New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-10-08
MR. VILASS FALSE ECONOMY.
MAILS THAT MUST TAKE THEIR CHANCES.

WASHINGTON, Oct. Z tNpecdil.-fostmlster-"'n 'i"'
Villas publishes statement which ne oh'lueS
schedule of steamers appointed to convey the omeu
States mails TO foreign countries" Inc scheuule III
October assigns to the Quebec steamship Company,
British corporation enjoying heavy subsidies the mails
for Bermuda and for Venezuela aud Curocoa by way Oh
Barbados The meaning of this Is that inc mans 20
10 Rarbadoes and wait there till sCme way is found TO
getting them to Venezuela and CurOcoa Up ul
Septemt er % no mails whatever had rea@hed Ourocoa
since August l. although three OF the keu Linc
of steamships which used to carry TIC maus tnerc
diroev had arrived and left The Quebec line is re
ipforced in its West Indian service by the Atlas ana
the Atlantic and West Indian companies both OF when
are foreign corporations. BY them mails are pre-
tended to be sent to Martinique, to COLOMBIA Ce1uu
America. Mexico. Turks Island and st. Domingo No
mention is made of snch important ports OF entry "9
Cane Havtien, Puerto Plata, SANTANA, Marooyis ana
Aqua the annual import and export trade with "nich
amounts 10 nearly ST. 900 900 All these ports have
heretofore been visited directly 10y the Clyde line
Tbev arc all places of comparatively slight develop
n,ent the business promise of which Is great lre'
onsly mail communication with them was had every
two weeks or twenty days, and every seasons business
with them has steadily grown. AdyceS have reacheu
York representing that mail whatever mas Deeh
received at any of these ports except such as 'he
steamers have gratuitOusy carried Ihey report aso
the mails for such ports nave DeCu iiti"9'ON W
Saline vessels the arrival of which Is OF course unccr
tain and long delayed. The agents IN cHaFSe q, Ine
West Indian mails have apparently iecelNeu Nu,ut -,
tons from Mr. Villas, sOOu as theS IedCn 'io P"''
reoolary visited by the British lines, TO dspaJch inc
mails TO their further destinations by any ana every
available means He adyertises to senG thc'u 10 e'Ie
o"ntrias sn,b for instance as Central America, 10y
steamer that goes to kingston now or "heh nc cA
meets to get them over from Jamaica TO 'euII".
America is not stated in his circular. he TACT Is tat
they 90 in sailing vessels without any adequate care
and reach their destination whenever they can IL Is
even alleged by steamship company thdt us lEets
have ottenpted to smugge United States mat oag Ill
with British mails, and have them carrlou a' Il 'HoS
were sent from London. ~ ou,,ars ~ con
variety of little steamers FROM NeW,Orieahs ~ col,
iuncton with the ROYAL Mail and the Mexican Central
Railroad are employed to get the mans mo Mtaiop
ond Central America 1t is not pretended that -
mar, norris are directly visited were formerly ny
Alexandra steamers. and it Is a matter 9I SEN
speculation how mails that are received III e1o ~
Mexico Vera Cruz. Tampico and luNpah alter ro ,
three 10 five DAYS delay over the time !ormelf
oconpipd in the same transportation reaeI 1uca,''.
Campeche TabascO and Chiapas. Letters anu p .
oTants from ali palts of Mexico Central America an"
The West Indies report that after the atlNaI OF 'o
mails at the directly visited ports sucn a. i"''''o'
KINGSTON Barbadocs and Port au-PInce, they arr sell
nnon their further errand in any kind OF conveyance
overland or BY sea that happens to be gong III mat
general direction with the &c ca That thcv VIII
o. ober tetch M where they peong 1t was rnmorei
Yesterday that Mr. Villas was already II an "cIio gus
controversy with one OF hts British carriers oG ii,
San Franciseo which even Tor the satisfaction OF MUIR
inc an American rival is d>inclined 10 carry the 'S
at the niggardly rates offered by the Fos'maSler"o
era -- ....,.u,, 60 s,ttlo tba
disne and resume regular nail carriage, at rate oil
rayment far less than that authorized by Congress
MIR Vass latest offer Is that they shan nav "a;
known aS the sea ard inland postage. Nhel lhlN
Ibrase was coined and was made basis OF I"lUi.H'
Tor transportation, 1t was lair late % tl MN #
somewhat commensurate with the service IclHucu'
then amounted to al out forty cents cltct 10 H' %
the foreign porS % cents to China and Japan ana %
cents 10 Australia Bat a1tcrwarG at Tue htei1a"nd
postal conferences at Paris and at Be,nG "hch Tue
great postal treaty arranged ana sal laleS "Ir
agreed upon between almost all cNlhzru countries Io
sea and inland postage was cut down 10 "op" . .t 7
letter 1t was not designed at least 10y other nations
r. make this reduction at the expense Ol ne slc>P
companies At that time the compulsory Ia" was ~
force in FMS country but every other nation al once
entered into rangements with It's designate" CARRIERS
upon basis of cost 10 the steamship c'inp",l's '
entirely irresuectiye of the postage charged EuEhd
Maid her carriers ont $3OO0u0O per year at rates
Der league Of from 50 to $50. Austria pad about
81 600 900: France So 400 900, Belgium, Tl,uOO,-
900: Holland 100000. and Italy 81 ,GOOOOo.
All these nations pald their carriers not on tue oa7'
Of the amount OF mai nc,uuA u, L ~ rerar,td A.
ccgniZed that the malls WIRE hoI |" p' - nio..,
sources of revenue. They recognized the Ieia,.on
between letters and commerce, and IL was me i'l'!
ON The haas of Inc distance actually travelled de-
mind made by fh6 American steamship macs Old M
Villas j that similar basis shall be agreed upon WIN
Them even If they have TO accept late lguc lo"tt
than j. paid by foreign con!iilc lA' W 'lu ~ o."
the old rate received SJGo Gb ~ theli l' I'I .'AIS
The mails to Cuba during the quarter ending june 81
1850 For this sum they carried 313.OIO letters ana
2O3O 273 pa pers. and made thirteen round trlP- 10
Havana ana Elne louhu uIP0 10 ''S ~ III,
They show that the actual cost 81 EH1ih- lIa 1i i1
more than tbs and they demand rate that wlll
be euua to $500 trip. The law OF Congress passed.
al tie last session provided that the rste houd nov
evceed 80 cents a nautical mile on the tup each way
actually travelled between the terminal points: bul
the steamship companies. in order to attest tnelr lar
ness and TO meet Mr.. Villas on his own ground oil
econonv1 have offered to perform the service at a
rate not exceeding 20 cents mile This Will Drmg lhS
paw OF the Red line or instance up nom l 80
Witch il received last wear for travelling l2ESOU
miles 10 something like an adequate Computation
To the Edtt0r Ot The Tribune.
SIR: On September 1G mailed an important letter
(" ,ia Kew West" to Melyill q Co., Matan2as, Cuba
L.. M-ar.l,a AlnaLuer mlllciml