Jasper Republican, Volume 2, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 December 1875 — Abstract of the Postmaster-General’s Report. [ARTICLE]

Abstract of the Postmaster-General’s Report.

The Postmaster-General’s annual report shows the receipts of the department to be $27,441,360 and expenditures $33,611,309. The receipts exceed those of 1874 1 13-100 per cent., and the expenditures 4 62-100. The actual amount drawn from the Treasury was $4,716,329, or $543,606 less than the previous year. Tbe recorded complaints of missing letters number 5,645. of which 2,677 were registered letters containing bonds, drafts, etc., amounting to $76,216, while the unregistered letters contained valuables amounting to $75,997. Of the former 1,083 were satisfactorily accounted for. 911 actually lost, and 683 remain under investigation. Arrests for violation of the Postal laws numbered 307, the greater portion not being connected with the postal service. One hundred and seven convictions were had and 157 await trial. The department is in correspondence with the British Department on the subject of the increase of United States territorial rate on British closed mails transported between New York and San Francisco, the present rates, fixed by the Postal Convention of 1862, not paying the actual cost of transportation. The report shows the operations of the various bureaus of the- department, concerning which mnch information has already been published. The Money-Order Department, the annual transactions of which have reached about $80,000,000, shows an apparent profit of $120,000, though really in arrears more than that if the clerk-hire and stationery required for the business were charged directly to Its account. The increase of rates on small orders made by authority of the last Congress will, it is believed, enable the bureau to hereafter pay its own expenses.

The fact that but one American steamship carries mails across the Atlantic, and none to South A merica. is regarded as humiliating to Americau pride. Mr. Jewell thinks as Meatier of national pride, as an aid to the revival of American commerce, and as a means of supplying an efficient steam marine service for immediate use by the Government in case of war, provision should be made for the transportation of our mails on important ocean routes in steamships officered and manned by our own citizens and sailing under our own flag. A moderate compensation in excess at the postages now allowed would enable the establishment and maintenance of American lines to Europe and South America, and a moderate mail compensation for a line to Japan and China will doubtless continue the mall service to those countries in American ships after the termination of the existing subsidy, the contract for which will expire on the 81st of December, 1878. I think it safe to say that the sum of $500,000 per annum now granted as k subsidy to the Japan and China line for a single monthly service on that route would, in addition to postages on mails, be Quite sufficient, Judiciously apportioned between the respective routes, to maintain an efficient mail service by mail steamers sailing under our flag on all the important ocean routes which should be occupied by fines of American steamers. Mr. Jewell says the evil of straw-bidding, which annually involves the department in the loss of many hundreds of thousands of dollars, can, in his judgment, be effectually removed by such a change In the law as will authorize the Postmaster-Gener-al, on the failure of any accepted bidder, to offer a contract as at present to the next lower bidder in the list, if, in nis Judgment, the bid be not too high, and, if this next lowest bidder declines to enter into a contract, to be authorized to enter into a contract with any person not a bidder at any price not exceeding said next lowest bid. The Postmaster-General speaks of the railway KI service and roads doing it in high terms, kinks it would be more equitable to pay companies by space instead of weight. This would increase the compensation of the roads of the larger class, but reduce it materially on many smaller and Weaker ones. The fast-mail service is praised, and ths opinion expressed that at no distant day the business of ths department will be so great as to induce railroad companies to run similar trains from New England to the gulf, and from the Atlantic to the Faciflc.

It is recommended that any pflrsoti be permitted without additional charge to write a form of presentation in any book, pamphlet, magazine, periodical or any other matter of the third class, and also that the sendef Of any package be permitted without additional charge to write his or her name and address on the outside thereof, with the word “from” above, or preceding the same, so as to inform the person addressed of the name of the sender, and to write briefly on any package the number and name of articles inclosed. The sending of public documents through the malls has not delayed the delivery of ordinary mails or perceptibly increased their cost As to the transient printed matter, the Post-master-General pays: “I recommend that the postage oh transient newspapers and periodicals, books, printed matter of all sorts, lithographs and maps, sheet-music, photographs and manuscripts designed for publication shall be reduced to one cent for each two ounces or fraction thereof, which was the rate before the enactment of the law advancing it during the closing hours of the last Congress.” Concerning newspaper postage, he says the new law, which went into effect on the Ist of January, 1875, from present indications will realize about $1,000,000 for the first calendar year. This is not a material variation from the average results of the old law, though during the last year in which this latter was in operation the amount was increased by the payment of postage on newspapers circulating within the county of publication, a requirement that was discontinued at the end of one year. While, therefore, there has been no increase In the aggregate receipts, there has been a large net gain by saving commissions on collections allowed by the old law as under the present law. The great bulk of postage is paid at large offices whose salaries are not affected by this item. Under the old law there was no check to insure collections at the office of destination, and the consequence was much matter went unpaid, and it is a satisfaction that under the present more equitable mode universal collections have made up for the reductions in rates. The new system has worked so admirably, and has given such general satisfaction, that no change is deemed necessary. It la recommended that the pay of Postmasters of the fourth class be based upon the business of their respective offices, as determined by the cancellation of stamps, the account to be duly sworn to for each quarter, and returned to the Sixth Auditor.” There is great want of equity in the compensation of Postmasters of the first, second, and third classes. If the salaries at smaller offices are not excessive, those of the larger cities are certainly too low. I find Postmasters as a class to be efficient, capable and attentive beyond my expectations, and their salaries should be proportionate to their duties. Cases are said to exist, however, where few or no duties are actually performed by the Postmaster. A law compelling Postmasters whose net income is, say, SI,OOO or more to give entire attention to this duties of their offices, or, falling in this to employ some person or persons to perform them at tnefr own and not at the Government's expense, would be, most undoubtedly, beneficial to the service.” In estimating the expected revenues for the year ending Juns 30,1877, and wishing to be on the safe side, the estimates have been submitted which show an expected deficiency of $8,181,602, but it is believed that the deficiency for that year will be very much less than the estimates. Basing the estimates of the revenues at the smallest amount, and of the expenditures at the largest an increase is shown in the -percentage of deficiency only of 19 39-100, against 24 65-100, which was the estimate of the percentage of the deficiency last year over that of its predecessor.