CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. (REDUCTION OF POSTAGE.) 



189 



Every triple letter or three pieces of paper, triple 

 rates. 



Every packet containing four or more pieces of 

 paper or one or more other articles, and weighing one 

 ounce avoirdupois, quadruple these rates, and in that 

 proportion for all greater rates. 



5. Act of March 3, 1825, section 13 : Same as act of 

 April 9, 1816. 



6. Act March 3, 1845, section 1 : After July 1, 1845. 



Postage on letters : For every single letter in manu- 

 script, or marks and signs, by mail, under three hun- 

 dred miles, 5 cents ; over three hundred miles, 10 

 cents ; double letter, double rates ; treble letter, treble 

 rates; quadruple letter, quadruple rates; and. every 

 letter or parcel not exceeding one half ounce in weight 

 shall be deemed a single letter, and every additional 

 weight of one half ounce or less shall be charged with 

 an additional single postage. 



7. Act March 3, 1851, section 1 : Rates of postage 

 on letters : From and after June 30, 1851, in lieu of 

 rates of postage now fixed by law, there shall be 

 charged the following rates : 



Every single letter, in writing, marks, or signs, by 

 mail, not exceeding three thousand miles, prepaid 

 postage, 3 cents ; not prepaid, 5 cents : for any greater 

 distance, double these rates. 



8. Act March 3, 1855, section 1 : In lieu of the rates 

 of postage now fixed by law, there shall be charged 

 the following rates : 



For every single letter, in manuscript or paper of 

 any kind, in writing, marks, or signs, conveyed in 

 the mail between places in the United States, not ex- 

 ceeding 3,000 miles, 3 cents ; and for any greater dis- 

 tance, 10 cents ; for a double letter, double rates ; 

 treble letter, treble rates ; quadruple letter, quadruple 

 rates ; every letter or parcel not exceeding one half 

 ounce in weight shall be deemed a single letter, and 

 every additional weight of one half ounce or less shall 

 be charged an additional rate. 



9. Act March 3, 1863, section 22, fixes the rate of 

 postage on domestic letters not exceeding one half 

 ounce in weight at 3 cents, and 3 cents additional for 

 each additional half ounce or fraction thereof, to be 

 prepaid by postage-stamps affixed. 



Taking distance into account, it will be observed 

 that the reduction in the charges was very great if the 

 comparison is made on the rates prior to July 1, 1845, 

 and the rates fixed to take effect July 1, 1845. The 

 rates established by the act of March 3, 1851, also 



lark a great reduction. 



Although a temporary loss of revenue followed these 



vro reductions, it was speedily followed in both cases 

 ay a large increase. 



" I again avail myself of the valuable figures 

 )f Mr. Hazen, Third Assistant Postmaster- 

 General : 



For several years prior to 1845 the revenues were 

 lmost stationary in amount; indeed, for the four 



rears ended June 30, 1845, the total amount was 



""4,433.64 less than for the four years immediately 

 ceding that period. For the year ended June 30, 



L845, the revenue was $4,289,841.80, and for the next 

 ear, under the reduced rates, it was $3,487,199.35, 



showing a falling off of $802,642.45. For the year 



1847 it increased to $3,880,309.23, and for the year 



1848 to $4,555,211.10, or $265,369.30 more than for 

 the year 1845, the entire recovery of the loss of rev- 

 nue from the reduction hi the rates having thus oc- 

 curred within three years. The increase continued 

 at a rapid pace, so that for the year ended June 30, 

 1851, the revenue was $6,410,604.33, being $2,120,- 

 762.53, or 49'4 per cent., more than for the last year 

 (1845) under the old rates, and $2,923,404.98, or 83'8 

 percent., more than for the first year (1846) of the 

 new rates. 



The immediate loss of revenue by the act of March 

 3, 1851, was still greater, but this, too, was speedily 

 recovered. The falling off in the first year of the 

 change was $1,226,077.49, the entire receipts for the 



year ended June 30, 1852, having been $5,184,526.84. 

 For the year ended June 30, 1854, the revenue 

 amounted to $6,255,586.22, or only $155,018.11 less 

 than for the year 1851, the loss by the reduction of 

 the rates having been nearly recovered in three years. 

 For the year 1855 the revenue was $231,531.80 more 

 than for 1851. The increase steadily continued, and 

 for the year ended June 30, 1860, the revenue was 

 swelled to $8,518.067.40, being $2,107,463.07, or 32'8 

 per cent., more than for the year 1851, and $3,333,- 

 540.56 2 or 64-2 per cent., more than for 1852. 



Again, during the eight years from 1837 to 1845 

 there were no material changes in the rates of postage, 

 and yet the revenue for 1845 was $655,826.41, or 13'2 

 per cent., less than for 1837, while the revenue for the 

 year ended June 30, 1853, was $950,882.90. or 22-1 

 per cent., over that of 1845, notwithstanding that both 

 of the great reductions in the rates of postage had 

 occurred during the intermediate eight years. 

 ^ For the year 1882 the receipts were more than eight 

 times as much as for 1852, and the increase alone for 

 1882 over 1881 was only $93,514.66 short of the entire 

 receipts for the year ended June 30, 1852, the first 

 year of the 3-cent rate. Some idea of the immediate 

 loss by a reduction from 3 cents to 2 cents in the rate 

 of letter-postage may be obtained from the issues of 

 the ordinary 3-cent adhesive stamps and stamped 

 envelopes. 



It is true that many letters calling for more than 

 one rate of postage bear the higher denominations of 

 stamps, but it is also true that many 3-cent stamps 

 are used for parcels of merchandise and other matter 

 not belonging to the first class. The amount of 3-cent 

 stamps used in this way will probably exceed that of 

 the larger stamps used on letters, so tnat a diminution 

 of 331 per cent, in the value of the 3-cent stamps 

 would represent the maximum loss on an equal volume 

 of business. The number of the ordinary 3-cent 

 stamps and stamped envelopes issued during the fiscal 

 year ended June 30, 1882, was 849.159,950. An in- 

 crease of 10 per cent, on these would give 934,075,945 

 as the issue for the current year. This latter number 

 increased by 10 per cent, would give 1,027,483,539 for 

 the next fiscal year. One cent taken from the value 

 of each of these would amount to $10,274,835.39. 



"Now the act of 1863 fixed the rate of post- 

 age on domestic letters not exceeding one half 

 ounce in weight at 3 cents, and 3 cents addi- 

 tional for each additional half ounce or fraction 

 thereof, to be prepaid by postage-stamps. The 

 recommendation of the Committee on the 

 Post-Office and Post-Roads, which I am glad 

 to see has been almost literally adopted in this 

 bill, makes a simple change in the law of 1863, 

 that of the reduction of rate from 3 to 2 cents 

 per half ounce, and the same shall go into ef- 

 fect the 1st of January, 1884. 



" It is claimed that the stimulus of the lower 

 rate would be felt at once, and that there 

 would be a large increase of letters mailed, 

 which is the history of all legislation that per- 

 tains to a reduction on domestic matter. It is 

 probable that a cheaper letter rate would tend 

 also in a measure to dispense with a large 

 number of postal-cards for written commune 

 cations. In view also of the- fact that sealed 

 communications invite closer attention by the 

 recipients than do open ones, it is not improb- 

 able that to some extent circulars would be 

 inclosed under a seal at the 2-cent rate. Tak- 

 ing these special reasons into account, it is 

 believed by the Post-Office Department that 

 the loss of revenue for the first year may be 

 safely put at $8,000,000, leaving the revenue 



