Beport of the Postmaster General.
; Post Office Department, November,
-26, 1866,— Sir: The revenues of this depart-;
ment for the year ending Jane3o,lBBB, were
,-$14,386,986-21, and the expenditures $16,352,-
. ..079 30, showing an excess of the latter of
$965,093 09. Anticipating this deficiency, a
special appropriation-was made by act of
Congress approved July 28,1886. . i
: The decrease of re venue compared with the
' previous year was 11-5 per cent:, and the in-‘
-creasoof expenditures 12 perbent. > Tnclud
ing the standing appropriation for free iffiaii
, matter, $70p,000, as a legitimate portion of
the revenues yet remaining" unexpended,th“
..actual deficiency for, the past year.isonly!
',5265,093 09—within §51,1410f amount, esti
mated in the annual report of 1831. ', . . !
» • That portion of the revenues accumulated
in depository and draft offices, under the
. supervision of the .“finance office” of.this
department, was $6,751,655 39; collected by
' the Auditor, $2,641,074 38; and retained by
' postmasters for salaries and office expenses;
$4,994,256 44. ~
The estimated expenditures for the year end
ing Jone SO. 1868, are.._ ....117,583,000
The revenues estimated at 5 per
. cent, over last y-ar *15,108,385 '
Appropriations for free matter 700,000
Excess of expenditures , 1,776,6555
For this deficiency no special appropria
tion willlbe required. The standing appro
priations for the free matter, unexpended
for several years, are deemed saifioient;
The following amounts will, however, be
required from any money in the treasury
not otherwise appropriated, viz:
For overland mall transportation'between
Atchison and Folsom, and for marine ma'l
transportation between New Tork ! and
California 49C0.C00
For steamshlpservlcebeiween San Francisco,
Japan and China, for one year feom Joly, l.
1867 .. 530,000
Por steamship service between tbe United
States and Brazil, for the same period,
For detailed information as to the finance a
ef the department, reference is made to the
full and satisfactory report of the Auditor,
hereto appended.
The number of postage stamps issued
during the year was 347,734,325, representing
§10,816,661; stamped envelopes 30,386,200,
representing §921,500 50; stamped envelopes
bearißg printed cards and requests 7,683,525
i representing §230,006 75; stamped wrappers
1,025,000, representing §20,500; making in
all §11,988,668 25; a decrease of §858,769 25,
as compared witn the previous year.
The aggregate of stamped envelopes and
stamped wrappers issued during the year
ended June 30, 1866, was 39,094,725, repre
-1 sen ting §1,172,007 25; an increase of 12.88 S -
550, representing §424,557 25, or nearly 50
per cent; being largely in excess of issues
during any previous year since the intro
duotion of stamped envelopes.
The sal#of stamps, envelopes,&o., during
the past year amounted to §12,204,729 54, or
§216,061 29 more than the issues; showing the
absorption to that extent of the stock re- I
maining unsold in the hands of the pest
masters, which amounted on the Ist of Julv.
1865, to §447,710. (See Appendix.)
The issues of postage stamps and stamped
envelopes during the current fiscal year,
from Ist of July to Ist Novemder, are §360,-
765 m excess of the issues for the corre
sponding period of last year, being at the
rate of more than one million of dollars per I
annum, I
The increased demand since Ist July for 1
envelopes with printed cards and requests I
for returning direct to the sender, if not I
promptly delivered to the address, is very |
notable, being about 663 per cent. The I
general use of such 'envelopes will tend I
largely to reduce the number of deadil
letters. I
During the year, 66 cases of claims, on ao- I
count of robberies by armed forces, invol- I
vmg an amount of §4,225 06,have been acted I
upon. Fifty-seven of these claims, amount- I
ing to $3,852 04, have been allowed under I
the provisions of the acts approved April I
29,1864,and March 3,1865,ana nine,amount- I
ing to §374 *j2,have been rejected as not com- I
mg within the provisions of the law. I
COUTBACTS.
There were in the service of the depart
ment on the 30th June, 1866, 6,069 contract
ors for the transportation of the mails.
Of mall routes in operation there were
6,930; aggregate length 180,921 miles; aggre
gate annual transportation 71,837,914 miles
aggregate annual cost $7,630,474; including
me compensation of route agents, local
agents, mail messengers, postal railway
clerks, and baggage-masters in charge of
mails, viz., $779,710, the aggregate annual
con was $8,410,184. Thisseryice was divided
as follows:
Railroad routes: length 32.092 miles; an
nual transportation 30,609,467 miles; annual
cost $3,391,592, about 11 cents per mile.
• Stsamboat routes: length 14;346 miles
annual transportation 3,411,962 miles; an
nual cost $440,844, about 13 cents per mile
Celerity, &c,: routes’ length 134,483 miles
annual transportation 37,816,485 miles l
annual cost $3,798,038, about 10 cants per
mile.
-The length of routes was increased over
the preceding year 38,581 miles; the annual
transportation, 13,724,420 miles; and the
cost, $1,393,590, the increase. arising princi
pally from the restoration of service in the
Southern States.
