the official stamps and stamped envelopes for the Post-Office Department do not appear in the statements of postal revenue.

The subjoined table will show the value of all the official stamps and stamped envelopes issued for each of the several Executive Depart. ments from 1873 to 1884, inclusive, with the revenue derived therefrom. The issue of the stamps and envelopes was begun on the 24th of May, 1873, in anticipation of their use on the 1st of July following. The stamps issued during May and June, 1873, are included in the revenue for 1874, for which latter year the appropriations were first inade. The revenue shown in the table represents the value of the stamps issued for the years respectively in which they were issued, without regard to the particular time at which payment was made for them by the several Departments, as shown in the reports of the Auditor. The latter credits the amounts to the year in which they were paid, while the table shows the amounts properly chargeable to the service of each year, as appearing on the books of this office :

Official postage-stamps and stamped envelopes issued to Executive Departments, with revenue

derired therefrom.

The amount shown as revenue, $5,911,298.24, is subject to a reduction of $79,838.02 on account of stamps and stamped envelopes returned for exchange for other denominations, leaving the net amount realized $5,831,460.22. The method of conducting the exchanges was to credit the value of the stamps that were returned as unsuitable, in stating the account to the Auditor for supplies furuisbed upon the next requisilion in the case of any particular Department of the Government. Thus the net amount realized was less than the value of the stamps furnished upon the requisition. The stamps that had been returned were carefully counted by and destroyed under the supervision of a committee, and the facts were duly certitied. The amount credited to the postal vevenue was $5,831,460.22; the amount returned for redemption by the other Departments and not in the postal revenue was $79,838.02; and the amount issued for use of the Post-Office Department, and also not credited to the postal revenue, was $2,138,310.85, making the total amount issued during tbe whole period $8,049,609.09.

The use of official stamps and stamped envelopes was-wholly discontinued by this Department, and substantially so by the other Departments, on the 30th of June, 1879, under the act authorizing the use of official penalty envelopes.

It will be observed ihat the official stamps constituted an important element in the receipts of the Department during a portion of the time they were in existence. Under the changing conditions governing their use during the whole time, the amounts afford no criterion of the service they may be supposed to represent. This service did not vary greatly in quantity from year to year, the only change being in the direction of an increase, wbile, at the same time, the rerenue from official stamps is shown to have been mainly on a descending scale.

1

GROSS RECEIPTS OF POSTAL SERVICE.

The annexed table will show the gross receipts of the postal service, the receipts from official postage stamps and stamped envelopes, the profits of the money order system, and the net ordinary postal receipts, by annual periods from July 1, 1869, to June 30, 1885, with the amounts and rates of increase or decrease separately in the gross receipts and in the net ordinary postal revenue for each year, as compared to the immediately preceding year. The fluctuations in the rates between the gross receipts and the ordinary postal revenue are especially noticeable.

TABLE A.-Showing gro88 receipts and nel ordinary postal revenues from July 1, 1869, to

June 30. 108., with amounts and ratios of increase.

1870.. 1871 1872. 1873. 1874. 1875 1876 1877. 1878 1879. 1880. 1881 1882 1883. 1884. 1883.

$19, 772, 220 65

$892, 843 00 $18, 879, 377 65 20, 037, 045 42

20, 037, 045 42 $264, 824 77 1.3+ $1, 157, 667 77 6 1+ 21, 915, 426 37

443, 397 63 21, 472, 028 74 1,878, 380 95 9.3+1, 434, 983 32 7.1+ 22, 996, 741 57

