New-York tribune., 1884-01-02
RAILWAY MAIL SERVICE.
OFFICIAL REVIEW OF THE SYSTEM
IT'S GROW OwrH-srEIKING INEQUALITIES IL THE RATES
OF PAY-NGPROvEMENTS SUGGESTED.
rBT TELEGR,PH t. TIE TRrBUNE.l


protection OF the interests Of the Government il an i'm
portaut and interesting document The committee laid
the base Of it, investigation By sending to
all the railway companies In the country
letters asking what would be a proper
basis Of compensation what would be fair rates The
companies also requested 10 furnish exhibits snow
ing their earnings from other kinds Of transportation
passengers etc. few Of the companies declined to re-
spond few reported that they satisfied with the
present system; majority desired a change The replies
disclosed the views Of all the companies and set forth
IN the correspondence which accompanies the report
The report gives sketch OF the changes the postal
service resulting from the introduction OF steam as
OF communication. and OF the growth OF the rail-
way service since that time This sketch illustrated by
diagrams which show at glance the extent and rapdity
Of growth. In figures the facts presented brief
ly, follows: The number OF miles Of railway
mail service in 1912 was 1900. and the
yearly thereof 100000 in 1853 the mileage had in
creased TO and the cost to 900 OOO in 1888 the
MILEAGE was 10000 and the cost Sl3 900. The IN
in the last fiscal year, both in mileage and cost
equal 10 the entire and mileage thirty years
The extent and cost Of the service have doubled every
ten years since it, esabIahment Atthe same rate and
under the conditions the mileage will reach 100000
and the yearly cost so, 100000 by the year 1900
RATIO OF COST 10 MILEAGE.
The main question and the only pertinent one the re-
port says the ratio OF aggc Elte cost to mileage The
committee fourd that had remained without change al
though the service much better than that formerly
given the same amount Of money. For example. it
thought n satisfactory arrangement fortytvc years
when mails could be carried from Ncw-Yorl TO Wash
ingtOn sixteen hours whereas they cariedn six
hours. The first recognition by Congress OH speed an
element of value In the transmission of the mails in
1899, when law passed authorizing them to be
sent railway trains at cost not to exceed by % per
cent the cost by stage coach By the act Of March 81,
1873, which is still in force the rate Of compensation de
penGs the the mails carried, with
little regard speed frequency the space they
M the rate Is paid for lll7 carried iTclos"d ears
pouches or those railway postal cars, whore
clerks are carried distribute them 1t is therefore for
the interest Of the companies furnish the minimum of
accommodation. The committee calls attention
TO the fact that the speed frequency and
accommodations provided all depend upon the
definitions given by postal officials to such and in
definite expressions Due frequency and speed and
suitably warmed and lighted" cars.
INEQUALITIES POINTED OUT
In 1899 the railroad service divided into three
classes frsclass 1900 per mile per year; secondass
500; thrd-ctss, $50, with extra allowance of 25
per cent in all cases II one-haR the service was
performed night. In 1857, when the railway
mails subjected to the process Of weighing, asonish-
inequalities discovered on fifteen routes, where
the pay was 500 per mile the greatest weight per day
carried by any road 1888 pounds and the least
weight per day by any road was 367 pounds,
for which exactly the same compensation was
received twcuty-sevcn routes, which each received
$3.50 per mile showed extremes Of 1884 pounds
and 2s7 pounds; twenty routes at Sl45 TO SOB
pcr mile showed 500 pounds per day to 80 pounds per
dav: 81 routes nj S75 each per mile showed extremes OF
2O4s and 10 pounds per day md los routes At 800 per
mile varied from 64ss pounds 10 12 pounds per day in
the amount Of mail carried. The committee thinks
more fOrcIbIe commentary than these figures
offer could be found to emphasize the uJus-
tCe both % the Government and the railroads OF
discretion which allowed such abuses and nequate- to
exist. The committee sees no reason why Gluerence
should not he made In the rates OF compensation paid for
postal cars or compartments fifteen feet; t|Gnty-hye
feet and forty feet long respectively vel as between
which are forty hfty and sixty feet long The re
port says Lhat tAe REGULATION |hGl reluf' Iae r1ag dce
within eighty rods Of railroad station Is fmusht with
feet Is the Inequalities which exist between the weight
carried and the space prpyicd-the latter being III some
case, too great and H. others most inadequate.