A table herewith annexed shows the rate
of pay per annum for mail transportation
m operation in late Insurgent States on the
c Mth June, 1866, $1,170,529, compared with
the amount due for service actually ren-
S? 1 ? j 1 1? th 9 se States in the year ending with
■that “date, _5769,218; the difference, $401,311
resulting from the fact that much of the
.service was in operation only part of the
f^K D6t postal receipts from those
ttt&tGß tor tno same p9nod betas* &iQ3
the without including tlie compenl
station of route agents, local agents, and mail
messengers) exceeded receipts by $75 383
A table is annexed showing the ser
iate operation in these States,September
30,1866, compared with the condition of the
?®roce same States, November 1.
1855, the date to which the statements on
were made np in the last annnal
From this table it will be seen that
“ ofPeration 0 f P er ation in the States enu
merated ninety railroad routes, with an
Hraate length of 8 1703 miles, at a cost of
nam; tw ®nty-slx steamboat
routes, with an aggregate length of 5 557
■“Ues.'.at a coat of $195,665 per fnnum; and
„ Btar service route?, (celerity, & 0 ,)
With an aggregate length of 46,4423 miles
at a cost of $1,062,477 54 per annum; making
the Whole service now in operation in
these States, of all grades, 1,253 routes, with
length of 60,1704 miles.at a cost
of $1,845,623 .54 .per annum. Compared
with the service m operation on the Ist of
Nov. 1865, viz, seventy-one railroad routes
With anafggregate length of 6,242 2-10 mUes
at a cost of $437,257 . per annum; twelve
steamboat routes, with an aggregate length
of 3,8694 miles, at a cost of $937260 per fn
nnm; and 154 “star service routes, with an
aggregate length of 8,1861 miles, at a cost of
$177,743 per annum, there appears an in
crease of nineteen routes, 1,92855-100 miles
and $150i324 annual cost of railroad service
fourteen routes, 2,9714 miles, and $102,305
annual cost of steamboat service; and 983
routes; 38,2564 miles, and $884,734 54 annnal
costof “atar service;” makin a totalinoreasn
of 1,016 routes, 41,872 55-109 miles. and
$1,137,363 54 annnal cost.
.Another, table Is annexed showing the
number, termini, and length of southern
railroad routes not in operation September
30,1866; the number being only fourteen
and the aggregate length 696 12-100 miles!
Comparing, this with ninety routes in opera
tion, having an aggregate length or 8,1703
ggtiles, shows a remarkable progress In the
Pwnsoltation of the railroad system of the
being two thousand two
jknndredand fifty routes in all the States
■nnmierated, these statements show more
uun halfthe whole number tobela opera- i
THE DAILY EVENING BULLETIN.--PHILADELPHIA. TUESDAY PECEMBEIt 4.1866-TRTPLrt SHEET.
tlon, comprising nearly nine-tenths of the
onroad routes. All the routes Jin thea.
states -were duly advertised to be let to con
ract; a part-from the Ist January,-1866, and
he residue from.'lst July, 1866; but on a
-targenumber of - them- no proposals—were
received under the advertisement, and on
many others the bids were extravagantly
nigh, In the latter case,-offers of the highest
admissible rates were submitted by
he department to the lowest
oidders; and in some instances
negotiations -were—opened through 1
special agents, postmasters, and leading
Citizens.; By all these ineans combined;:the
amount of service here stated has ' been ob
tained.
The existing contracts in all the States!
L al ? e< i’ : except Tennessee,wi 11 expire on the
30th June, 1867. New "advertisements, in-!
vitmgproposals-for four-years’ service from!
Ist July, 1867, are now being issued, under
which it is hoped all routes of real utility in
the whole section will be let, !
By a recent order ©f-the department, the!
overland mail route to California, of which
Atchison, Kansas, had been the. initial
pouit, has been changed so as to have two
points of departure—-one from Junction city,
Kansas, on the. Union Pacific Railroad route
division),running from Wyandotte,
Kansas; and the other from Port Kearney,
Nebraska, on the Union "Pacific Railroad
. running from Omaha city,Nebraska,
the lines from these two points meet at
Denver city, in Cqlqrado_Territory.
The JUnction City road connects at Wyan
dottewith the pacific-railway from St.Louia,
Mo., making a - continuous rail way connec
tion with the eastern-cities. By this route
ihe stago travel is diminished one hundred
.nd sixty-eight miles, and the time occupied
in the transit should be proportionally re
duced. The mails to and from California,
which before were sent via Chicago and St.
Joseph, were consequently ordered, on the
15 th of August last, to be sent via St. Louis’
Wyandotte and Junction City. The reports
so far received of the actual running of the
mails since the change took effect do not
show the average diminution of time in the
performance of the through trip which the
department was led to expect, though the
capacity of the route for superior expedition
is proved by the fact that in one or two in
stances themails have beenreceived at New
Yorkinnineteendaysfrom San Francisco,
a day. less than the shortest time ever
made previous to the change. Subsequently,
however, the extension of the Chicago and
Northwestern Railway to Omaha City,
which is necessasy to form a continuous fine
by rail to Fort Kearney, has become so
nearly completed, that, on the 13th of No
vember instant, orders were issued to for
ward via Chicago, Omaha City and Fort
Kearney, all mails destined for the overland
route from the distributing offices at Port
end. Boston, Hartford, Albany, New York,
Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Cleve
and and Detroit—the expectation being
that mails from that portion of the country
represented by these distributing offices will
find their quickest transit by the northern
route.
