Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1860-05-16
Post Office Dificulties in this State.

Post Office Difficulties in this State.
We find in the last Petersburg Express the fol-
lowing letter of Postmaster General Holt addressed
to our Representative in Congress, Mr.. Branch -
Posr OFFICE DEPARTMENT.
MAY I'd, 1860.
SIR:-T have had under consideration, an offer
made by the Presidents of the Raleigh and CASTOR,
North Carolina and Charlotte and South Carolina
Railroad Companies, to convey the mails, over said
roads twice daily, at compensation of $3.50 per
mile, per annum, coupled with notice by them,
that unless they allowed that rate of pay, they
will convey no mails over said roads after the first
day of May. In connection Herewith I have care
fully considered communications from nearly the
entire delegation to Congress from North Carolina
and one of the Representatives from South Carolina
recommending an acceptance of that offer.
By the 10th section of the act of Congress of 3rd
March, 1915. it is made the duty of the Postmaster
General to divide the Railroad routes into three
classes, and the maximum rate of pay which he
may allow to each class is fixed The principle up
on which that classification has been made is as fol-
lows: Routes on which the great mails between
remote sections Of the country conveyed, are
signed to the first class routes which important
mails between points less remote are conveyed to
the second class and or side routes of minor
importance, to the third class.
The great mails not being conveyed over the
roads in question, and there being no necessity for
placing them thereon as they can be conveyed more
expediously by the roads ria Wilmington,
which they now transported, there no gronnd
for placing them under the foregoing rule of cassi
ication IN the first class. Without therefore chang
ing the principle upon which the Classification has
been made, land which, it is believed, would be
departure from the spirit, If not the letter of the
law thcre is no authority for allowing to those
roads the rate Of compensation demanded The
II. Ill IL.
mile per annum, 1.-THE rate now allowed with an ad-
dition of 25 per cent if half the service performed
BY them is in the night.
Any change in the principle of classification by
which those routes would be transferred to the first
Glass; would likewise transfer thereto large portion
of the railroad routes now in the second Glass; and
very greatly increase the aggregate cost Of the rail-
road service.
The common mistake of railroad companies, from
which results most of the dissatisfaction with the
classification made by the PostofIice Department,
consists in comparing the quality Of the several
roads, instead of the Importance of the mail service
thereon The latter is the only view in which it
be regarded by the Department. That is the view
which was contemplated by the second section of
the act of 7th July, 1883, by which the Postmaster
General is restricted, in his engagements with rail-
road companies, to "25 per centum over and above
what similar transportation would cost in post
COaC0cS. SicW Is ctIlOTCcu Ny VI lCtll
January, 1889, which limits the rate Of pay to be
allowed to any railroad company under the second
section of the act of 1888, and adds "That nothing
in this act contained shall be construed as in any
way to impair the limitations upon the power Of
the Postmaster General imposed by that section;
and it is in substance endorsed in the act of 3rd
March, 1S45, by the clause authorizing the Post
master General to separate the letter from the news
paper mail &C., if he cannot contract with railroad
ok haf ho
may deem q reasonable and fair compensation"
(within the maximum rates. "for the service to be
performed" ''@'F
There are no great commercial interests depend
ent on the mails by the central route through North
Carolina: save Raleigh N. c. and Columbia, S. c.,
there is not postoice touched by either of those
roads, which yields net postal revenue amounting
to $l,1o0 per annum-few indeed, at which twice
daily mails would be desired or of advantage to
any considerable portion of the community. The
whole net proceeds of all the Offices on those roads
is barely $l5, 900 per annuu, and excluding Golum-
bia, (which has twice daily mails by the South Caro-
lima Railroad about SIC, ,O00 per anhum while the
additional compensation asked by those roads
amounts to g., 600 per annunn. These statements
show that the opinion which has been advanced,
that the increased expense proposed would be small
in proportion to tho increase OF mail facilities offer
ed is not properly deducible from the facts. The
present aggregate annual pay on those routes is
$4320O which, if increased 80 per cent as demand
ed would amount to $64, 500 per annum. sAsss .
In my late annual report the deliberate opinion
Of the Department has been expressed that the rate
Of compensation allowed by law for railroad service
IS too high and reduction of one third recommend
ed It would be an act Of gross Inconsistency, in
the face Of that opinion and without an expression
by Congress thereon, to add co. per centum to the
compensation on the routes il, question. ]!
n seefna sl,noaf t aa that IN eyerv