THE RAILWAY POST OFFICE SYSTEM
The first railway post office forced itself into nine
teen years ago II hs report that year the Posmas
er-Gcucr called attention TO the delays and expense
caused by sending The mails 70 distributing offices.
For single quarter the expense or clerk hire ar twenty
aEorf 81 pcI cri Of all The expense Of clerk hire in ali
the Offices Bo'a's The system o1 distributing Offices dlt
Win railway or travelling post oai.o. wer.
therefore begun. The report says that that
Taxing The expenses Of last year the old basis he cost
maintaining the distributing Offices would have been
which OF mm"a ra1Iy greater convenience and avoids
the delay. OF the Old one IN this relation the
he immense Frowth ,n OF the postal service y- at
tae Te r5rI. cent ont Of Nrw-York in seven DAYS
weighed 600 the aggregate 10000 pounds; now $1,000
pounds OF mail matter on the average are sent ot o tht
city Uy railroads every wO hours Or about 100 pounds
per minute.
CONCLUSIONS OF THE COMMITTEE.
The committee reached certain conclusions regarded ~
fundamental. The most important factor ln the postal
service is the stimulation o' tradc-the inter
change OF ideas being followed by the growth
OF traffic and the Interchange Of commodities. The
members of the committee tried tOavoid any scheme which
would cast an unrHuhe'!Vr ol'-h upon tt' railroads.
and at the tim. recommend 40 scale OF cOmpru~d
t,nr charges uauifaltlr any .laue proposed mus, De
general. the governing considerations being space" fire.
QuDnoy ana speed The rate NLlDI Ia genera. Will yield
to the railroads carrying the mail, return per car
per mile run, nor differing materially in amount from
the received Pos the roads from the running
than inst and reasonable The rat" should not be 80 low
to be unrenTmom,ive to the companies both for the
akcofthc public service and to remove all u-t grounds OF
complaint on The part OF the companies. Decisions Of
the Supreme Court are cited in favor OF these PROPOSE
The committee dIspo,es efecuary Of the argu.
mout made by some dlmaSogues, in ana out OF
ercr trims should be carried at the rates paid for
transportation Of freight on freight trains. In nA.ng"
general basis the report says the b'paFjnen. cannot DIS
crimiuate between those roads which nave
,Sl t f b"so witch We're costly or otherwise in
construction or in maintenance etc.
SPACE THE BASIS or CONFIRMATION.
As to the proper basis OF compensation the views OF the
committee are clear and decided Weight is no longer
III, only nor the chief factor speed and space both
70 be taken into consideration, AID space should
be the basis. Tie committee has obtained
from nearly all the railroad companies in the
country and from railroad commissioners Of many
OF the states, data showing the earnings per
train per mile OF passenger trains and th" value
Of space per lneal foot on such trains. \ table
shows that the average per per mile 2Gb
cents the basis for this Is 6OOOOOOOO miles oL
ear mileage analysis OF the table shows that taking
an the railroads together, the average yield per car per
mile run is about 26 cents; majority 0t
the roads show less. on this average the report
recommends an average rate Of mills per mile per loot
where the speed il twenty miles an hour-tat is, Tor
afty foot car - cents per mile For greater speed
Increased compensation Il recommended as Iouo"s;-
one tenth Of one mil! per mile ON railway post once
service for each two miles per hour addition IN speed
from twenty miles 10 thirty miles per hour and one
mil In I'd