Cheraw gazette and Pee Dee farmer. [volume] (Cheraw S.C.) 1838-1839, 1839-03-13

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From Cheraw to Columbia, 1873
Thus was an advance of more than 60 per
cent on the former cost Of this service, for
which the Department could perceive no sufI-
cient reason, inasmuch as it was not doubted
that Post Coach Line would be maintained
upon this route, evea if there should be no mail
upon it,
But whatever might have been the causes
which led to this enormous advance upon for
lner prices the very fact Of the advance made
it the duty of the Department. to cast about
Tor some more favorable arrangement. One
vas soon affected with the Raleigh and VIII
minston Rail Road Company at the rate O.
Sl2O per mile, with speed which would
justify the discontinuance Of the Express mail
as far as Charleston S. C and, Z subsequent
agreement with the Charleston and Hamburg
Rail Road Company at S2O0 per mile, has led
TO a withdrawal of the Express mail as far
South as Augusta Ga.
1t was with great reluctance that the De-
partment abandoned the Metropolitan line, "a
the route Of the great mail /; but that result
could not be avoided under the circumstances
without palpable derelictioa of public duty.
A service was offered on the Wilmington
line equivalent to the conveyance of the great
and Express mail both at a price less per
mile thaa was asked on the upper line for
carrying the great mail only with but little more
than half the speed, and less than the Express
mail alone actually cost. If however, the
price asked on the upper line had not been at
a heavy advance on the former cost tive ar
rangement with the Wilmington Company
would not have been sought a.! d the mails
would have been carried as heretofore.
By the withdrawal Of the great mail, the
Importance of the Metropolitan line as mail
line, was greatly diminished. The mail mat
ter 10 be conveyed upon it, will hereafter be
that on which is destined for and originates
in the Post Offices upon it and upon parts o.
the diverging routes, and when the new ar
rangcmcnt is perfected, will probably nSt
exceed one tenth Of that which passed along
it under the former contract.
1t is the duty Of the Department in deter
mining what shall hereafter be paid for the
service On this line, to consider l:s diminished
Importance.
The mode in which the mails shall be convey
ed, whether OH horseback. in Sulkies, Stages
or Post Coaches, is left by law to the discretion
of The Postmaster General The frequency Of
the conveyance is also left % his discretion.
But in re crence to these considerations, affec-
ting the Lifting of any route, he is expressly
required by law, to have " due regard to the
! productireaess thereof, and, other circumslan'
ces."
: I: is with due regard to lis productii'eness
: therefore. that this line must now be let The
! frs. thing to be considered is lis "productlve
ness" and the next whether there are any Cir.
cumst ances which require, or will justify giving
more for service upon it than it produces tc
the department. The service 10 be put on the
! line should be the most frequent and the les
which can be had for such compensation as the
"produetivencs" Of the route and "other cir
cumstanccs" will authorise or justify.
A careful examination has been made I'M:
the "productiyeness' of this line, and the who!
amount of revenue produced by the Pos
Offices and justly applicable to the 'ranspor
tation of the mail upon it, does no: cxcec'
$lO,500 per annum The length Of the lin
does not vary much from 226 miles, which a
$50 per mile, would cost Sl2,9G0, This
25 per cent beyond the revenue produced upo'
the route applicable to the service upch ii
including one fourth that produced by Raleigl
and one half Of that produced by Columbia
This apportionmcnt Of the revenue is The mos
favorable to the route which could with an
propriety be made.
In it's reduced Importance, however, thl
route is still not exclusively for the supply {
the Offices upon it. but is useful and nccessar
as connecting route at various points, an
also passes through several places of consider
able commercial Importance. These "circum
stances" would seem to justify the paymen
Of more than 1t produces, for the transportatIo
Of the mail upon It.
Believing, on the WHOLE that 500 per mil
was liberal allowance for the service on th
route, having due regard to the .'producti"'
ness" thereof, and "othcr circumstances" tn
8 Department authorised the PostInasters Q
the line to engage the highest grade OF da'
service they could for that price. They SOC
=. reported an arrangement along the whole lin
to convey the mail in stages daily for tn:
miro