V. All Letters and other mailable matter addressed to or sent by the Speaker or Chief Clerk of the Legislative Council or of the Legislative Assembly, or by or to any Member of either of said branches of the Legislature during any Session of the Legislature, shall be free of Provincial Postage.
VI. All public documents and printed papers may be sent by the Speaker or Chief Clerk of the Legislative Council or of the Legislative Assembly, to any Member of either of the said branches of the Legislature of Canada, during the recess of Parliament, free of Postage.
VII. Members of either branch of the Legislature of Canada may send during the recess of Parliament by mail, free of Postage, all papers printed by order of either branch of the Legislature of Canada.
* * * * *
IX. This Act shall come into effect on and after the first day of July, eighteen hundred and fifty-five.
There is a bit of conflict here. The "enactment clause" of the above Act makes it operative unequivocally on July 1, 1855. Yet the Postmaster General's report, just quoted, which is supposed to be for the fiscal year ending 31st March, 1855, distinctly states that the provisions of the above Act came into effect "in July last," which would seem to be July, 1854. The Act itself is not in error, so the discrepancy must lie in the Postmaster General's report. Probably the report was written much later in the year than March 31st, as it was not presented to Parliament until the fall session, and therefore gave opportunity to refer back to happenings in July.
The growth of the Department during the first four years under Provincial control is illustrated by the following table:—
| Date | Post Offices in operation. | Miles of Post Routes. | Letters mailed per week. | Gross Revenue | Correspondence with the U. S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6th April, 1851 | 601 | 7,595 | 41,000 | £ 93,802 | |
| 5th April, 1852 | 840 | 8,618 | 71,726 | £ 71,788.18. 5 | $ 85,636.97 |
| 31st Mar., 1853 | 1,016 | 9,122 | 81,896 | £ 84,866. 6. 11½ | $104,966.40 |
| 31st Mar., 1854 | 1,166 | 10,027 | 98,350 | £ 98,495. 6. 7 | $129,921.67 |
| 31st Mar., 1855 | 1,293 | 11,192 | 116,671 | £110,747.12. 9½ | $145,377.69 |
The number of post offices had more than doubled; the length of the post routes had increased by fifty per cent; and although the revenue had dropped one quarter during the first year, owing to the reduction in postage rates, it had increased by half in the next three years; while the total correspondence between Canada and the United States had increased by two thirds in the same three years.