The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-10-21
STAR ROUTES.
Text of FIrst Assistant Postmaster Gen
eraITyner's Suppressed Report.


ument bearing the date OF August 9th
1869, and entitled Memoranda OF sug
gestions us to the Star services in tn
Pacific section made out as an addenda t,
the report to the Postmaster General, witt
the pages numbered consecutively iron
those Of said report, 1t is signed james n
Tyner, First Assistant Postmaster General
and is endorsed Memorandum OF the Sta
service in the Pacific section, made by Jas
n. Tyner, August >, 1871 The following
taken in eXtenso from the report, illustrates
the character OF the whole: Route No
A, l54, in Oregon, from the Dalles to Lake
View, was let under the advertisement o
! November lst 1879, one week, fol
S3,0SS. The route was advertised and lei
as 227 miles in length, on the schedule
OF los hours, or fraction over two and {
half miles per hour. 1t has since been in
creased TO six times per week between Tho
DNllcs and PrinGvillc, an intermediate OF
flee situated lis miles from The Dalles, tho
northern terminus and it has also been
expedited between the said points. The
increase OF frequency cost 80, l34 additional
The expedited schedule rCQuircsa pro rata
running time OF three and Il half miles per
hour between the points named us against
two and half miles per hour under the
award OF the contract. No COnneCtionsarC
formed at PrincviIlc and no benefit OF COn-
sequence aCCrues to anybody except the
contractor. For the increase in speed the
Department pays nearly $4,000, and yet
the importance Of the mails going over
the rOUtc--N route that does not carry
through mails nor yet form u
link in the great through line may be Csti-
mated by the TACT that the aggregate COM
pcnsation OF the pOstmastcrs at all offices
from the Dalles to Prineyille, including the
latter and including the former which is
not dependent on it for supply is Si00.
Between Prineyille and Silver Lake there
is another Intermediate office, on the
south there is really no need OF the service
at all. There is no postonice nor any
population to supply, nor indeed country
in which civilized people .can live, The
route is not essential for the north and
south connections, US the other routes sub.
serve this end, and the link between Silver
Lake and lrinevillc might, therefore, be
dropped without dctrimCnt, lcG1tng Silver
Lake to he supplied from the south only
Route l4,lG0, in Oregon, from Canyon
City to Camp McDermott, was let
route 1t is 2i3 miles long, Ns advertised,
and was let on schedule Of 1872 hours, or
not quite two miles per hour once Il week
at II cost OF S2,SSS. 1t ought to have ser.
vice once week TO supply the military
post, scarcely any one clsc being inter
Csted in ii. The supply OF twice II week
at double the cost named above would be
very liberal. Since letting II has been in
creased to three times per week and Cxpc.
ditcd ut cost Of SlS,Gl2 additional, max.
ing the total annual cost now S2l 500. The
expedited schedule required Il speed OF q
miles per hour, instead Of Il speed Of I.Si
miles per hour, and for this slight increase
the Department pays Sl2,S3G. The i'm.
pOrtanre of the route for local pur.
poses-it not being through line in
any sense Is indicated by the fact that the
offices solely depend upon it for supply,
and yield IN aggregate compensation OF
81 7G0 and Il gross revenue OF 500. Can.
yOn City, the northern terminus, receives
its supply from route 4l,lj5, and Camp
McDcrmOtt, now Fort McDermott, the
southern terminus, has Il daily supply
from WinnCmucCa Station, on the Central
Pacific railroad. But il the lust named
two offices were both supplied by this
route the expenditure for supply would
cost over Sl0Ob0 more than the entire rev.
cnucs derived from them. The importance
Of mails on this route will not
Justify more than Onc-fOurth the
present cost. Speaking Of rOutO II,1jj,
let originally at $S,2SS per annnm,
hut by expedition and frequency inCreas.
cd to 81, $50.
MrTynGrClOsCs his memoranda Ofsugges-
tiOns as follows 1t will he discovered that
the principal mistakes made in changing
the service upon the routcsnamCd resulted
from the policy Of cXpCditing, that always
involves great expenses and is always Of
doubtful propricty.
Tho Department has but little control
over 1t after the expedition is once decided
upon, for the law provides that IN incrcasr
Of pay shall be based upon the increased
amount OF stock necessary to execute tho
expedition. The contractor usually is the
only person who can intclligently state
such schedule. II is also evident that the
plan Of advertising for low grade scrvcc,O
slow schedule, Is i'll advised. The maximum
service as to frequency and speed should
be called for. To reduce is not expensive
to the Department and rarely damages
the contractor II promptly ordered
In fact, II the advertised schedules
were carefully and ntclligcntly made up,
no changes would be necessary, except
when the rapidly shifting population that
gather about mining centres in the West
suddenly remove 10 other localities, or
when the Star route is supplnntcd IN whole
or in part by new railroad advertisements
under which all routes named were lCt
contained several other examples Of call.
ing, for minimum instead Of maximum
service. Many Of the routes were advCr-
tised for much lower service than
was then being performed upon
them, the cost OF contracting upon proper
schedules Ns to time would have been but
little II amy greater than upon II slow
schedule. Experience has demonstrated
that the route over the road, II ordinarily
good, can be let at 81 to miles per hour
as low as at miles and mile, and at ~
to ) miles per hour as low as at 3 to -
miles per hour, and 80 on, within reason.
able limits. think ii is safe to say that
each route named could have been let at n
rate Of speed represented by the expedittl
schedules ut Il sum not greater than
the cost OF the increasing frequency alone.
The cost Of the GXpcditing would thereby
have been saved. The Clanges upon ail
the routes | have particularly referred to
were strongly petitioncd for by communi.
ties, prominent citizens; Congressional
etc. The Departments records
fully Justify its actions. with the exception
of one route, where the increase did not
follow the recommendations Of the De.
partnents ngents-thc Soledad 4 Newhall
route, the agent in my judgment made
serious mistake. TO put the Department
in possession Of reliable information about
the star route service II proper number Of
picked men, thoroughly COhvCrsant with
II in all its phases and Of unQucstionCd
habits and integrity, should be employed