Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 September 1875 — Postal Statistics. [ARTICLE]

Postal Statistics.

The following interesting statistics are compiled from the annual report of P. M. Gen. Jewell: DEAD LETTERS. Number of domestic letters received at the Dead-Letter Office during the year, 4,348,473; num--2* r foreign letters received, 253,300; total 4,•01,773 —representing an actual or nominal value ?L? 4,837 ’ 429 08 - Number of letters delivered, 1,892,234, representing $3,909,868.48 (including 225,893 foreign letters returned unopened to the countries whence they came); number tiled for reclamation, 24,863, representing $240,183.62; number at the close of the year either remaining not acted upon or outstanding in the hands of Postmasters for delivery, 561,767, representing $487,377; number which, containing circulars, or failing in delivery and being worthless, were destroyed, 2,622,619. The nnmber of applications for dead letters was 6,420. In 2,140 of these cases the letters were found and properly delivered. The amount received during the year and deposited in the Treasury from unclaimed dead letters and from proceeds of sale of waste paper was $13,548.68. REGISTERED LETTERS. The issues of registered packages to Postmasters upon their requisition during the past year were 30 per cent, greater than during the previous year. The increase is attributable in part to the reduction of the fee for registering domestic letters from fifteen cents to eight cents, which took effect on the Ist of January' last, and in part to the increased care which the department has given to the subject. THROUGH MAILS. The through-mail tables show that for the year ending Sept. 30, 1874, the average time to San Francisco from New York was 173 hours 32 minutes, against 179 hours 4 minutes the previous yesf —a gain of 5 hours 32 minutes; and to New York from San Francisco, 171 hours 1 minute, against 175 hours 28 minutes the previous year—a gain of 4 hours 27 minutes. The number of mails carried through westwardlv between the same points in schedule time this" year was 507, and behind time 44, against 467 in time and 106 behind time last year; and eastwardly 327 in time and 38 behind time this year, against 235 in time and 180 behind time last year. Between Washington and New Orleans the average time going south this year was seventy-eight hours forty-eight minutes, against eighty-one hours forty-five -minutes last year—a gain of two hours fiity-seven minutes; and going north the average was seventy-one hours three minutes this year, against seventytwo hours fifty-three minutes last year—a gain of one hour and fifty minutes. And on most of the other through-mail routes there is a perceptible improvement both in speed and regularity compared with the tables for the preceding year, MAIL DEPREDATIONS. The Dumber of recorded oomplalnU for the past year of missing letters of value was 5,233, of which 2,040 were registered and 3,193 unregistered. The registered letters contained, as reported, in bonds, drafts ana currency. $1(25,778 80, and the Unregistered $189,301.70. Of the registered letters, 915 were satisfactorily accounted for, 007 are reported as actually lost, and 618 c&se* are in the hands of Special agents for investigation. During the year 285 persons were arrested for Violations or the postal laws and regulations. Of these ninety-nine have been convicted, fifteen have been acquitted, fire escaped before trial, two forfeited bail; prosecution was abandoned in thirty-eight cases, and 126 are awaiting trial. RAIL WAT POSTO PRICES. The nnmber of postofflee lines in operation on June 30.1874, was sixty-three, extending over 16,414 miles of railroad and steamboat routes, an increase of four lines and 1,548 miles over the preceding ye*-. The ntubbe? »f clerks employed was 850. at an annual cost of $1,058.20), an increase of ninety-eight clerks and $117,300. ROREIGIi MAIL STATISTICS. total number of letters exchanged during the year with foreign countries was 28,579,045, an increase of 1,119.860 over the number reported for 1873. Of this number 14,885,989 were sent from, and 13,693,056 were received in, the United States. The number of letters (single rates) exchanged in the United States ana European mafia was 19,967,042, an increase of 381,528 over the number reported for 1873. The total post-

•W- OU ti»e letter* exchanged 'with foreign c dhntrte* amounted to $2,064,80181, an increase $85,492.95 over the amount reported for IOTI The aggregate amount of postage (sea, inland find foreign) on the lett« mails exchanged vn'.h the United Kingdom of Great Britain hnd Ireland, Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Denmark, Sweden and Norway was. $1,438,800.65, an increase of $32,293.15 over the amount reported for 1873. The postage on letters sent exceeded the postage on letters received from Hie same countries in the sum of $72,888.15. being 5.06 per cent, of the aggregate amount. The aggregate weight of mails sent to Europe was 946,911 pound*, and of mail received from Europe 988,392. The weight of letter correspondence sent to Europe was 216,590 pounds, and of letter correspondence received from Europe 187,647 pounds. The total cost of the United States ocean mail steamship service for the year 1874 (including S66iSOJ paid from special appropriation for steamship service to Japan and China, to Brazil and to the'Hawaiian islands) was $994,884.32. rosTomcia and appointments. Number of postoffices established during the year 2.313 Number discontinued 1.268 Increase 1.050 Number in operation on June 30. 1873 33,214 Number in operation on June 30. 1874 34,294 Number filled by appointments of the President 1.408 Number filled by appointments of the Post-master-General 32,834 Appointments were made during the year: On resignations. 5.334 On removals .................. 907 On change of names and sites 477 On deaths of Postmasters 318 On establishment of new'postoffices 8,318 Total appointments 9,374 The number of special agents, route agents, mail-route messengers, railway postoffice clerks and local agents iu service duriag the year ended Jane 30, 1874, was 2,175, at an aggregate compensation of $2,351,808.63. THE MONEY-ORDER SYSTEM. Number of new money-order offices established, 346; discontinued, 11—-making the present number 3,404. Number of domestic money orders issued during the year, 4.420.633, the aggregate of value of which was $74,424,851.72. The fees received by Postmasters for the issue of domestic money orders amounted to $461,382.30. A gain of $16,908,638.02, or 2.94 per cent., in the amount of orders issued and of $106,780.05, or 30.11 per cent., in the amount of fees received, is shown by these figures over the transactions *f the previous year. The revenue account of the domestic moneyorder system as adjusted and reported by t,h§_ Auditor shows the receipts to have been $»62.238.> 53; expenditures, $357,198.11; excess of receipts over expenditures, $105,198.11. The amount, of revenue is greater by $36,614.12 than that of the previous year, an increase of 53.4 percent. ■ = —- ESTIMATES. The total expenditures for the fiscal rear ending June 30, 1876, are estimated at $36,964,031; estimated revenue $39,148,156. These estimates do not include appropriations for steamship service and stamps, amounting to $2,098,500.