The preparation of post-ronte maps for
publication has been continued by the topo
grapher, and is well advanced. Two sheets,
.exhibiting the post offices and mail service
of the New England States, are in the hands
of. the engraver, and will be ready for dis
cribution and sale early this winter.-
Ther amount of fines imposed and deduc
tions -made from the pay of contractors for
failures and other delinquencies during the
year was $62,956. 48, and., the amount remit
ted for the samp period was $6,654 39, leav
ing nniount of fines and deductions
sdb,3Q2 09, * J r ;
A table is annexed, showing the number,
description, and cost of mail bags,; looks
and keys purchased during the year; the
amount expended; for mail bags of all kinds
being §53,627 60„ This compared with the
expenditure of the preceding year. (891 - ;
715J!6,) shows a curtailment of $38,088 36 !
■ .. foreign maix, service, '
• The aggregate amount of postage, sea, in
land, and foreign, upon the correspondence
foreign countries, was 82.-
289,-19 30, being an increase of ,$469,290 70
as compared with the previous year!
Of this amount $1,840,800 92 ac
orned upon the mails exchanged with
Great Britain, France, Prussia, Bremen.
Hamburg and Belgium; $328,341 330 n mails
exchanged with the British;North Amorim
Provinces, and $120,077 05 en the corres
pondence transmitted to and from the West
Indies, Mexico, Central and South America.
The transatlantic mail steamship lines em
ployed m the|servicejof foreign governments
conveyed mails, the postages on which
amounted to $975,109 23; and Uiose employed
in-the service of this department conveyed
“ a ’ la -, th e postages on which amounted to
§0b0,691 69. .
. The United States’ portion of the postages
upon the correspondence exchanged with
Great Britain and the continent of Europe
amounted to $775,647 69; with the British
American Provinces, $188,883 53-
with the West Indies, Mexico, Central and
South America, $120,077 05.
The number of letters exchanged in the
mafia with foreign countries was 9,430,546;
4,886,916 were sent from,and 4,543 -
630 received in The United States. Ofttfis
number 8,564,847 were exchanged with Eu
ropean countries, an inorease of LB5l 330
pwr the number exchanged in 1865.
The number of newspaperssentto foreign
oonntaes was 2,804,442, and the number rl
celved from foreign countries 1,381,724
a m S fe atotal of t lB6 ’ 166 ’ °ft his number
3,828,135 were exchanged withEurope.be
ioSr 811 mcrea6e of 29,157 on the number in
lOvvi
fi he Increased correspondence with for-
°s^ ntrles ’ Particularly with the conti
-25?f ° f dpnng the year is unprece
dented,amounting to more than twenty-five
percent, as compared with the previous
jcaTi
rJSIL 00 !. 1 of mail service per
bjl steamships employed By this
-department’ under the provisions of the ex-
W| allows the sea and inland pos
tage to American and the Bea postage only
foreign steamers, was $525,307 46/ J
C £. B } Pfooesn transportation of mails
to and from the West Indies, by steamers
whwL differentiates of compensation
within the limit of the postsces was
KK,f 1742 32 Ims thaif thTamount
wimyfd. toteS pos^es n P° n the mails
The amount paid for sea and isthmu
trmisportauon of the mails exchanged with
%£g Amerioa ’ Raffia,
-The f? c « SB of postage collected in the
United States upon the correspondence ex •
changed with Great Britain and the conti
nent of. Europe was $500,627 76; causing
baiance against the United States on settle
ment of the international postage accounts
aggregate to $278,714 19
h or full.particulars of the operation of the
foreign service reference is made to the
P nexed heTeto to ““ rBP ° rt ° f the Auditor
oonvention has been con
eluded with the kingdom of Italy, which
n^foi BleadinSreforms 8leadin Sreforms in international
postal intercourse, recommended by th*
P° B , tal T “ Df6reiloe held at Paris in May,
18q3. : It. .wan negotiated and - signed ;a'
Turin on the Bth of July, 1863, and the rati
fications thereof were formally exchanged
on the 14thof June, 1866. This
«® v « ntion ’a COPY of whioh is annexed,
wiU.bejCkrried into execution as soon as
nofice fe received from the post department
° f . ltal Y of the route or routes of transit by
10 h Jh® exchange of correspondence in
closed bags can be effected.
Notice was given by the British govem
“e”'t’.™der date of July 25,1866, of its pur
pose to terminate the existing postal con-
between this country and the United
fungdom on the Ist of January. 1868 simnl-
expiration of the mall
subsidy contract with tbo Cnnyd line; ao-
.. 150,000
eimpanied with an assurance, of the desire
of that government to conclude a new con
vention on a more liberal basis, reducing
be present rates of international postage
and granting enlarged mail facilities.
The necessary steps -were at once
taken to accomplish that object, and
I have the satisfaction of announcing -that
a preliminary basis for-a-new postal con
vention has been agreed upon by the two
post departments, reducing the’ interna
tional charge on a single letterfrom twenty
four to twelve-centsreadmitting into the
mails printed'matter of every kind, and
patterns of-merchandise, at suqh rates as
the despatching country shall establish; and
granting to eachcountry, reciprocally, the
right to transmit, correspondence in closed
bags; or in the Ordinary; mails;, through the
other, at the same rates of charge paid by
the inbabitantsof the'country through which
-the correspondence is forwarded. •
' (The principal'advantages'of the new 'ar
rangement may be briefly stated as follows:
1. A rednotion of the international letter
postage, to one-half of the existing charge. :
2, The remorhl of all restrictions upon the
exchange of printed-matter.in the mails at
reduced postage charges.
