St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-02-11
The Amounts Paid to the Railroads
and the COasting and River
Steamers.
A Big Subsidy Proposed for American
Ships Carrying the Mails to
Foreign Ports.
Rumor Saws that Bayard has Been Officially
offered the Portfolio of State-Car-
Isle Very Ill
A Lively War of Words in the House-Minne
sofa Matters and Washington POlit-
ical Gossip.
Cost of Carrying the country's Mails.

y
SPECIAL TO the Globe
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10.-If the count Of
the electoral vote for president and vice pres
ident is finished in time tomorrow MI.
Townshend intends to call up again the post
Office appropriation bill. II it cannot be
reached Tomorrow its consideration will be
resumed on Tuesday. The friends OF The
river and harbor bill have threatened TO raise
points Of order against all n&y leg
islation in the postofice bill, in which event
most OF it will have to be ruled
out. The principal opposition is to the new
scheme for fixing the ompensation of the
railroad for carrying the mails and to the
proposition to permit contracts TO be made
witt American steamers from carrying the
United States mails to foreign countries. 1t
is a fact not generally known, that no con-
tracts have been made for quite a number Of
years for the transportation OF
CSITED STATES MAILS,
either BY railroads within the limits Of this
country or by vessels to foreign ports. The
railroads are not even required by
law to carry the mail, but they are all deeig-
mated as post roads, aud when they 90 carry
the mail receive a compensation Dependent
upon its weight, which varies from S42. s.,
the minimum rate per IN 'le Of road per an
MIN. 10 81, 6S, the maximum which is
paid to the Pennsylvania railroad between
NV York and Philadelphia. The next
largest annual pay per mile is received by
the Lake Slore q Michigan South
eru between Cleveland and Elyria,
viz : Kf.rL-
Central only gets SI.39J.O2 year for each
Of tle 2S9.5 miles Of distance between New
York aud Buffalo and 81, $50, ,02 for each OF
the remaining 1922 miles.
THE LOWEST RATE
of comp pensation 10 railroads for carrying the
mail is based upon al average weight Of mail
per day of200 or less, which is equivalent to
total weight per annum, emitting Sunday
from the calculation Of G2 900 pounds carried
the entire distin:. b1ih ways.
The comp pcnsation to vessels for carrying
mails from the United States to foreign coun-
tries is also regulated bv law, and Is fixed at
two cents per letter without regard to weight.
There Is a Law watch authorizes the post
master general to contract for the carrying
of mail 10 foreign ports, but il has song been
a dead letter. Tue mail pay to railroads has
never been regarded as subsidy, ya 1t has
some nhuebce in promoting the
CONSTRUCTION OF LINES.
when this confirmation promised to add to
the earnings just what seemed to be essen
tial to keep the balance on the right side Of
the ledger. Mail contracts with cuasting and
river steamers Of the United States have
never been regarded as subsidies. The re-
port Of the postmaster general for 1884 shows
that the Florida route, from Cedar KEYS to
Key West, costs for not quite 300
miles distance twice week S31, 600
annually. The entire amount paid for the
transportation Of mail from New York, San
Francisco and Baltimore to South American
ports during the last fiscal year is reported at
Sl3.32+43. Iu the senate report It is stated
that for once week the service between
New York and Galveston, 2.E5 miles,
$1,000 IS paid yearly. The whole mail pay
10 American ships for mail service
WITH FOREIGN PORTS
In 1884 was 81 g97, $50. The cost OF inland
steamboat service during the same time was
S5,g65.13, aud for ruiiruad transportation in
thc United States Sl2, 711.59. The
amount paid 10 foreign ships for carrying the
United States mail in 1884 was
81, 1921 The amount whicn the postofilce
appropriation bill nUw under consideration
proposes 70 appropriate for the payment Of
American slips for carrying the United
States mails to foreign ports under contracts
similar with those made with the river aud
cnastaE stcamrrs-is 6xcd at $500. 900. II is
very strongly opposed as being in the nature
OF Il subsidy aud viii probably be knocked
amt f,f fl,. l,iu