New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-12-06
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES REPORT.
fcoptisu>d from ne Third PaSs


seryice at rate than that paid by Individuals for
similar services. This principle hss never been denied
by the Post Office Department; but, on the c0otrry
ithas ALWAYS m4intaiLeo-aDd this has been tue
great esuse Of difficulty between the Department and
he Government has been chargei
aud paying much greater prices than those pad by In
diyiduas Whether this be 80 or not Is m after that
could be easily settled by computation. And when
the Pest Ofice Committee Of the House Of Re2resen-
tatyes al its last session proposed btu hxi1g certain
rates per mile for mail transportation on the roads If
il could have shown TO them that the rates thus hxe1
were too low considering the weight Of the mail is
importance and the facilities and space given for its
transportation, / ON satisfied they would have al
once increased its rates. What u required IS to Tx
lair and just prices, companies performing similar
services to receive the same pay, which IL not
now the case, and all Of them to be paid ac-
oordipg to the bulk of thu mails, the speed with
which they are beng conveyed, and the accomnooa
tons required. The paid De express com oanles
would be very unfair criterion by which to regulate
The charges 10 be psld for the conveyance Oi the
mails. Controlled by no competition excepting sucn
il s IN the power of the railroad companies mem
solves 70 prevent, they can pay any prices wnlcn
may be demanded Of them and assess u upon 'oe,r
ou.t0mers. II would be unjust, too, to fouod cal.
ouiA'iOn upon the assumption that the mall ear ws'
tyeniy.fve feet in Length, fifteen ior mau rooui,
and ten for a pOst.ofice, and the0 10 estimate and
chang. both for weight and car ana nas az iouree1
tue. Accommodations sach "a these are repaired
both for the security of the ma ana 10 enaoie rod;e
ne N, properly 10 sschsrRe their duties and to this
fact early drew the attention OF the companies but
,hese sccofntncd alton have not been given. Many of
the railroads. desitous OF properly serving the pnoc
dsvots car exclusively for mail purposes but Ia the
gIeat majority Of car is divided between the
government and the express companies, or space Is
apDotnoned off for the route agent, the inal oeing
place. with the baggage IN the one ana toe oaaroe
OF the car appropriated for smokin{ groom. me
CALCULATIONS which I have made and those whlcn
some OF the companies make dher mes'
widely and show thst they are receiving Tor
the mail much more than for first class treigNi Dut
oh AT her 10
inert or the companies be correct could be resdiiy
settled by a committee Of Congress; aud If the COM
pants wish GovCl ment 10 pay them only such p1ce'
ns they receive from individuals the whoe ma yer Is
one IL easy solution In the opinion that TINS Gov
errment Is paying much more for railroad mail SER
vice than II Is worth have been confr ned by the
prsoes paid for similar services in E0gan1 France,
Germsby and Canada With the Great Western
Railroad Company in the latter c)u0try the Depart
ment in March last entered into contract to carry
fhe United States mail from suspension Bridge, New
York 10 Detroit Michigan for the sum OF thirty do
lsTs mile. The same cars carry the local Canada
mail, and II the Canadian Government allow this
company thirty dollars mile, in addition 10 the sum
received from this Dep rtment, this important trunk
road will be receiving sixty dollars mile
II is Of very great importance that kind relations
should always exist between the Post Odioe Depart
ment and the diiereut railroad co Dpanies because
when such the case the public interests always
better served. II has been, and will ever be, my
effort TO preserve these relations ExObitant de-
manis for service no sever will always be retused
and when tehedcle is arranged, not by the depNt-
ment aOte because II has no such power, but by the
Joint concur ence OF the Department aud the Comps
NY who always have regard 70 the local business of
the road The public officer would be derellct in his
duty who would Lot exact conformity thereto. Un.
les such were tie case there would be no order or
az uGTity Ia the mail system, and business IN It's
thoesaIt ranif cations would be seriously disturbed.
Nhe' fine Is laid, IL afierwaTd good cause be sh, va,
IL always RENTED; but IL is not too much 10 SAY
tia, eyero d,ly Of the mail causes embarrassment if
not iury 10 hundreds, and therefore every
should be carefully examined The morchent, manu-
faciurer, and farmer rely upon the mail principally
for THAR remitsnces. All clssses Of our citizens
iousy await the arrival Of their letters and newspa-
pers; and IT, hroue tue nattenton neglect of tue
railroad companies or their SCENTS, delays take place.
what good reason can be assigned why they should
net be treated as other controctorsf
BY the act of cd Juy, 1885, ~ provided that con-
tracts shall in all cases be aTardedto the lowest bid.
der. la order 60 guard the Department az ainst
fraud and imposition the form of bid Il prescribed
by the regulators. guarantee Is likewise provided
dertske that il the party bidding be accepted, he
shsu enter into the contract for the service proposed
with good and sufficient securities A certificate is
then required to be sigre by PO.tmaster, Judge
CLERK Of Record who certfes 10 the suficiency OF
the gu6rantOTs. Notwithstanding these prec lions
irresponsible men frequently become bidders, h.v-
ing no design OF performing the service bat with the
sole object Of selling out their bid. Failing to find a
purchaser they refuse enter into the contract and
whCn inqsny is made into the sufibieney of their
guaautors, in order 10 institute action az aInst
theml II Ia discovered that they are pecunaruy
worthless. Ga failures of this description, they are
awarded 10 the next lowest bidder but as no is not
bound by his bid after the acceptance OF the 10 vest
BIDDER, II very heqaenty happens that be declines
hs acceptance, and the Department thus Obliged 10
pay much more for the service than it could have
betn had for, or than il is really worth SIch in
stances occurred free aenily at the last Lettings which
taye increased very much the cost of the service.
Some discretion should be LOGGED 10 the Postm ,ster-
General to prevent such freuds; but in its absence
have determined at the next lettings to designate
certain Posmas,ers in each State in which a letting
to be had who alone will DO authorized to give the
required certificate
The proper distribution Of mail mptter in a country
30 vas: as ours, with many mail routes and many
Post Offices, asu6jeot attended with great difficulty
end to which the attention of my predecessors has
frequently been directed. Letters instead of having
one, or al most, two distributions, have been dis
frbuted four or i've times befJre their arrival at the
destined point The consequence has been that the
distribution and delivery commissions have almost
consumed the postage; but the evil arising IRON
this practice has been that great delays have been oc
casionsd, which have always been the subject Of lust
complaint. To distribute mail matter properly re-
9uirts minute kno Wedge Of mail arrangements and
this the department alone can have Ii tue Post
masters at the vGrious distributing Post Offices vera
permitted TO make their own distribution sehemes
with their necessarily imperfect knowledge great mis-
takes must occur and instead of aleer bang nailed
direct 10 the distribution office to which belongs il
would be mailed from point TO point along the route
until il reached its destined point. To prevent these
delays and at the time 20 possess myself of the
local knowledge of the Posmasters the distrbutior
post Offices caused to be forwarded to me the dill,
ferent schemes of distribution. 'Some of them found
quite perfect, but the great majority of then were
very detective, and my only surprise has been tina,
greater delays in the delivery of letters have not
taken place. am nov having prapsrep distribution
schemes sor every distributing office in the oouatry,
anottipg to each its proper distribution. When they
are oompieted, the postmaster al the mailing poat
c by turning to his scheme and ook nc TO tue ,uu-
Sfaf al A., ha