Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIII.djvu/770

 750 POST 1,500 were in London. The post office is a source of considerable revenue to the govern- ment. The average net revenue during the five years ending with 1873 was 1,433,610 a year, and during the preceding five years .1,374,4:11. The following statement shows the gross and net revenue for ten years : YEARS. Total postal revenue. Total cost of postal service. Net revenue. 1864 . 4,281,558 3,078,297 1,153,261 1865 4423608 2,941,086 1,482,522 1866 . 4,599,667 3,201,681 1,397,986 1867 4.663,214 3,246,850 1,421,364 1868 1869.. 4,683,646 4,764,575 3,266,724 3,459,227 1,416,922 1,305,348 1870 1871 1872 4,929,475 4,900.454 5,208,922 3,435,865 3,610.700 3,684,946 1,493.610 1,289,754 1,523,976 1873 5,348,040 3,792,679 1,555,361 The revenue from letters, post cards, newspa- pers, and books during this period has increased from 3,957,047 in 1864 to 5,134,816 in 1873, and that from money order commissions from 151,979 to 208,057. The existing postal service of the German empire was established April 12, 1871, with about 5,000 post offices. The number is now (1875) much larger, owing to the accession of Baden, Alsace, and Lor- raine, to the introduction of postal cards and money orders, the reduced postage on printed matter, and other improvements. Treaties ex- ist with Bavaria and Wiirternberg (the only distinctively German territories still outside of the imperial postal area), and with Austria and other countries. The uniform rate of postage for a single letter is 1 silbergroschen or 3 kreutzers (1 kreutzer= 0-462 cent), and for a postal card -J silbergroschen or 1 kreut- zer. The postal budget of the North German confederation showed a large deficit previous to the abolition in 1869 of the franking priv- ilege, which is now enjoyed only by the crown. The receipts in 1874 in the empire amounted to $22,277,907, the expenditures to $14,503,- 692, leaving a surplus of $7,774,215. The letters posted in that year, among a popula- tion of 34,000,000, numbered 442,000,000, and the newspapers 2,300,000. In France a new era was opened in 1849-'51 by the- adoption of postage stamps, and postal cards were in- troduced in 1873. The rate for a letter is 10 centimes (1 centime =0 '182 cent) within the city of Paris, and 15 centimes to any part of France and Algeria. In 1871 the internal post- age was increased 25 per cent., and fixed at 40 centimes when not prepaid and 25 centimes for prepaid letters, for each 10 grammes; at 40 centimes for letters exceeding 20 grammes, and increasing in the same ratio for increased weight. The state controls the whole ser- vice, and in 1869 derived from it a surplus of 31,000,000 francs, which was reduced by the war in 1870 to 9,000,000 fr., but for 1875 was estimated at 41,000,000 fr. For 1875 the ex- penses were estimated at 70,386,652 fr., and the receipts at 111,004,000 fr. France has more than 5,000 post offices, and between 300,- 000,000 and 400,000,000 letters are transmit- ted annually. The postal service of Russia shows steady improvement, and generally yields the state an annual surplus of several millions of rubles. The receipts in 1873 were 9,031,943 rubles. The number of letters an- nually transmitted is nearly 50,000,000. Postal cards are issued at 5 kopeks (1 kopek=0'79 cent) for the whole empire, and at 3 kopeks within a postal district. Russia has about 3,000 post offices; the Austro-Hungarian mon- archy, 5,000 ; Italy, 2,500 ; Spain, 2,300 ; Can- ada, 3,800; British India, 4,000; Australia, 1,500. Postal cards are now generally used in most European countries. In China the ancient Persian system prevails in forwarding official despatches, and there is hardly any postal service excepting that controlled by for- eign governments in connection with the mail steamers. Japan has begun to establish a postal system modelled after that of the Uni- ted States, under the direction of the trea- sury department. In 1863 the khedive organ- ized a regular postal service in Lower Egypt. In Turkey the service is ill arranged, and let- ters are chiefly forwarded by the foreign post offices in the principal seaports. In the Eng- lish colonies which subsequently became the United States, a postal system was projected as early as 1692 ; but owing to the thinness of the population it was not organized till 1710. By act of parliament of that year, the post- master general of the colonies was "to keep his chief letter office in New York, and other chief offices at some convenient place or places in other of her majesty's provinces or colonies in America." The revenue was for some years very small. In 1753 Benjamin Franklin was appointed deputy postmaster general for the colonies, and was guaranteed the sum of 600 per annum for the salary of himself and his assistant. He remodelled and extended the operations of the office, and in a few years materially increased its revenues. He startled the people of the colonies in 1760 by proposing to run a stage wagon, to carry the mail from Philadelphia to Boston once a week, starting from each city on Monday morning and reach- ing its destination by Saturday night. In 1774, while in England, he was removed from office. In 1789 the constitution of the United States conferred upon congress the exclusive control of postal matters for all the states; and con- gress proceeded, immediately upon the adoption of the constitution, to organize the post office department, and to pass the necessary laws for the protection of the mails, &c. The rates of postage from the organization of the depart- ment until 1816 were : For a single letter (that is, one composed of a single piece of paper), under 40 m., 8 cts. ; under 90, 10 cts. ; under 150, 12 cts. ; under 300, 17 cts. ; under 500, 20 cts. ; over 500, 25 cts. In 1816 these rates were modified as follows : A single letter car- ried not over 30 m., 6 cents. ; over 30 and