The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-12-05


yards of other countries and sailing
under foreign flags, with no United
States steamers on the principal
ocean lines, or for any foreign ports,
four facilities for extending oul com
merce are greatly restricted, while
the nations which build and sail the
ships and carry the mails and pas
sengers obtain thereby conspicuous
advantages for increasing their
trade.
POsToFFTCE DEPARTMENT..
The report of the postmaster-gen-
eraI gives evidence of the satisfac
tory condition of that department
and contains many valuable data
and accompanying suggestions
which cannot fail to be of interest.
The information which it afforded
that the receipts for the fiscal year
have exceeded the expenditures
must be very gratifying to Congress
| and to the people of the country as
matters which may fairly claim par
ticular attention. l refer you to his
observations in reference to the adj
visibility Of changing the present
basis for fixing salaries and
allowances, for extending the
money order system, of enlarging
the function of the postal establish
ment, so as to place under its con-
troll the telegraph system Of the
country, though from this cost, and
most important recommendation, [
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 &c. per
half ounce. | have given much
study and reflection to this subject
and am thoroughly 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
fast as possible. the expenses of
carrying the mails by a direct tor
in the form of postage. It has
never been claimed, however, that
this service ought to be pro-
jductive of a net revenue
AS has been stated already, the re-
port of the postmaster general
shows that there is now q very con-
siderable surplus in this depart.
ment, and that henceforth the re-
ceipts are likely to increase in a
much greater ratio than the increas-
| ing expenditure. Unless some
change is made in the existing laws,
the profits of the postal service will,
in very few years, swell the reYe-
nueS Of the government many mil
lions of dollars. The time seems
suspicious, therefore, for some re
duction in the rates Of postage. In
what shall the reduction consist !?
A review of the legislation which
has been had upon this subject du-
ring the last thirty years, dIscloses
that domestic letters constitute the
only class Of mail matter which has
never been favored by a substantial
reduction of rates. am convinced
that the burden of maintaining the
service falls more unequally upon
that class, and that more than any
other it is entitled to present relief.
That such relief may be extended
without detriment to other public
Interests, will be discovered upon
reviewing the results Of former re-
auctions. Immediately prior to
the act Of 1845, the postage
upon a letter composed of a
single sheet, was as follows;
Conveyed thirty miles or less, &C. /;
between thirty and eighty miles,
16c. between eighty and $50 miles,
PIG; between $50 and 400 miles,
1870; over 400 miles, CSC. BY the
act of 1845, the postage on a single
letter, conveyed for any distance
under thirty miles, was fixed at sc.
and for any greater distance at IOc.
By the act Of 1857 it was provided
that a single letter, if prepaid,
should be carried any distance not
exceeding 5000 miles, for &c., and
any greater distance &C. 1t will be
noticed that both OF these reduc-
lions were Of a radical character,
and relatively quite as important as
that which is now proposed. In
each case there ensued a temporary
loss of revenue, but a sudden and
large influx of business which sub
stantially repaid that loss within
three years. Unless the experience
of past legislation in this country
and elsewhere goes for naught,i it may
be safely predicted that the stimu-
Illus of a reduction will be fifty per
cent. A reduction in the tax for
postage would at once increase the
letters consigned to the mail and the
advantage would lead to a very gen
eral substitution of sealed packages
for postal cards, and open circulars,
and in devices of that way Of the
volume of firStcIass matter would
be enormously augmented. Such in
crease amounted in England in the
first year after the adoption of q
penny postage to more than 125 per
cent. After a careful estimate, the
details Of which cannot be here set
have been convinced that the def.
cheney for the first year
after the proposed reduction would
~ e