The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-10-21
REPUBLICAN RASCALS.
Star Route Thieves and
Criminalities.
Peculiar Practices of Leading
Officials.

NEW YORK, Oct. 2O.-The Times of
Thursday morning prints document bear
ing date Aug. 5, 1879, and entitled Mem
oranda of suggestions as TO the state ser
vice in the Pacific Section" made out as
an addendo to the report to the Postmaster
General, with the pages numbered conse
cutively from those of said report. It is
signed JAS. N. Tyner, First Assistant
Postmaster General" and is endorsed
"Memorandum of Star Service On the Pa
cIfic section, made by Jas. N. Tyner, Aug,
5. 1879 The following taken in extenso
from the report. illustrates the character
1of the whole: Route No. Al, 154, in Ore
gon, from the Dallas to Lake View, was
let under advertisement of Nov 1, 1879,
once week, for So, ,0S8. The route was
advertised and let as 227 miles long on a
schedule of 108 hours or fraction over %
miles per hour. 1t has since been increased
to six times per week between the Dalles
and Prineville, an intermediate office, sit
uated 11S miles from the Dalles,
the southern terminus, and it
said points The increase of frequency
costs $134 additional, and the expedition
cost S11,777 The expedited schedule re-
quires pro rata running time 81 miles per
hour between the points named, as against
% per hour under the awarded contract.
No connections are formed at Prineville,
and no benefit of consequence occurs to
anyone. The contractors for the increase
of speed the department pays nearly $12,-
600, and yet the Importance of the mails
passage over the route, a route which does
not carry through mails or form link in
the great through line, may be estimated
by the fact that the aggregate compensa-
ton of postmasters at all offices from Dali
less to Prineville, including the latter and
excluding the former, which is not depend
ent on it for supply, is $3.50. Between
Prineville and Silver Lake, another inter
mediate office on the south, there is really
no need of service at all. There is no post
office nor any population to supply, nor
indeed a country in which civilized people
can live. The route as an entirety,
is not essential for north
and south connections as per
routes and south connections, as other
routes subserve this end and the link be-
tween Silver Lake and Prineville might
therefore be dropped without detriment,
leaving Silver Lake to be supplied from the
south only. Route A, 160-Oregon, from
Canyon City to McDermott, was let at the
same time as the above named route. 1t is
243 miles long, as advertised, was let on
schedule of 1872 hours or not quite two
miles per hour, once week, at cost OF
So, SS8, 1t ought to have service once
week to supply the military posts, scarcely
anyone else being interested IN 1t. It's
supply twice a week at double the cost
named above would be very liberal. Since,
the letting has been increased to three
times per week and expedited at a cost of
dl5 q a to 4I,1 S.l loo of
now $21, 500. The expedited schedule re-
quires a speed of i 49 miles per hour and
for this slight increase the department pays
$12, S23. The importance of the
route for local papers, it
not being through line IN
this sense is indicated by the fact that the
offices solely dependent upon it for supply
yield an aggregate compensation to post
masters of SAT, 60, and gross revenue of
less than 500. Canyon City. the northern
terminus receives its supply from route
"a, 155, and Camp McDermott, now Fort
McDerInott, the southern terminus, has a
daily supply from Wiunemecca station to
the Central Pacific railroad, but If the last
named offices were both supported by this
route the expenditure for supply would
cost over $19 900 more than the entire rev
enue derived from them. The Importance
of the mails on this route will not Justify
more than one fourth of the present cost.
Speaking of route A, 155, let originally
at So, ,2SS per annum, but the expedition
and frequency increased to $72, ,520 Mr..
Tyner says; The compensation Outpost
masters on the route amounts to S1,776,
and this includes compensation at Baker
City, lS622) which is on the great over
land stage route between Dallas and Kel-
ton, and upon which it is dependent for
its supply. Without Baker City the aggre
gate compensation is 81, 154, and the gross
revenues are about So 800, including the
compensation named above to supply it.
Therefore the department pays over $40,
900 more than it derives from it. A SER
vice of three times a week of this route
would be liberal. Expedition at the great
cost named is upon its face unjustifiable
Closely connected with the Redding and
Roseburg Foute are routes 46, 245. (Red-
ding to Weaverville) and 46, 263, Yreka to
Shasta The two unite so as to form a
route from Redding to Yreka and to the
west mail route from Redding to Rose
burg. At Yreka they join the main route.
A glance at the map will show you that
the route thus formed is nearly parallel
with the main line. The three routes are
let to two contractors, one contractor hav-
ing been the lowest bidder on two of them,
but they are under common management.
Mr.. fyner closes his memoranda with a
suggestion as follows. 1t will be dis
covered that the principal mistakes
made in changing service upon the routes
named resulted from the policy of expedit-
ing that always involves great expenses and
is always of doubtful propriety The de
partment has but little control over it after
expedition is once decided upon, for the
law provides that the increase of pay shall
be based upon the amount of stock neces
sary to execute she expedition. The con-
tractor usually is the only person who can
intelligently state such increase. 1t IS also
evident that the plan of advertising for low
grades of service on a slow schedule Is Ill
advised The maximum service as to fre=
quentcy and speed should be called for.
To reduce is not expensive to the depart
ment and rarely damages the contractor if
promptly ordered In fact If the adver-
tised schedules arc carefully and intelli-
gently made up no changes would be
necessary, except occasionally when the
rapidly shifting population that gather
| about mining centres in the West sud
fr,n ntl,o loa xrr11a