The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-10-21
STAR ROUTES.
Report OF Tyuer On she PacifiC
Star Routes ln 1879.

/ k&ep OFT OF TYueP On she FaCifIi
Star Routes Ia 1879.
| New York, 20.-The Times, or
Thursday morning prints Tyner''
report of the date Aug. 5th, 70, and
entitled memoranda of Sugges
tons as to the star service in the
Pacific section, made out as an adj
denda to the report to the postmaS.
ter general ION the star service in
the Pacific section" The following is
taken from the report and illustrates
the character of the whole: Route
No. 44,154, in Oregon, from the Dali
les to LakeVlew, was let under adj
vertisement of Nov. 1st, 1879, once
a week. for $3,0SS. The route was
advertised and let as 227 miles in
length, on schedule of 10S hours,
or fraction over two and half
miles per hour. 1t has since been
increased to six times per week, be-
| tween DalleS and Princeville, an in
termediate Office situated 11S miles
from the Dalles, northern terminus,
and it has also been expedited be-
tween said points. The increase of
frequency cost $6,114 additional and
expedition cost $11,777. The expe-
dited schedule requires a pro rata
of running time Of three and a half
miles per hour between the points
named, as against two and half
per hour under the award of the
contract. No connections are
formed at Princeville and no benefit
of consequence accrues to anybody,
except the contractor, for the in
creased speed. The department pays
nearly $4,000, and yet the import
ance of the mails passing over
the route, route which does not
carry through mails or form a link
in the great through line, may be
estimated by the fact that the aggre-
gate compensation of poStmasters at
all offices from Dalles to the Prince
vile, ,Gncluding the latter and ex-
Guiding the former which is not de-
pendent on it for supply is $500.
Between Princeville and Silver
Lake (another intermediate Office on
the south) there is really no need
of service at all. There is no post
Office and no population tosupply it,
nor, indeed, a country in which
civilized people Gun live. The route,
as an entirety, is not essential, for
the north and south connections of
other routes subserve this end and
the link between Silver Lake and
Princeville might, therefore, be
dropped without detriment, leaving
Silver Lake to be supplied from the
south only. Route 44,160, Oregon,
from Canyon City to Camp McDer-
mot. was let at the same time as the
above named. 1t is 234 miles long
as advertised, and was let on
a schedule of 1872 hours at
not quite two miles per hour once a
week at cost of $2,S66 1t ought
to have service once a week to
supply the military posts. Scarcely
any one else has an interest in it.
The supply Of twice a week at
double the cost named above would
be very liberal. Since letting, it has
been increased to three times per
week and expedited at cost OF
$18,612 additional, making the total
annual $21,500. The expedited
schedule requires a speed of two
and half miles per hour instead of
a speed of 1.S4 miles per hour, and
for this slight increase the depart
ment pays $12,823. The importance
OF the route for local purposes lit
not being a through line in any sense)
is indicated by the fact that the
offices solely dependent upon it for
supply, yield an aggregate cOmpen-
satiOn to postmasters of S4,76O and
Il gross revenue of less than S1UO.
Canyon City, the northern terminus,
receives its supply from route
44,155; and Camp McDermot,
mot Fort McDermOtD, now the
southern terminus, has a daily sup
ply from Winnemucca station, on
the Central Pacific Railway. But,
if the last-named two offices were
both supplied by this route, the ex-
penditure for the supply would cost
over $4,000 more than the entire
revenues derived from them. The
Importance of the mails on this
route will not justify more than one
fourth the present cost.
Speaking Of route 44,155. let ORR
ginally at $S,2SS per annum, but by
the expedition and frequency in
creased to S72.57O, Mr.. Tyner says:
The compensation of postmasterS on
the route amounts to S17,760, and
this includes the compensation at
Baker City, $6,622, which is on the
great overland stage route, between
Dalles and Kelton, and upon which
it is dependent for its supply.
Without Baker City the aggregate
compensation is S1,154, and the
gross revenues about $4,000, includ-
ing the compensation named above
to supply it. Therefore, the
department pays over S7O,-
900 more than it derives
from it. a service of three times a
week on this route would be Il
liberal expenditure. At the great
cost named it is, upon its face, IN
akIo TIncolu