,3. The compulsory, prepayment of postage
upon letters and other'mall matter,’avoid
ing entirely the- keeping, of complicated
postage accounts upon International oorres
pondence.-' • : = - - ;
4. A reduction of postage , with all other
countries t p and from which correspondence
is transmitted in the British mail, or in
closed bags through, the United Kingdom.
The establishment of uniform and reasona
ble charges for the sea and territorial transit
of corresponaence in closed mails; and
granting to each post department the right
to make ..use. of all - mail communications
established under the authority of. the
other, for a despatch of correspondence,
either in open or closed mails, on the same
terms as those applicable to the inhabitants
of the country providing the meansof trans
mission.
6. The postage of all international letters
to belong wholly to thedespatching country,
and no charge whatever to be made by the
receiving country on delivery.
7. Each post department to make its own
arrangements for the despatch of mails to
the other, by well appointed ships, sailing
on stated days, and to pay the owners of
such ships for the conveyance of the mails
which it despatches.
No time has yet been agreed upon
for carrying the new convention
into operation, but it is confidently
expected that the British office will consent
to name as early a date as practicable, that
the public may receive, without unnecessary
delay, the benefit of the reduced rates of
postage, as well as of more frequent means
of mail communication bet ween, the-two
countries.
The postal convention with Venezula, re
ferred to in the last report, was executed on
the part of Venezula on the 26th or June
and went intooperation on the first of oW
her last. A copy thereof is annexed.
Negotiations have been- commenced with
the post department of Brazil, for a postal
convention to regnlate ■ the exchange of cor
respondence witn that empire, by meansof
the direct line of subsidized mail packets
plying between New York and, Klo de
Janeiro, via St. Thomas, Para, Pernambuco
andPahia. - The draft of articles submitted
by this department as the basis of the con
vention, proposes the establishment of low
rates of postage both upon letters and
printed matter, the avoidance as far as
practicable of postage accounts between the
respective post departments, and adopts the
leading improvements recommended by the
Paris international postal conference. A
cppy cf the contract for the mall service to
Brazil, which was executed by the. United
States and Brazil Mail Steamship Company
on the 29th of August, 1865, is annexed
hereto.
The Pacific Mail Steamship Company of
New York, to which was awarded the con
tract for the China mall service, authorized
by the &ctof February 17,1865, has executed
a contract for that service, a copy of which
is annexed. The high reputation of this
company, their experience , and undoubted
resources, and the zeal and energy whie
they have manifested in making preparah
lions for the service, afford a guarantee of
the success of this great national enterprise
to extend and develop American commerce
by obtaining control of the vast and con
stantly increasing trade of Japan and China,
which the advantages of our geographical
position should enable us to possess.
The contract is for monthly trips between
San Francisco and Hong Kong, touching
at the ports of Honolulu in the Sandwich
Islands, and Yokohama (Kanagawa) in
Japan, both on the outward and inward
passages, by a line of first-class American
sea-going side-wheel steamships of not less
than 3.500 tons burden..government meas
urement, and of sufficient number, not less
than four, to perform the stipulated service
The Great Bepublic, the first of the new
steamships* building specially ior this ser
vice, was launched at New York on the Bth
of Novemberinstant, is now receiving her
machinery, and is expected to be ready for
sea about the Ist of May, 1867. She will re
gister over 4,100 tons, government measure
ment, or 1,100 tons more than the minimum
tonnage named in the law; her extreme
length is 380 feet, extreme breadth 50 feet,
depth of hold 50 feet, and her draught when
ordinarily loaded will be 21 feet. The second
steamship, of similar size and propertions.is
to be launched early in December of this
?'h„^f ll^T W l llb , e oPI epar ? d , for service about
the of July, 186/; and the machinery for
twoothersoflikedimensions is in course of
construction. An inspection of hulls and
machinery of-these ships, as well as a gene
ra knowledge of the preparations making
by .the contractors, has satisfied me that
very possible exertion is being used to fui
fil the requirements of the law and contract
The company have tendered their firat
gfoBB steamship Colorado to take the mails
l^riSw ? n of January,
1867, the day named in the law. This ship
which has been withdrawn from the Pa
nama and San‘Franolsco line to prepare her
tor sendee on the China route, is ofthe r£
qttired tonnpge, and will, it is thieved,fully
comply in other respects with the terms*
kit nnntraot, although the report of j
her inspection by a naval constructor, under
latel y given by. the Secretary of
the Navy, has not yet been received. y
fnthf building of steamships for this line
anoonntered a practical diffi
culty, arising out of two conflicting condi
shto« tw 1 ’ th . e . necessity of construotiog
? nnnld make ihe long voyage of
Eton e Font wn?® 11 £ l an S and
object for whioh Congress authorized the
w 3? e * nt °/ the llne > an d secondly, the
practicability of securing that object with
theships to large r to pre
elude j by tiieir hcEvr
pitity of entering the harbor of Honolulu"
which nas a depth of water, under favora
ble circumstances, of barely 21 feet. Thi«o
two conditions, they allege, were
inconsistent, smd theylh’erefore filmed
the responsibility of so constructing ?thh
ships as to attain the more important nh!
