The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1882-12-08

nette In accordance with an act Of Congress OF
March \ 1881 sailed from Ban Francisco Jun
| Id, under the command of Lieut. Robert M,
Berry. On Nov. 30 she was accidentaiy ue
stroyed by hre while In winter quarters IA n o..
Lawrence bay, but the oficers ana ere" euo
ceeded In escaping TO the shore.
Lieut.. Berry and one of his officers, after max
ns search Tor the 'e cb F Ens . MeSes
rarty, and returned home by way OF Europe.
! Tho other officers and the crew OF the Rodgers
! 1ere brought from st. Lawrence bay by the
whaling steames North Star. Master Charles r.
1 Putnam who had been placed In charge OF ue-
pot OF supplies at Cape Serdze, returning 70 his
/ post from 81. Lawrence bay across ths Ice, III .
| binding snow-storm, was carried ont TO sea ana
lost, notwithstanding all efforts to rescue HIN
TTE NAVAL FORCES.
appears by the Secretary report that the
available naval force OF the United states CON
sists of thirty cruisers, fourteen single
turreted monitors. built during the rebellion,
q large number of smooth bore guns and farrou
rifles and eighty seven rited cannon. The cruis-
ing vessels should be replaced by iron or
steel ships, the monitors by modern-armofed
vessels, and the armament by high-power rinea a
guns. The reconstruction or our navv winch
was recommended In my last message, was as
begun by Congress authorizing. In its
recent act, the construction OF two large
unarmored steel vessels OF the character
recommended by the late Navy Advisory
| Board and subject 70 the final approval ~ anew
Advisory Board To be organized a. provided py
| that act call your attention To the recon-
! mendation OF the Secretary an the board thnt
! authority be given 70 construct two more cruis-
ers OF smaller dimensions and one Meet uls-
patch-vessel aud that appropriations DE mace
for high power rified cannon for the torpedo
service and For other harbor detenses. Il. nding
| the consideration by Congress OF the pohcy 70
be hereafter adopted in conducting the eight
large navy yards and their expensive
establishments. the Secretary advocates
the reduction OF expenditures therefor 10 the
lowest possible amounts, and for the purpose
Of affordng the officers and seamen OF the navy
opportunities OF exercise and discipline In the,r
profession under appropriate conir0i ana III
rection. the Sccretory advises that the nght-
house service and coast survey he transformer,
M now organized, from the Treasury 70 the
| Navy Deperimen and he also suggests, for the
reasons which he assigns, that similar transfer
may wisely be made Of the cruising revenue
| vessels.
The Secretary forcibfy depicts the ultimate nate
connection and e-dependencySbf the navy anu
the commercial marine, and invites attention 70
the continued decadence of the latter and the cor
I responding transfer OF our growing commerce 10
foreign bottoms. This subject IL one OF the ut
most importance TO the national we fare:
| Methods OF reyiving American shipbuiding, ana
OF restoring the United States flag in the ocean
carrying trade, shonld recei the immediate at,
| tention of Congress. We have mechanical skill
and abundant material for the manufacture
of modern iron steamships in fair o1p-
petition with our commercial rivals. Our
| disadvantage in building ships Is the
greater cost OF labor and in sailing them, higher
taxes and greater interest on capital. While the
/ ocean highways are already nOnOpOlUcV ny 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 upon vessels bullt III
the Yards OF other countries and sailing under
foreign flags With no United States steamers
on the principal ocean lines or TO any foreign
ports, our facilities for extending our commerce
are greatly restricted, while the nations which
build and sail the ships ana carry the mails and
passengers obtain thereby conspicuous adj
vantages for increasing their trade.
THE pOSTOFFICE DEPARTMENT.
Tie report of the Postmaster General gives
evidence OF the satisfactory condition OF that
| department. and contains many valuable data
and accompanying suggestions which cannos
fail TO be of Interest. The information which 1t
affords that the receipts Tor the h Sc year haye
flying to Congress. and TO the people OF the
country As matters which may fairly claim Inn
Visibility Of changing he present basis
for fixing salaries and allowances;
larging the functions OF the postal establish
ment, so as to have under its control the tele-
graph system OF the country, though from this
last and most important recommendation
must withhold my concurrence.
LETTER POSTAGE
At the last session OF Congress, several bills
! were introduced into the House of Representa-
tives for the reduction OF letter postage 10 the
rate OF cents 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
1t has been the policy OF the Government
from its foundation TO defray, as far as pos
sible, the expenses Of carrying the mails by
direct tax in the form of postage, and II has
never been claimed, however that this service
ought TO be productive of a net revenue. Az has
been stated already, the report of the Postmas-
ter General shows that there Is now very con-
siderable surplus in his department, and that
henceforth the receipts likely To increase at
a much greater ratio than the neces-
sary expenditures Unless some change
il made In the existing laws, the profits Of the
postal service WILL in very few years, swell the
revenues of the Government many millions o.
dollars. The time seems suspicious, therefore,
for some reduction in the rates of postaSs. In
what shall that 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 favored by
! substantial reductions OF rates. am convinced
! that the burden OF maintaining the service falls
| any other 1t is entitled to present it
! self That such relief may be extended
To other public interests, will be discov-
! cred upon reviewing the results of former reduc-
tions. Immediately prior 10 the act of ls45, the
postage upon letter composed of n single sheet
was as follows: If conveyed 80 miles or less,
cents; between 80 and 80 miles, 10 cents; between
80 and $50 miles, 1919 cents between $50 and 400
| y lies, 1884 cents over 400 miles, % cents. BY
the act Of lsi5 the postage upon a single letter
| conveyed for any distance under 200 miles was
fixed at cents and for any greater distance at
10 cents. BY the act OF 1851 IL was provided that
single letter. II prepaid, should be carried any
any greater distance for cents twill be noticed
that both of these reductions were of a radical
character and relatively quite important
| az that which IL now proposed. In each
case there ensued a temporary loss of revenue,
! but a sudden and large influx of business fol-
| lowed which substantially repaired that loss
within three years Unless the experience of
past legislation in this country and elsewhere
goes for naught, it may be safely predicted that
the stimulus OF so per cent. reduction In tax
| for carriage would at once increase the number
! of letters consigned tn the mails. The advan-
! tage of secrecy would lead to very general sub
stitution Of sealed packets for postal cards and
open circulars, and in divers other ways the
volume of first-class matter would be enor-
mously augmented Such increase amounted in
England, In the first year after the adoption of
penny postage, to more than l25 per cent As
| the result OF careful estimates the details
Of (Which cannot be here set out, have become
convinced that the deficiency for the first year
ffter the proposed reduction would not exceed
per cent of the expenditures, $1,000, 900, while
the deficiency, after the reduction of ls45, was
more than IL per cent, and, after that Of 1851,
was ~ per cent. Another interesting compar-
son Is afforded by statistics furnished me bv
the Postoffice Department. The act OF lS45 was
passed in the facs of the fact that there existed
deficiency OF more than $4,000. That OF 1851
was encouraged bv the slight surplus Of $751;
| Oe. The excess Of revenue In the next fiscal
\ year rs likely to be 800 coo.