, were $36, 542, ,sO3.- | 68. The revenues were as follows: Ordi-
 nary receipts $32, 936, 739.37, receipts from | money orders $269, ,2O5.25, receipts from off 1 cial stamps and stamped envelopes $111 ,534.- 72; total $33, 315, ,479.34 excess of expendi-
 lures over receipts, $3, 227, ,324.34. Included l in the above statement of receipts and ex- penditures is the sum of $40, ,993. 30 paid on liabilities incurred in the previous fiscal year. Deducting this sum from the aggregate amount leaves as the actual expenditures on account of the service for the year $36, 1O1,- 820.3S. The amount appropriated for the service of the fiscal year 1S79-80, including
 sums appropriated by special acts, was $37,- 757, ,0s9.87 the amount expended for 1879- 80 was $36, ,1O1, 82O.3S, leaving an unexpend-
 ed balance of appropriations for the year of $1, ,655, ,269.4 This balance will be largely
 reduced when unadjusted liabilities for the year have been reported and paid. The esti-
 mated expenditures for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1882, are $42, ,475, 932. The ordi- nary revenues are estimated at $38, 545, 174.- 10; estimated revenue from money order
 business $3OO,0O0. The total estimated reye- nue for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1882, is $38, 945, 174 10; estimated excess of expendi- lures to be appropriated out of the general
 treasury as deficiency, $3, 63o, 751.9O. An
 appropriation is recommended for the con- tinuance of special mail facilities in the rail roads, such as extra trains with mails only, and the acceleration of regular trains carry ing mails, etc. It would be impossible to maintain the service at it's present state of efficiency without this appropriation. It is recommended as measure of economy where it becomes necessary to establish service on new routes in advance of the regular yearly or half yearly advertisements that authority be given the Postmaster General, upon a failure to secure bids for mail service at rates that seem to him reasonable to in vite bids by advertisement for the space of three weeks in a newspaper at each terminus of the route, or If there are no such news papers, then in not exceeding three newspa- pers published nearest the terminal points of the route upon which the service is desired. Recent legislation in Parliament has provided for postal rate for sums of less than one pound sterling. Before adopting this plan in the United States it will be well to observe it's workings long enough to discover its latent defects, if any such there shall prove to be. Meantime the superintendent sug- gests a scheme which seems to me entirely feasible, and which is commended to the at tention of Congress. Briefly stated, his plan is to reduce the for the money orders not exceeding $5 to five cents, and to extend the maximum limit of an order from $50 to $1OO, so the increased commissions for large orders may offset the loss resulting from reduced fees on small orders. Instructions have been issued at the request of the Postmaster Gen. eral of Canada to treat as unmailable matter all publications termed ''Police Gazettes' when addressed to the Dominion of Canada. Such publications are forbidden circulation through the mails of Canada on account of their obviously immoral tendencies.
 I review the recommendation of my pre- decessor for legislative authority to accept and to carry into effect the provisions of ticle of the Mineral Postal Union conven- tion concluded at Paris June 1st, 1878, respecting the payment of limited indemnity for registered articles of postal union origin and address which may be lost or stolen dur ing their transmission in the mails, and also for such modification of the provisionf of sec
 ton r of the act of March 3d, 1879, as will authorize the adoption by the Secretary of the Treasury and the Postmaster General of regular one providing for the delivery by mail to the addresses of the offices of destin- ation in the United States, subject to the
 payment of. customs duty thereon, of any
 packet of dutiable mail matter received in
 mails from: foreign countries It is not doubted that the regular and frequent means of mail steamship communication with Mexican, Central American, South American and ns-Pacific ports would prove
 important auxiliaries to American commerce, and I think it would be wise measure of public policy to encourage by appropriate legislation the establishment by our own citi- zens of American lines of steamers to such of said ports as will in the judgment of Con gress promote our commercial interests. l think it would be wise measure to so amend the general law on the subject as to authorize the payment by the Postmaster General of just and reasonable compensation, within a prescribed maximum limit and commensurate with the importance of the services formed, to such lines of Amer ican steamers as may be employed under con tract with this department in transporting the mails of the United States to Mexican, Central American, South American and trans Pacific ports. I renew the suggestion made by my predecessor respecting the carriage by mail of newspapers containing lottery adver- tisements.
 Attention is again called to the suit brought ! by Christopher c. Campbell against the post master at New York; which is now pending on an appeal before the Supreme Court. Suit has recently been brought by the same per son against several other postmasters upon the same ground, viz, alleged infringement
 
 | ing and cancelling stamps, which stamps are | furnished to postmasters by the department. It is again requested that before final judg- ment is had postmasters should be placed
 under the same legal protection given Treas | ury officials against levy upon their private property under judgments for acts done in I their official capacity and under orders of the | department.
 l i incline to the belief that the postal say- | ings system would have advantages in this 1 country even greater than in 8 compact pop
 ulation like that of Great Britain, where it | has been in operation for several years, has l constantly grown in popular favor and is a source of some profit to the government. In | this country the wealth, public and private, l consists largely of production over consump- l tion small in detail but enormous in the az l preeate In by far the larger proportion of | the United States there are no savings depos- l itories, and are not likely to be. To the peo- | pie of these parts the use of the postofice
 for this purpose would be real boon. 1 It would be an additional advantage that l deposits would be available at any | depository office in the United States, an inn 1 portant consideration with people so migra- | tory as ours. It is believed the system would interfere little with the business of Eehs savings banks, but would absorb the funds not now deposited with them. Nor would the patronage of the government be se-
 riously increased since the system would be | operated by persons already in the public ser ! vice with no considerable addition to the l number Your attention and the attention l of Congress is respectfully invited to it.
 During my visit to the British postoffiee I 1 observed with much interest the system of
 teIegraphy for several years past connected | with the postal service. This method of l correspondence is thought to have made a
 great advance since it was changed from the management of private corporations respon- sible to no one, hardly to the public, and placed under the control of the government. The
 business has increased many fold The cost
 of sending messages has been largely re- l duced and the service is performed in locali- I tias if wou1d never have reached under the