fots of the subsidy, while necessarily plac
ing a practical difficulty in the wayoftha
?„ cc °“P llah “ en i of the lesser, believing this
to be the only course open to them without
disregarding the main ends of thelr con
traot, as well as the wisest for the public in
torests to be promoted by the establishment
of the line. They are, consequently, build
ing ships of much greater cost, by reason or
increased size, and proportionally moreex
pensive to keep in service, than was neaea
sary tomeet the minimum requirement of
Uie Jaw. Although the law,wnd the con
traot executed in pursuance thereof; name
Honolulu as an intermediate pori/ th!
fact, appears to. be well" estififldkZs
l b /w«whtoh 6 offloia ltafofmttion,'that the
Zaws which govern the navigation of the Pa-
cificccean, render it un wiBe,if not incompa-'
ti ble with the oomplete success of the euter
i to require the steamships to touch at
the Sandwich Islands bn : their passages be--
tween San Francisco, Japan and J China.:
Ihis iB conclusively shown by the report of
my predecessor to the Senate Committee on!
v Post Offices and Post Roads, dated June XLj
in which are embodied explanations
tarnished by Rear Admiral C. Et. Davis.su
perindent ofthe United [States Naval Obaer
vatory.respecting the proper routes to be!
pursued by steam // vessels navigating
Pacific ocean between San
Francisco Kanagawa and Hong Kong
Admiral Davis, referring to the ad- 1
vantages of the great circle, or direct route
between China and San Bfcancisco.so clearly
defined by natural laws, uses the following
explicit language: “It is impossible, id es
tablishing a route between two continents
for-the improvement of intercourse and
trade, ! overlook or ; neglect such advan
tages as these. It is hardly too .much tosay
that it would amount to an absurdity to se
lect the models of our ships with special re
ference to speed; and to propel them through
the water with engines of enormous power,
and: then: to permit those aids and advan
tages which nature offers to ns as her own
means, of . co-operation. At any rate
' w . o ... Prepared to do so! j
we must also be prepared to leave this field
w.enterprizeatnodiatant day to those who
» A. obey 13,78 governing the navigation
of the great seas. These considerations
with regard to the eastern voyage appear
to dispose of the whole' question. .They
show that touchingatthe Sandwich Islands
on the return from China would prolong
the voyage so many days unnecessarily: I
that an additional line of steamers must I
soon be established, provided the inter- I
coarse between China and America is to ac- I
quire that importance which is confidently I
expected.” J I
A careful consideration of the subject has
satisfied me of the conectness of the viewß
expressed by my predecessor in that reoort.
that the steamships ofthe mainline between
oan Francisco, Japan and China should not
be required to touchat the Sandwich Islands
does not, in my judgement, admit of reason
able doubt; but the condition upon which
such release should be granted is a q uestion
exclusively for the determination of Con-'
gress. A wise and liberal policy towards a
notional enterprise of this magnitude would :
seem tojestify the release without imposing :
onerous conditions, in consideration of the
increased expenses incurred in building
ships for the service of great size and aug
mented speed, as well as of the important
public interests involved in the success of
ine line
, APPOINTMENTS.
thftvps? erof poBtoflices daring
Number discounted"..!!!!!! *•**•••*• **£{ 3
Increase of offices ~..-...!.7!T!!!!.V.“.V — Sr
lB6? 051 offl c«a In operation on the soiii
1 1866 "ontheMlh oFjvinßl
\Z
etHCe,S ,ullllectto appointment by '
Number by the Bo»Sa«iier"Senei»j'“" M.llO
A umber of offices re-op toed in the (Southern
States up to November i,—
Appointment* made to fill vacancies by resie- ;
nation of postmasters K , _
To fill vacancies In suspended offices. ySI;
By removals.. _!T__
B* change of names and sltM.."'~7"'",'~'~; ~ ‘‘VS
S 7 de £.A.°f postmasters.
By establishment of n*w offices
Total number of appointments
Number of cues acted upon " ln »ic
Ayjro'e ocmpen’n* *32 sss
No. ofpottftl route clerks 83 AggreocoiDDen’n ql’-wj
v2* ** ents 58 Aggre*e compen’n sj^i#
°* aaaieia ,3a Aggre’e compau’n 1,890
Tot*!
~Zf re? deU f system isln'operaUoa
“ of the principal cities. The
number of carriers employed waa 863, at an
aggregate compensation of 8589,233 41.
This mode of delivery has steadily grown
in favor with the public, and in sevtralof
the large cities, where its progress has been
mo ! ! t ,S ark - ed * the local postage shows a
gratifying increase. Experience has shown
us superiority over the old system of box
delivery, and the results of the laßt two
years commend it to Congress as a perma
nent brandi of the postal service. Its effects
in saving time to the pnblic; in insuring the
correot delivery by inducing the habit of
directing letters to street and number- in
reduoing the great number of advertised
and dead letters; In facilitating correspond
ence, especially local; in obviating the ne
cessity of the many fruitless calls It the post
office.arerehedon to prove its advantages
over the old system of office deUvery. (See
tabular statements in the Appendix.)
