, 1881-06-16
POSTAL REVENUES AND RATES OF POST


Ever since 1850, anu for many years before
that time, tlla deficiency between the rev.
enllcs Ut tho Post -Of1ico Department nf tllo
from two to eight millions Of t(ollnrs Il year.
Tllc last year III whtcl, tho revenue eanale&l
the expenditures wns In 1861, when the roy-
unite was 81. 727,SU1 and the expenditures
sh:7s4oa. In 1sU5 many OF the costly routes
in tllo Southern Suites being discontinued,
anil seycmE thousand TtstilINsters out 0t
service, tho ravel,uo was Sl5 5,55U, l5D alld the
expenditures st'lGt4.Tas. Since then there
has been al annual deficit averaging 81, ,00o,-
0t0. Iii 1910 this detlclt was S3,400,00o, mil
for tic year ending Juno 10, $3.50, the rev.
e1lue wns $33,3l5,470 and tho expenditures
S,a,, ,5s..,SH.
Thu returns for the ycar 1881, wl,tcl, year
ends or the lst Ut July. Indicate conslsera-
blu increase III revenue. Whom tlla appro-
priatIons for lSso were luade tho estimates
anticipated n revenue VI S3s,e45,174 1t II
now ascertatnett, however, ttnt tho actual
revenue Of thu coming year will largely ex-
ccetl this amount. The lIlerease for the pres.
ent year Indicates revenue of s:'o, ,0a7, ,0a7.
Estimating tho increase for 1882 ut y per cel,t
the revenues will amount to sSD, ,51a, ,7s0, Or
nearly S15o,0o0 more tl,an was anticipated.
A.reasy the Observation-Disclosures! l'as d!scos'-
tinuetl fraudulent cUttrAcis equal To aIl ex-
1puliture OF $1,000, ,oou yenr. And this In
crensp OF revenue md reduction OF eSpeliaf-
trro will reduce tile deficit for 1851 to less
tllAn $4Go, 900.
Tie growth OF the postal service Of the
country furnishes fair picture OF tho ge!l-
cyal growth Ut tile population Mud business
Of the ncoplc. THUS Ii, 1900 tho Whale nu',l-
Der Of post-oAccs In tho country wns pt3;
extent Of p0st.routes, 20,Sl1 niles; revenue,
S..so. Sol; expenditure, Sa1a9N.
III lS3D, wllem W. were just beginning the
raIIyuatl system, anil the population was IT,
S.a0, ,sts, tho number of pnst-ullces was 84a0:
tic mtes Of ,natlruntcs. li6, Ito; tho revenue,
Sl,s5p, 5sJ; and tho expense, Sl,Gs...7os.
IN lsGo tho population was Jl,1Slf+&; tho
miles OF lllail-r0utcs siu, ,b0l; number OF post
offices, :4s,.1us; revenue, aa,dls,ou7; expe,dl-
ture, sl0,l70.G10.
In 1850 tlle population had Increased to TO- :
000, 900; thu number of post-oliccs to r., ,0e9; :;
thu MILES Ut matl.routcs, ~, ,sSS; the revenue
Of the Department, S:xt.al5,47o; the cxpeudi-
tures, s:G. o., ,e0i; salaries Of 1'ostInastcrs,
the postal servie0. 47.500,
Tlo postal scryfcp IL Ut course ono Of tho
most essential brltlclles uf tho Government,
alnl tho country Inns rcasut to bo grateful
tllat President Garfield l.as placed ut thu
lea.l Of tho l'ost.uillcs Department pr.le-
tlcal businessman wl,o ID thoroughly faln!l-
iar with postal nira1rs and competent to ttc'
cltlD NIL questions III \ MlallIIor tO ir0ihoto
| tho pnhllu convenience, and NJ tho Hall,e
| t!rIo ntl III making tho service sclf-sustaIll-
tng, 1t IL possible TINT under Ills manage.
ntent aiul direction within II few years tho
rntus Ut letter postage May bo stlll further
reducctl, say tn tw1 cents per l,alt-0a,,ea
letter. The batt!o Of cheap postage WAS
fought thirty.itye years uEo, Wien the rates
wera rest.cel fron. G)4. lii55, lS2{, u.ld 50 OIL
ntlyallclng NJ cents per sheet 0f tho lot
Ter, down tU ucllts per zach lnlf.onlco
letter within a distance of LOU lntlea. ll,Is
nlndv tie p0stagO 0n letters to tlt, IN
| cItc cOaSt, 10 eenta per hu!f ounce.
| .rllB predictions that this reduction would
bankrupt the sesylco happily proved fAlse,
Thu revenue, except for . year or two. was
rs great w under the old rates, tn limo the
., 1,00pMtle restriction wus abolfslNu; still
lAtrr tho rnte per llRlf-0unce was reduced t0
thrvu cents; then t0llawed the two a,lA one
cuut staInps: tllun thu postal-cards. Ut which
no lcsa Than .71, 44U, ,1at were mailed in I3SD
e.lual to live al.l 0ne-tat carlx to each IL.
llabltant IN the United States. Inter sttt
WIS thu reform By requiring prepayment d
alt postages Oh printed matter. wl,lcl. per
mittea the !argo reduction In thu rate,
ot postage. Which III snrn was fol
lowud BY AL Increase Of revenue fron
that class Ut ,ua!t matter. Our owl
National experience las been tllas every ~
ductlon IN tic ratcs Ut postage has been fol
lowed by such al, lAcrcas1 la tho weight n
matter forwarded b. mail that, wilslo sh,
service has been enlarged, tho revenue ha'
also been Increased. Tho American peupl'
haze had til!s experience in postut uattors
nnd yet the sanlo principle IL even NOR
striklngly illustrated In tAv ease Of railroAs
transportation. 'rt4o postal serylcu Is ulan