The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-03-28
Must the Public Interests
Be Paralyzedp
The Defence of the. Rail-
way Companies.
Facts for us Postmaster General and Con-
grHs-Ars the Companies To Do Paid for
Their Services - History Of the Postal
Car service-TAe Unheeded Appeals.


ablcncrve aud resolution.
There il every prospect that AFTER the 1sttday OF
April-Dcxt Iuesday-the country Will experience
very Observation-Disclosures IN consequence Ofthe
delays In distributing the mails 10y reasen OF the
refusal OF OF the most powerful railway CON-
s%anics in ahe Union 10 furnish the facsies which
have been enjoyed IN the distribution ard delivery
Of mail matter during the past nine years. And it
must te remembered, 400, that should this CRISIS
supervene the embarrassment VIII be much more
serious than many persons anticipate. IL will not
merely put the mercantile public In the same con-
ditiOn OF inconvenience that existed prior to 1884,
when what are known AZ 'postal railway carsn
were not in vogue, but
THE EMBARRASSMENT WILL BE INCREASED
Utmost IN proportion to the ratio of increase in the
postal business OF the country since that time.
The particular service which has tended 80 greatly
to facilitate the public business is Afforded by what
IRE known as postal cars" These are OF about
the size Of the ordinary baggage Car attached to
passenger trains, and within are fitted up with
drawers, desks and plgeonholes, so that they are
In fact miniature post Offices. These cars carry
fr0m two to five Post Once clerks, and receive
the mails, nnassorted, in bulk, from the general
OfCcs. AZ the express train speeds on its way the
clerks assert the mails and by the time 1t reaches
the various stations on Its route where heavy mails
tO the offices or to connecting trains running over
various routes. To the commercial and mercantile
communities it is almost impossible to estimate the
BENEFITS TO BE DERIVED
rom this rapid method OF distribution. It Is this
great ana important public service which the rail-
way companies now threaten to discontinue unless
the government makes provision for extra CON-
pensatiOn Tor It, In the event Of It's discontinue
snce the mails will be made up in the various post
offAces after the Old fashion, put INTO the separate
bags for the various mail stations. and dumped in
. corner OF the regular baggage Car.
In order to learn the reasons which have
prompted the railway companies to resort to this
impending extremity a HERALD reporter called
yesterday afternoon on MI John Taylor Johnston,
President Of the Central Railroad OF New Jersey,
and requested his views on the subject.
President Johnston state, in reply to inquiries
that the New Jersey Central ~ not so directly III
terested as some OF the otncr lines. who have given
the government notice OF discontinuance for the
reason that The Central does not run postal cars.
"HOw ~ It, then" inquired the reporter, that
yeu are represented as having signed the noti!ca-
tion TO The government ON behai'oi tue Central
''WeI," replied Mr.. Johnston, .the reason Is this.
We are now under contract with the government
for mail service, and under the conditions OF that
service we have been under the obligation to put
on postal cars whenever the Postal De-
partment at Washington gave us notice that
they would require US to do So We have never
been so notified by the Postmaster General, and
0l course nave not put them STILL InaSmuch
Is we are expected to do so if required, and liable
under existing rules to be called on. signed the
notification when
90 as to guard ourselves in the future to meet the
liability. l have received letter from Mr.. Hinck-
ley. of the Baltimore road on the subject, which
letter is now lying on my desk and WILL no doubt,
present fully to the public the railway companies
Justification, under the circumstances for the step
they nave taken or course in cases like this, pub
lie judgment Is very likely to he against US until
they understand the facts, the public gen
npOn great corporations or monopolies
as they are pleased to term them. We are sum-
clently wen aware OF TINS sentiment, and do not
quite certain that we have strong grounds in our
favor, and think the public will concede that we
are not acting in grasping or unjust manner in
the circumstances Of thus present diniculty.'
AS the New Jersey Central is not SO deeply inter-
ested at present as those companies that are run
ming the postal cars, Mr. Johnston did not desire
70 express any further opinion just now on the
question.
The reporter next visited the offices OF the Penn
sylvanla Railroad in Jersey City, and inquired for
the General superintendent. That official was alb
the Division superintendent. This gentleman also
was absent, but his clerk informed the reporter
that the Pennsylvania Railroad Company was not
one OF the Directing corporations He understood
there were about eight companies conederated in
the movement, but had no idea as TO what COM
panies they were, nor indeed positively as TO any
one OF them. The reporter inquired OF several
''chier' and subordinate CLERKS" "assistant
agents. and the like in various railway Offices but
they knew nothing of the movement, nor OF the
roads engaged in it, though they had ali ''seen
little in the papers about IT,"
The following Is a copy OF President Hinckley's
letter. referred to by President Johnston copies Of
which have, 1t is understood, been forwarded to
the chief Officers of the various railway companies
interested -
headed Information Wanted Concerning the Relations
O the Railroad Companies and the Postal Service"
present the following statement of the this
'Y In s we were paid 81 500 per annum for delivering
~ m as aay % nye O'clock NJ ana
In 1889 By the Pos, Once Department to
snndm for he service Ibis offer was declined also
would allow the Posi- Office Department direct the run
and sent from Baltimore fhilade phia via YORK and
S HS4 which %s s een hours up 10 the LIST 0
daily during the year and second mail every week day
mum j 4, is,s IL $500 per All
In 1853 we were paid but So 800 and have been paid at
the same rate ever since.
carrying the small mails those days in one end Of the
ws,f we 81 the of the Post
Once Department thai we shout be paid for the ser
tributing post offices on wheels, transported upon
from forty ay feet long costing from
springs he s warmed a BY thu SsS anI
and transported with the mails and from three to I'VE
For his service this company received one cent
moncy per annum in 1850 than IN io72 Tor our mail service
af . nsw Ms the Burdens r ss
US u lat. years while refusing any Increase OF pay.
The persons carried by order OF the
Post Office Department in ISL, by this company. IL they
had bought their tickets would have paid this company
more than Sl7Oc or more than forty per cent Of the
whole amount paid for mail service in that
Twice since 1860 have mail trains between New York
and Baltimore been thrown from the track and passen
gers seriously injured by mails carelessy dropped from
postal by post Office employees, one OF whom sued
Tor damages the company whose train he had caused TO
be wrecked.
Mail matter IL no longer confined to letters papers.
documents &c, OF late years the Post Office DEPART
ment allows the mails TO carry merchandise mail mat
Large amounts Of freight In the form OF stationery.
COOKS and miscellaneous matter formerly carried by
NJ freight or by Adams Express Company road,
nj. now forced upon mail matter Thus not
SSy a.prved OF the revenue which would be derived
Eom the freight. but also made TO carry that
Beight Tor nothing Moreover the Post Office Depart
nent having nothing TO pay Tor carrying merchandise as
Mai naus hxes such low rates bv mail that this
pany aDd Adams Express Company. running 1
road has just clam. "
Year afLer year this company has urged our claims
upon the Post ONCE Department Congress and