DEAD LETTERS
The whole number of dead letters received
examined and disposed or during the year
was about four and ahalf millioiis,upwards
of 40 per cent of which were from forty
seven of the larger post offices. About six
hundred thousand other letters were re
ceivea, being unmailable for want of pre
payment ot postage, or on account of mis
direction or illegible address,
Daring the year there were registered and
remailed to the respective owners, as
enclosffig money m sums of one dollar and
upwards, 32,814 letters, containing an a°-
gregate of §244,589 99, of which number 2?!-
948, containing 5221,066 19, were delivered.
i 9O per ”*> The “amber of letteri
enclosing sums of money less than one dol-
Iq r io r f maii . ec ? *? the respective owners, was
<»ntainingan aggregate amount of
olfi, s were deuf^eV 1 ’ 175 ’ containin S
The number of letters containing papers
of value other than money, as deeds, bills of
exchange, drafts, checks, &0., received, re
gistered and returned for delivery to the
owners, was 26,610, and the nominal value
of the enclosures therein was $7,826 881 as
arUdes of jewelry, was 67,016, of which 53, ■
572 were sent out, (containing for the most
The number of letters returned,unopened
TOuntriea durlßg the year was
193,754, the amount of unpaid postage on
which was $9,879 40. The number received
from: foreign- countries in the same condi
tion during the same period was 72 440 and
o ?Pnr f n^Pi ai<r , POStaBe the «°“ SV
pento y ad<Utional particulars see Ap-
The number of congressional and official
wasT7 l 8 r OG e(l *° 016 proper departments
The number of letters enolosing soldiers’
discharges and other military papers sent
to the Auditor General’s office,&o., was Vais 1
.Thepumber of ordinary letlem Slued
to the -writers was 1,746,156, being ati in
crease of 583,4i2 over the number of the
same character returned the vear Previn.™
Of these 1,275,845 were delivered. pt*yiom
fn?^tSSr mb - er of ordinary letters sentout
617 “““..the Ist July last, from
which time, ’n accordance with the taw
they have been returned free, 83 per cent’
the same period of the year previous
Abeut, 2,500,000 dead letters have been
destroyed) during; the. year.' ‘Of these up
wards of 60 per cent, were ordinary husi
ness circulars, ad vertisements of lottery and
gift enterprises,,notices of corporate soota
ties, and;tradesmen’s WUs; the rem^der
being composed of letters not signedorsn
written as to be unintelligible. , r 00
rAn inveKtigation into the causa of the
non-delivery of , letters, confirms ■ the states
ment made in the last report, that threes
fourths of the whole number fail, to reach
the parties addressed through faults of the
writers; and it has been.ascertained that the
proportion of letters fully addressed re
turned from offices* where thS free delivery
is established is less than 3 per cent. From
some of these office's returns have been re
ceived, in which not a single letter so ad
dressed appears without a satisfactory rea
son for the non-delivery. -From 40 to 60 per
cent, of dead letters are returned*, from these
offices, and it thus appears that a more
ful attention to the details of address oh the
part of writers, fogether'with a more exten
styeuse of request envelopes, would mate
rtaliy promote the certainty of delivery and
greatly diminish the number of dead letters.
FOSTAT, SSOHEY-OKDER SYSTEM. 1 -i
-the number of-money-order offices now
iL 0 P, e „ r ?i lon , i? 76 ?> **““8 347 more than at
the date of the last annual report, and
be6n fakeh to estab
and TerrnSf^® 068 States
The number of orders Issued durlne thn
“■“W * 5D 2B
T? 6^ o i-“£S-be-sddSi 49
: amount of orders repaid to
' purchasers
Excess of issues over oav- ' 1
men ts.—.
From tile establishment of the system on
November .1,1564, to July l, 1865, a period
fo Vffiftn*}™ to&theoxdera issued amounted
to §1,360,122 52, and the orders paid and
repaid to §1,313.677 08, On comparing these
corresponding transac
tions of the last fiscal year, it appears that
the business has been almost tiebled.
The average amount of each order issued
during the year was §l6 32.
The whole number of duplicates was 1,432
of which 1,124 were issued to replace origi
nals lost in the mails or otherwise, 296 were
in lieu of orders invalidated by age, and r>
to replace orders illegally indorsed.
The sum of §2,710,685 53 being surplus
lunds accruing at the smaller offices from
the transaction of the money order business,
was transmitted to first-class offices used as
depositories, either by national bank drafts
or m registered packages by mail. The re
ceipts and expenditures for the last fiscal
year, as adjusted and reported by the Audi
tor, were as follows, viz:
_ Beceipts:
Fees on order* Issued ......
Premium received on exchange
Expenditures:
Commissions to postmasters an 432 49
ClerS hire.. „ , n J:
Book, and stationery f IS
miom paid on drafts... " «
Miscellaneous, including furniture
ana lintuiea ~
Etmitunces lostln the maii-IIZZ E 3300
Excess of receipts over expenditures.™. 7
Tnis sum represents the gross soioani of 75
?£l™, ae „ <ie the trsnsiction of
bnsinees for the past year.
