Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1847-12-28
PUBLIC DOCUMENTS.
Report OF the Fcs!mas,c, General.


nine years preceding the Isl OF July, lS4o, by me
sum Of Sl20022. The principal item Oh e3pehu'-
ture is the sum paid The contractors ior Trans
porting the mails In the last year thcrc was
paid for transportation S2,476,4 oo %.
The compensation paid 10 railroads OF The nlsl
elias, is much more than that paid Tor the inferior
grades OF service, in proportion 10 he iehg'n VI
routes or the amount OF service performed, "hich
induced me in former report 10 recommend
rednc,ion of The maximum allowed Tor that class
II service
The principal routes OF the first class are those
extending from ~ York, by Philadelphia, wash,
ington and Charleston, 10 ATLANTA IN Georgia, AGO
10 Montgomery, in Alabama, over which inc great
southern mail is transpurted and trom Baltimore
to Cumberland, over which Inc principal west
efn mail is taken; and they are paid the maxi
mum sums allowed bv law-for single uaily ser
vice, al the late OF S2S7 oU per mie anu
for more than one daily Trip, at the rate OF 3Oop per
mile. |! has been found useless 10 attempt 10
contract with railroads for less amount man
the maximum allowed by law. They are gene
Ially withou, competition Tor the mall service j
and the contention with The department seems ems 10
have been from the passage oil The act Of 1000 ~
obtain. under one preience or another, more 'hah
the amount prescribed in that act. The phrase
oloey OF that act, and OF the subsequent acts, Is OF
a character to admit Of controversy as ~ Tue
meaning of Congress; and il has been the lt9"'ui
source of ANNOYANCE 10 The department, and, &C.
casiunaiy, OF much public Inconvenience.
The 2nd section of The ac OF the 9Th July,
1888. made all railroads post-routes, and directed
The Postmaster General &c have the mails rams
ported over them, "provted he can have Il done
upon reasonable terms, and not paying theleio,
in any instance, more than % per cent. over and
above what similar transportation would cos III
post coaches" What Congress meant by sem,
liar transportation" became an important as wei
nc Difficult, question The Postmaster GENERA!
finally decided ii by taking an average o, me cos
ner mile of The coachserVIce between baiiuo'e
and Cincipnali-the mos, important and RAPID,
as we'll as the most expensive, in The Unieo
States a, the time That was found 10 cost Sl9o
ner mile. 10 which 25 per cent was added, mak-
inc the sum of 237 so dolats per mile as Inc
maximum for railroad service. This decisioh
gave great dissatisfaction 10 the company whose
road lies between this city and Rlchmonoi nof
was it satisfactory TO some other companies VINO
performed more than one trip daily; ana 'he
Postmaster General reported the facts in his an
nual report OF the Sd OF December, 1886, ana IN
vited Congress ''lo correct the construction gwen
the law of The last session, il 100 liberal or too
sricl; or 10 resort 10 such further enactmen'S as
The public interests may seem TO require"
On the 22d of January 1889, Congress again
took up the subject, and another act passed, pro-
hibi,ing the Postmaster General from allowing
more than $500 per mile per annum "fo' The e"nl-
peyauce of one or more daily mails" upon any rail-
road. "provided that nothing in this ACT shall be
so construed as in any way 10 remove or impair
The limitations upon the power OF the Postmaster
General imposed by that section" (the ID section
of the act OF 1881 If the words zone or more
daily mails" be- construed to authorize the pay
ment OF 800 dollars per mile for single daily
rim il is in direct conflict with The proviso in the
same section, which expressly saves The reslric-
lions in the act of 1888. The restriction was 10
237 dollars and SO cents in The act, as construed
In The department and communicated 10 Congress;
and hence ii was settled in the department al lie
time that 237 dollars and so cents was The limiia-
lion for single daily service, and 800 dollars per
mile The Limitation for more than one Trip daily
and this construction has been uniform since, Ill
the department.
The 18th section of the act of Sd OF March
lS45 made i! the duty OF the Postmaster General
ito arrange and divide" the railroad routes, In
GLIDING those on which the service was perform
ed partly by railroads and partly by steamboats,
into three classes, and authorized him "to contract
for conveying the mails with any such railroad
company" either with or without advertisement
"provided that tor the conveyance OF the mail on
any railr 'ad OF the first class, he shall pay no
higher rate OF compensation than is now Above:
by law and fixed the maximum fc: the second
class OF railroads at 100 dollars per r,ie, and for
the third class al so doilars-an inequality in
their compensation that cannot be easily o! salts
fac,orily explained. After the passage OF this act
the subject was again taken up in the department,
and considered with great care. Tine Act OF iSaa,
limiting the power 10 pay on the first class routes
10 the amount "now allowed by law" was re-
earded as adopting the maximum settled and
prescribed in the department from the time of the
passage of the acts Of 1888 aud 1899 for that class
of service, with as much certainty as if the pre-
else sums had been set down in the law IN so
many words or figures. The act did not specify
the maximum for steamboat service when con-
necied with railroad, though necessarily i'm
piled in the language used; and the power 10 con-
tract for the service Of either, without advertise
meni, was given. AS sleamboa. service had al
WAYS been treated in the department, and justly
So as an inferior grade OF service TO that OF rail-
road, being much less expensive and less expedi-
tious, and superior 10 that OF coaches; and as The
law had settled the maximum OF railroad service
al twenty-five per cent above coach service, an
intermediate point between the two was believed
10 be fair Just and liberal Tor that class ofservice
and twelve and halt per cent. LEGS than the al
lowance to railroads was adopted as the maximum
for that kind Of service when connected with rail-
roads.
The classification as well as the prices have
given rise 10 occasional complains among the
companies owning railroads and steamboats,
though the service has been generally well and Sd
tisacloIily performed, and paid for al the prices
above stated.
Some Of The companies performing single daily
service insist that The maximum OF $500 per mile
for "one or more" daily trips, authorizes the pay.
men, OF more than 1927 SO per mile, and demand
larger sum. Others contend that the perform
ance OF the service in The night will JUSTLY the
payment of % per cent upon the maximum -
Others insist that there is no limit upon the price
for steamboat service when connected with a
railroad; and claim enough on The steamboat part
Of the route to make what they allege to be an
''adequate compensation" for the service on the
railroads. In other cases, railroads connecting
and performing portions of the trip over the same
road, but in different cars claim double pay over
part OF the same road. In other cases, roads run.
ming parallel with each other, serving the same
offices, and under the control of the same direc-
tors, claim the maximum for service on each
road.
The department was not insensibe to The ma.
nv advantages which the government and The
community derive from the establishment Of IA
roads by The enterprise Of the ciiz.ns and The
States, and the benefits TO be derived lro IN item in
a period Of war, in the transportation OF troops
and munitions Of war from one part ot The coun.
try TO another, as we'll The increased petition
given the mails; and sought 10 enforce the law
in It's true spirit and meaning, and with that lib
erali,y which should characterize The transactions
of the government with its citizens. 1t settled
the maximum for the different classes OF service
as above stated, and a! once offered it to The
panies. twas difficult, it not impossible, 10 dis
criminale in the pay between the different roads
of the same class, by the speed with which the
mails were taken. by the goodness or badness, d.
rectuess or crcui,y of the roads, or by the ice
that would impede the progress OF the mails on
some routes mote than Others; or by The dangers
incident TO their transportation in the open sea,
in the sounds or lakes. 1t twas believed that fair
ness and equality of compensation among those
of the same class performing similar service
would be more nearly attained by such a course,
than by attempting TO discriminate for any such
causes. The maximum rates thus settled by the
department are believed to be liberal, and greatly
- Il for