68, 584 00 22, 928, 157 57 1,081, 315 20 4.9+ 1, 436, 128 83 6.7+ 26, 471, 071 82 $1,759, 301 86 105, 198 12 24, 606, 571 84 3, 474, 330 25 15.1+ 1,678, 414 27 7.3+ 26, 791, 360 59 1,011, 045 43 120, 142 09 25, 660, 173 07 320.288 77 1.2+ 1,053, 601 23 4. 1+ 28, 644, 197 50 1,281, 389 43 190, 770 84 27, 172, 037 23 1,852, 836 91 6.9+ 1,511, 864 16 5.8+ 27,531, 585 26 370, 730 47 172, 409 85 26, 98%, 444 94 * 1, 112, 612 24 *3. 8+ *183, 592 29 *0.6+ 29, 277, 516 95 304, 923 90 209, 647 89 28, 762, 945 16 1,745, 931 69 6.3+ 1,774,500 22 6.5+ 30,041, 982 86 388, 107 60 219, 226 83! 29, 434, 648 43 764, 465 91 2. 6+ 671, 73 27 2.3+ 33, 315, 479 34 111, 534 72 269, 205 25 32, 934, 739 37 3,273,496 48 10.8+1 3, 500, 090 94.11.8+ 36,785, 397 97 138.857 96 295, 581 39 36, 350, 958 62 3, 469, 918 63 10.4 + 3, 416, 219 23 10.3+ 41, 876, 410 15 166, 154 48 360, 767 33 41, 349, 488 32 5,091, 012 1813.8+ 4, 998, 529 70 13.7+45, 508, 692 61 145, 144 11 411, 619 37 44,951, 929 13 3, 632, 282 46 8.6 + 3, 602. 440 1 * 7+ 43, 325, 958 81 154, 270 26 507, 323 81 42, 664, 364 74 *2, 182, 733 x0 -4.7-+ *2, 287, 564 39 *5.0+ 42, 560, 843 83

408, 933 30 42, 151, 910 53 *765, 114 98*1.7+ *512, 454 21 *1.2+

Total . 596, 851, 931 70 5.831, 460 22 4, 675, 650 72 486, 344, 820 7622, 788, 623 18

23, 272, 532 88

*Decrease.

ORDINARY POSTAL REVENUE.

The receipts from official postage stamps and stamped envelopes and the profits from the money.order system having been excluded, the fol. lowing table will be useful in showing the amount of ordinary postal revenue collected in each quarter, and the proportion of such amount to the total amount for the entire year, with the amount and rate of increase, by fiscal years, from July 1, 1869, to June 30, 1885, viz:

Per cent. of total postal revenue.

Per cent.

1870
1871
1872
1873
1874
1875
1876
1877
1878
1879
1880
1881
1882
1883
1884
1885

$4, 520, 763 25
4, 678, 481 15
4, 945, 525 29
5,426, 134 70
6, 047, 508 89
6, 118, 046 55
6, 431, 424 89
6,539, 171 38
6, 693, 093 15
6, 863, 107 39
7, 563, 315 55
8, 351, 587 76
9, 450, 556 95
10, 510, 527 60
10.523, 006 45

9, 974, 210 09
114,636,461 04

As will be observed in the footings of the table, taking the sixteen years from July 1, 1869, to June 30, 1885, as a whole, 23.57 percent. of the ordinary postill revenue was collected in the quarter ended September 30; 25.23 per cent, in the quarter ended December 31 ; 26.19 per cent. in the quarter ended March 31; and 25 per cent. in the quarter ended June 30. The revenue for the year ended June 30, 1885, exhibits an increase over the reve. nue for tbe year evded June 30, 1870, of $23,272,532.88, or 123.2 per cent.

In pursuing the comparisons of the postal revenue, it will be proper to show the increase or decrease at the larger and the smaller offices separately. The ordinary receipts, by quarters, since July 1, 1875, have been obtained from the books of the Auditor's office at 30 of the larger post offices in the country, collecting nearly 40 per cent. of the entire postal revenue. From these figures and the foregoing table, the following supplemental tables have been prepared, viz: TABLE C.— Table showing the ordinary postal revenue (exclusive of official postage-stamps

and net money-order receipts) collected at thirty of the larger post-ofices, by quarterly and annual periods, from July 1, 1875, to June 30, 1885, with the proportion of revenue in each quarter to the rerenue at snch offices for the entire year, and the increase for each year over the immediately preceding year.

Table D.- Tavle showing the ordinary postal rerenue (exclusire of oficial postage-stamps

and net money.order receipts), collected at all other than the thirty large post-ofices in the foregoing, by quarters and annual periods, from July 1, 1875, to June 30, 1885, with the proportion of the revenue in each quarter to the revenue at all such offices for the entire year, and the increase or decrease for each year over the immediately preceding year.