«?“ eH«*? deduct tlifcjelrom ihe amonnt of
theaeflciency In the receipts as compared
with the expenditures c uring the period of
eight months ending inly 1, 1865, asstated
in the last annual report, via
There remains the aom ot .
As the proceeds of the system lrom its com
mencement np to the close of the last fiscal
year.
The cost of blanks for postmasters, which
are furnished by the department of public
printing, is not included in the foregoing
statement of expenditures. °
The present charge of fee established bv
law for an order of twenty dollars or le3s is
ten cents, and for an order exceeding t wen tv
doUars, twenty-five cents. These rates are
defective in this respect, that an applicant
who desires to remit any sum under forty
doUars, could do it more cheaply by two
orders than by one, inasmuch as two orders
ror twenty dollars each would cost him but
twenty cents, while for a single order of
forty dollars he would have to pay twentv
five cents. The manifest tendency of this
state of things is to augment unnecessarily
the number of orders issued, involving a
waste of time and ox clerical labor at both
ihe issuing and paying offices, as well as
increasing the liability to error. The adop
tion of an additional rate of fifteen cento for
all orders of more than ten, but not exceed
ing thirty doUars, without any change of the
present fees for orders often dollars or less.or
for orders exceeding thirty doUars, would
remedy the defect in question, and promote
expedition and accuracy in the transaction
of the business.
At some post offices, particularly those
located at centres of. trade and commerce
the number of orders paid very greatly ex
ceeds the number issued, so that the pay
ment of orders constitutes the chief business
of these offices, and as the postmaster’s
compensation for paying orders, being one
eighth of one per cent, on the amount thereof,
is much less than for issuing them, for
which he receives one-third of the fees, it is
recommended that the commission for pav
ing orders be increased from one-eighth to
one-fourth of one per cent., so as to afford
postmasters at snch offices a compensation
proportionate to their services.
In case of the loss of a money order the
owner, in order to obtain a dupUcate thereof
is required “to famish a statement under
oath of affirmation,” setting forth the loss
or destruction of the original, together with
a certificate from the postmaster by whom
it was payable that it has not been and wifi
not be paid. A certificate must also be ob
tained from the issuing postmaster that the
order in question had not been and wiU not
be repaid to the purchasers In the majority
of cases the information with
regard to the loss of the original order
is limited s to the fact that it was mailed
at a certain office, but failed from causes
unknown to him to reach the person ad
dreased. He is obliged, however, to 'fur
oteh astatement to that effect under oath,
(which is to be administered by the post
master without charge,) and to defray the
cost of a five, cent revenue stamp affixed to
suoh statement. This additional expense is
burdensome to the owner, who is rarely to
be blamed for the loss of the original order
for which the regular fee had already been
paid to the department, and' the latte hav
ing undertaken* in consideration of that fee.
te transfer through the mails the sum of
money represented by the order, Should
perform tnat duty without exacting any
mrthercompensation. Experience moreover
shows that, the certificates of both post
masters afford complete security agains t the
erroneous fesne of a duplicate in lieu of an
order that had been once paid. It would
seem therefore,that the legal requirement
from the applicant of a sworn statement as
to the loss or destruction of the original is
®? tlr fI y u nnl l e< S s ? al 7’ as as onerous,and
shoold be abolished. For similar reasons
no charge whatever should be made for the
issue of a duptlcate order to replace an ori
ginal that has become invalid beoause not
presented within one year after its date, or
beoause improperly indorsed. In suoh
cases the invalidation of the order is in it
for a ,®y.?egHgence of the hol
application, should receive
payment of his money by means of a dupli
cate without a second fee. *
During the last fiscal year five oases have
u " e <l ? f th e payment of orders to persons
who had forged thesignatures of the payees.
These persons had previously, through lack
of precaution or iDjudioious confidence of
ffie remiter or payee, been put in possession
of all me information required to obtain
payment of the order. To forge or oonnter
feit a money order is made si penal offence
°/, Ma y 17* 18(54, bat there is no
provision of law to pun ish the forgery of the
payee b signature, and as the latter crime is
liable to be often repeated, especially at the
large offices, there is a necessity for addi
tional legislation to provide an adequate
punishment for it, as well as for anyattempt
to obtain payment of a money order by
fraudulent means. ..
A remittance of surplus money-order
funds, amounting to s6l7,sent in a registers!
?^ 8g i?»- rom ?< atobws i Mississippi; to gt.
Missouri, was lost by the destruction
ste ? me - r Cit y of Memphis, on
the 31st of May, but. in consequence of delay
m obtaining satisfactory evidence that this
b *en duly counted, registered, and
mailed, and had subsequently been totally
destroyed, the claim of the postmaster at
Natchez to_ be credited therewith was not
b j‘ hls department and transmitted
to the Auditor m time to be inserted in his
report* - ' v •• , .
_ HXSCELLANEOTTS.
Dnwf'i 1011 40 the details of this report. X
b ri?i t vS.?\ SUg gS t . ion ® : Th 9 condition of
all the branches of this most
Tb ? generalplan proposed by
my predecessor for re establishing postil
n, ’ Ul f lat 9 States has-been
to a large extent earned out; and efficient
rcanitfi W1 T h e . conoDQical expenditures, has
nf tuinS 1 88 rapidly as the condition
of -the countries and the necessities of the
people-will warrant, new post offices will be
opened, and man service increased.
fnroif « f r f Tennes over bxpendi
tnres for the fiscal year ending June 30.
