Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-12-05

bly, depicts the intimate connection and
inter-dependence of the navy and the COM
mercial marine, and invites attention to
the continued decadence of the latter and
the corresponding transfer of our growing
commerce to foreign bottoms
This subject is one OF the utmost i'm
portance to the national welfare. Methods
of reviving American ship building and of
restoring the United States flag in tho
ocean carrying trade should receive the
immediate attention Of congress. We have
mechanical skill and abundant material for
the manufacture of modern iron steam
ships in fair competition with our COM
mercial rivals. Our disadvantage in build
ing ships is the greater cost OF labor and
sailing them, higher taxes and greater in
terest on capital, while ocean highways are
already monopolized by our formidable
competitors. These obstacles should in
some way be overcome, and for our rapid
communication with foreign lands we
should not continue to depend wholly on
vessels built in the yards of other countries
and sailing under foreign flags. With no
United States steamers on the principal
ocean lines or for any foreign ports, our
facilities for extending our commerce are
greatly restricted, while the nations which
build the ships and carry mail and passen-
gers obtain thereby conspicuous dvant-
ages increasing their trade.
THE PosToFFICE.
The report of the postmaster general
gives evidence of the satisfactory condition
of that department and contains many
valuable data and accompanying sugges-
tons which cannot fail to be OF interest.
The information which it affords that
the receipts for the fiscal year have ex-
ceeded the expenditures must be very graft
flying to congress and to the people OF the
country. AS matters which may fairly
claim particular attention, I refer to his
observations in reference to the advisable
ity ot changing the present basis for fixing
salaries and allowances of extending the
money order system, of charging the
functions of postal establishments so as to
bring under its control the telegraph sys-
TEN Of the country, though from this last
and most important recommendation I
must withhold my concurrence.
At the last session OF congress several
bills were introduced into the house of
representatives for the reduction of letter
| postage to the rate OF two cents per half
ounce. have given much study and re-
| Hectlon to this subject, and am thorough
ly persuaded that such reduction would
be for the best interests of the public. It
has been the policy Of the government
from its foundation to defray as far as
possible the expenses of carrying the mails
by direct tax in the form of postage. It
has never been claimed, however,
that this service ought to
be productive of a net revenue
AS has been stated already, the report of
the postmaster general shows that there is
now very considerable surplus in his de-
partment, and that henceforth the receipts
are likely to increase in much greater
ratio than the necessary expenditure. I'm
less some change is made in the existing
laws, the profits of the postal service will
in very few years swell the revenues of
the government many million of dollars.
The time seems suspicious, therefore, for
some reductions in the rates of postage.
In what shall the reduction
consist? A review of the legislation
which has been had upon this subject
during the last thirty years discloses that
domestic letters constitute the only class
of mail matter which has never been ia
vored by a substantial reduction of rates.
I am convinced that the burden of main
tanning the service falls most aneGually
upon that class, and that more than any
other it is entitled to present relief. That
such relief may be extended without det
riment to other public interests will be
discovered upon reviewing the results of
former reductions. Immediately prior to
the act of 1916, the postage upon letter
composed of single sheet was as follows:
If conveyed thirty miles or less. six cents;
between thirty and eighty miles, ten cents;
between eighty and $50 miles, twelve and
one-half cents; between $50 and 400 miles,
thirteen and three-fourth cents; over 400
miles, twenty-five cents. By the act of
1916 the postage upon a single letter con-
veyed for any distance under 800 miles,
was fixed at five cents, for any greater dis
lance, at ten cents.
By the act of 1879 it was provided that
a single letter if prepaid should be carried
any distance not exceeding 500 miles for
three cents, and any greater distance for
six cents. 1t will be noticed that both of
these reductions were of radical charac-
ter, and relatively quite as important as
that now proposed. In each case there en-
sued temporary loss of revenue, but
sudden and large influx of business
which substantially paid that loss in three
years. Unless the experience of past leg
islation in this country and elsewhere goes
for naught, it may be safely
predicted that the stimulus of
SO per cent. reduction in the tax for car
riage would at once increase the number
of letters consigned to the mails, the ad-
vantages of secrecy would lead to very
general substitution of scaled packets for
postal cards and open circulars, and in di-
verse other ways the volume of irst-class
matter would be enormously augmented.
Such increase amounted in England in the
first year after the adoption of penny
, postage to more than 125 per cent. AS a
result Of careful estimate, the details of
which cannot here be set out, I
have become convinced that the
deficiency for the first year
after the proposed reduction would not ex-
coed per cent. of the expenditures, or
$3,OOOOOO, while the deficiency after the
reduction of 1S45 was more than Ia per
cent, and after that of 1851 was 81 per
cent. Another interesting comparison is
afforded by statistics furnished me by the
postoffice department. The act of 1916
was passed in the face of the fact that
J there existed deficiency of more than
> $4,000; that of 1851 was encouraged by
the slight surplus of $4,000. The excess
l of revenue in the next fiscal
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