New-York tribune., 1882-03-05
AFFAIRS AT WASHINGTON.
RAILROADS AND THE NAIL SERVICE.
IBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.l

WASHINGTON, March 4.--lf the unfounded ana
foolish attacks upon the late PostmaSter-tieneral
alleging favorltism in payments for Railway Mail
Service shall have the effect of inducing some legls-
lation to correct the crudtles of the present sys
TOM the Star Route organs and the Star Route Con-
gressmen will not have exhibited themselves IN
Van The vast Importance of the railway mail TO
every part of the country makes it every day moro
necessary that the railroads should be paid on some
system just both to them and the Government, in
stead of the haphazard system imposed by the pres
ent law. This passed in 1873 There was
little railroad building for several years aftcrward
and the inconveniences of the law were
not felt. During the last fiscal year. however,
about 5000 miles were added to the Railway
Mail Service, and the present fiscal year the SER
vice is extending at the rate of 1000 miles month
The railroads are paid by weight. The mails are
weighed at least once four years for period or
thirty consecutive working davs, and on the aver
age thus discovered they paid 80 much per mile
per year. There is in addition what IS known as
the special facility fund" consisting for the pres
ent fiscal year of 1925 900, which the Postmaster
General is to eke out to railroads nj his discretion IN
payment for fast mails This is always exhausted
before the year IS up and the result is deficiency
But this bare statement of the facts shows how
crude and necessarily unsatisfactory the present
system is
The public, which is conscious only of
the smooth running of the mails, does
not know how much Of il is due to diplomacy IN the
Post Office Department in dealing with the ralI-
roads. There is popular impression that the GoV-
ernmcnt is large Gust of the railroads whereas
their receipts from the Government last year were
Just two per cent of their total earnings
$4,000. 600 out Of 5000, 900 900. There is popu-
I. a., has hOritV
of some sort over the railroads IN the matter of
the mails 1t has none. unless, perhaps an implied
power over some of the land grant roads of the
West. railroads being State corporations only.
The fear Of public opinion makes the railroads will
ing TO carry the mails under the present crude and
inadequate system of compensation. and the officials
of the Post Office Department say that the
adoption of any such Legislation rs
that recently proposed in the House of Representa-
tves-deductng one-half Of the pay unless the rail-
roads should carry the mails on tho fastest
trains-woud instantly disrupt the relations OF the
Department and the railroads. Second Assistant
Postmaster-General Elmer has been giving much
attention to the subject and hopes to be able to
frame a law for submission at the present session OF
Congress. which shall regulate the pay of railroads
by the weight of the mails the space they occupy
and the speed at which they are carried.
The question If the revenue from the merchandise
mail is closely connected with this. This mail is
convenience which the public would not do without
but the extent to which it Is abused has
aroused str ong sentiment IN the Post once De-
partment in favor of incrca~" in the rates AS
a single instance of this abuse 1t may oe sald that
thri tv dealers in the far West stock 1er ,orcs IN
four-pound packages practically making their tel
low citizens nav their express charges. And when
one of these dealers mails tour-pouhd package OF
Ioots say TO Denver the Government must pay the
railroads as much a. for four pounds of letters. Inc
Government loses money on every merchandise
nockage If carries If this mail were put on busi-
ness basis the service would he self-supportlng.