Ifc6s, was not an ticipated for the year ending
June 30, 15 66 - The expense incident to re?
establishing mail service in the Southern
States, where such service had been inter
rupted by the. rebellion, it was known
w °nld increase largely the general outlays
of the department beyond what had been
years 16 * 1 darißS either of 1116 preceding four
There is no better evidence of national--
prospenty than the constant increase from
year to year of revenues derived from do
foreign- postages. There is no
better evidence of the increasing general in
telligence ot the American people than that
furnished by the loaded mails,
i change in modes of conveyance from
carrier pigeons and special messengers, and
post riders with billets and small packages
and a few letters, to railroads «nd steam
boats, carrying every day hundreds of tons
oi letters and newspapers and books, all
through the length and breadth of the land
is an extraordinary commentary upon” the
increasing wealth and prosperity of the na
tion, and the energy and intelligence of the
people. The few thousand pounds ofpostal
revenue m Franklin’s time for a sino-le
year, give place now to fifteen millions of
doUare annually, a sum greater than the
annual revenues of the federal government
“ e administration of John Quincy
This service, under the liberal patronage
of the government, has done more to aid in
developing the resources of the country
than anything else except the cultivation of
the son. It has done more to aid in enlight
ening and Christianizing the people than
any thing else except the spelling-book and
The post office and mail route travel
with civilization, and mark its progress a 3
hou nClly 88 house and meeting
It has always been an erroneous theory in
ihe history of the postal service of the
United States that it was established or
sustained on the principle of wholly defray
ing its own expenses out of its own reye-
; i *° r V ln wo f^ s > on 019 Principle
that it should be self-supporting. It is a
great publicnecessity, to accommodate pri
vate citizens, and it willnot do to say that
no mail route shall be opened, or post office
established, until the business on the pro- -
posed route or of the proposed office shall
pay all expenses.
Large sums of money are paid every year
to contractors for carrying mails beyond our
frontier, across the central wilderness, to
the Pacific States; and other large sums are
paid for service on lines tributary to the
maJ n lines, to accommodate as yet sparse
settlements. From these, comparatively
small returns come back in the shape of
postal revenues. Yet these very agencies
invite settlement and enconrage enterprise
m material development,so that there comes
back to the people in real wealth almost as
many millions of dollars as the government
expends thousands in this particular branch
of service. ;
Congress has wisely appropriated five
hundred thousand dollars per year to Day
for carrying mails from San Francisco to
China. There is an excuse, in sending
mails for paying this money to a private
company in aid of a great commercial enter
prise. This money, so expended, will come
back from the China seas in goods and wares
and merchandise to our own markets, or
in seeking European markets, in transpor
tation paid across the continent.
Whether the people pay in postage stamps
tor transmission of letters through the
mails, or whether they pay by appropria
tion of public money, the ends sought and
the ends attained are the same.. While a
lavish expenditure of public money is to be
avoided, there ought to be a liberal expen
diture for extending mail facilities by land
and by sea.
In another, respect I recommend more
liberality. The clerks and employes of the
Post Office Department have not been well
paid for the services they have performed.
The salaries of clerks in the Post Office De
partment during the four years of war were
not increased, while all the expenses of
living were more than doubled. The sala
ries were fixed in times of peace and low
prices. They were not raised when war
raised prices. Clerks were compelled to
rnn in debt, and, and, In many cases, their
families suffered from want. They worked
faithfully and skillfullv and honestly in
discharging important duties for the Go
vernment. I submit that they ought to
have Borne reasonable allowance for the
past, and an increase of salary in the fu
ture.
Clerks in post offices, letter carriers, and
route agents are not paid what they ought to
be paid. Honest, industrious men are re
quired for all these duties, and they ought
to be paid a fair and living compensation
for their labor. Their employment is unin
terrupted, except by sickness. The letter*,
carriers claim peculiar consideration.
They travel every day from early
m the morning until late at night,
m beat and cold and rain and snow,
all through the cities, distributing letters
and papers without compensation enough to
pay house rent* I feel that the government
ought to pay all these employes better, be
cause they earn more, and because the
government can afford to pay more. I
plead the cause of all these employes because
it is just to them that I should, and I ear
nestly ask permission and means to pay
them better.
The foreign, postal service has grown to
such magnitude that increased care and re
sponsibility fall upon those having the
direct charge of it; and I respectfully ask
that authority be given to appoint a super
intendent of foreign mails, and an additional
clerk for that branch of the service.
3,903,890 22
$35,799 S 3
203
I also recommend that authority be given
to appoint a superintendent of the opening
and distribution of dead letters.
The law regulating the franking privilege
ought, in my opinion, to be amended. Ido
not think the privilege should be abolished.
I think it a necessity for the different de
partments, as well as for Congress. But
great abuses have grown np under it. To
avoid frauds and a misuse of the privilege,-
I recommend such a change in the law as to
require the written signature of the person
exercising the privilege upon the matter
franked; and to relieve the heads of depart
ments and bureaus of great labor, that a
franking clerk be authorized by law for
each department, of the government, with
the right to frank all matter pertaining to
the department for which he is appointed^
. Kespectfully submitted:
Alexander W. Randall,
General.
The President
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