expense of printing a sufficient supply of circulars would not, in my opinion, exceed $2,500, and such expense could be defrayed from the proceeds of the money order business. I respectfully suggest, for your consideration, whether it would not be wise, in the interest of the manufacturing and laboring classes, to require money order offices of the first and second classes to keep open for the transaction of business on Saturday night of each week between the hours of 6 and 8 o'clock. This need not impose any additional labor upon the post-office employés, because such offices could, without inconvenience to the public, be closed on Saturdays between the hours of 4 and 6 p. m., while those whose labors do not cease until 6 o'clock would be accommodated by the later hours on the day which is usually the. "pay-day" of the working classes. I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Hon. WILLIAM F. VILAS, Postmaster-General. REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF FOREIGN MAILS. POST-OFFICE DEPARTMENT, OFFICE OF FOREIGN MAILS, Washington, D. C., October 1, 1886. SIR: I have the honor to submit the report of the office of foreign mails for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1886. The year has been characterized by a great deal of discussion relative to compensating American steamship companies for the conveyance of United States mails to foreign countries. The American steamship companies declined to convey the mails after the first of August, 1885, for the whole amount of the sea and inland postage, upon the grounds that the postage collected was not adequate compensation for the sea conveyance of the mails, and at that rate of pay the mails would be conveyed at a loss to said companies; but Congress having failed to provide for a greater compensation, said steamship companies have all tendered their ships, and such of them as can be used to advantage for expediting the mails have been accepted. The service to Havana, Cuba, having been transferred from this office to the Second Assistant Postmaster-General, and engrafted onto the domestic service from Tampa, Fla., via Key West, to Havana, the Department could not utilize to advantage the New York and Cuba and the New York, Havana and Mexican Steamship Companies for the conveyance of mails to Havana, and therefore declined the tender of their ships. In like manner, it having been found that much of the correspondence for the Gulf ports of Mexico, which prior to August 1, 1885, had been sent exclusively by sea from New York, would reach destination as quickly if sent overland to Vera Cruz for dispatch thence to destination, the correspondence referred to has been dispatched almost exclusively overland to Vera Cruz during the year past. The United States and Brazil Steamship Company have declined to receive the warrants in their favor for $6,592.24 for services rendered in conveying mails from the United States to Brazil during the last fiscal year, and have returned the same to this Department with a statement that the several amounts allowed by the Postmaster-General were not adequate compensation for service performed. WEIGHT OF MAILS. The following two tables show (No. 1) the actual net weights of the mails dispatched to foreign countries by sea and the proportion sent to each country, and (No. 2) the number of articles estimated to have been contained in the mails exchanged with foreign countries, as shown by an actual count of said articles made during two weeks of the year. No. 1.-Statement showing the weights and percentage of the mails dispatched by sea to foreign countries during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1886. No. 2.-Estimate of the amount of mail matter exchanged with all foreign countries (including Mexico and Canada, by rail and sea) during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1××1, based upon the count of such matter exchanged during seven days of October, 1885, and seven days of April, 1886, as made at United States exchanging post-offices, in pursuance of the Postmaster-General's order of September 11, 1835. Number of prepaid letters Number of unpaid Total number of sin. Number of newspa Number of packets of samples of merchandise Number of registered articles Number of demands for return receipts. Prepaid postage on letters.. Prepaid postage on printed matter. Registration fees paid on packets sent Unpaid postages on letters, printed matter, &c The sums reported for payment on account of sea transportation of the United States mails, including the "open mail matter" from foreign countries, dispatched from the United States (and including also the inward mails from non-conventional countries), during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1886, amounted to $357,443.50, as follows: For sea conveyance of United States mails... For "open mail matter" originating in foreign countries... Total...... $329,591 4 21,490 65 6,561 37 ... 357, 443 30 The above items of $329,391.48 and $21,490.65, making a total of $350,882.13, were distributed as follows: For transatlantic service..... $287,927 22 For transpacific service... For West Indian, Mexican, Canadian, Newfoundland, Central and South 26,950 71 35,507 18 Inward mails from United States consul at Shanghai and non-conventional countries... Total....... 437 02 350,662 13 Heretofore the weight of the open mail matter has been reported and accounted for as matter originating in the United States, and the estimate in last year's report of the gross postage collected on the mails originating in the United States and destined for foreign countries was based on the total weight of United States mails, including the foreign open mail matter, as no separation is made at the various United States exchange post-offices. If the open mail matter had been deducted from the weight of mails dispatched from this country, the sum estimated as received for postage on mail matter sent to foreign countries would have been materially reduced. The following tables show the weights of the mails conveyed and the rate and amount of compensation received by each steamer or line of steamers performing the service, and by the Panama Railroad Company: 2,205 pounds-1 kilogram. 15 francs per kilogram-about 44 cents per pound. 50 centimes per kilogram-about 4 cents per pound. American Steamship Company: Letters, $3.25 per kilogram; papers, 10 cents per kilogram. 8 115 464, 360 1,930, 817 18 93 3 13 287,927 26 Oceanic Steamship Company paid from October 25, 1885, for a period of three years, $20,000 per year. |