New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-08-02
TUE FOREIGN MAIL SERVICE.
,,, CONGRESS- AGREE WITH Mr. Villas :
49, ANALYSIS OF SOME OF HIS STATEMENTS ABOUT
>" THE COST or TRANSPORTATION.
80. TELEGRAPH TO TIN TRIBUNE

a
~ rur COST or TRANSFORMATIONS.
,,v TELEGRAPH TO TIN TRIBUNE
.,,ycroy. Aug lin his comments
.na refusal of five American steamship lines 10
sI ;he United States mails hereafter Postmaster
eI' co., villas said "Cortain American steamship
rrobably under the leadership OF the Pacihc
my" Steamship Company entered into combination
..nt,y with the purpose OF forcing the
r,"hution among them Of the 100000 appropriated
for mileage compensation for carrying the
some of them wrote to the Post Office Depart
L.. Aes,ring 10 know what terms would be given
.ea 20 each OF the companies to go to tho full
-, that the law would allow, and award to them BON
NM nd inland postage" II Mr. Villas offered to go to
80 OIL, nit that the law would allow" the steamship
.an,nane. certainly not justified In their action
wor.oyer, II no had made the offer as he
-. the "sea and inland postage" together
..ad the amount he Is authorized to pay
nv the last appropriation act for that is law lie
..,e. that certain not all American steamship com
,a,,es entered into a combination" TO forco inc
Iepartment divide among thcm the appropriation OF
e.oo 600 But the law authorizes the Decentralization
.-.l 10 enter into contracts with American Steam
,,, companies for the transportation OF "any part
:, ,h. foreign mails of the United States at
at. not exceeding fifty cents per nautical mile, each
-.v Hence there nothing to prevent contracts
18th any line or lines not in the alleged combination
The sum appropriated would have paid Tor SooooO
NJ
.,,.e that number OF miles at onc-half the
Ito To apply tho legislation in question in
.ccoriancc with the evident intertion of Congress-
only necessary that the General should
ascertain which Of the maritime mail services already In
sreration by American lines of steamers In whole or In
mart was desirable to contract for with due regard to
CELEBRITY of the service and find tho aggregate
distances in both directions of these services.
and the mileage which could be paid out of
the 800 600 appropriated for the service. He would
then have prepared to invite proposals for convey
snre Of the mails in ptance with OF the act
Win notice in the advertisements necessary that no
bia in excess of the mileage found to be applicable
II has been stated by the Superintendent of Foreign
mails that the mileage possible for services which IL was
cents. The services which apparently could be
contracted for with due reference 10 celerity
York and Havana weekly, by ane line: Nsw.York and
Vera Cruz. via Havana, weekly by two lines
and Aspinwa. three times monthly, by one line; New
York and Rio de Janeiro. monthly. by one line New
York and Venezuela three times monthly oy one line;
one line San Francisco and Yokohama and Hong Kong
twice monthly. by one line aud San Francisco and
hans few other short services might be added to the
foregoing The distance travelled on all IN DOH arec
cal miles; and If so. the mileage possible to apply
would be 26 % cents BY another provision OF the
same law the mails between New-York and Havana may
be sent by the way Of Key West and the cost o., OF
transportation paid from the approximation for
fore the would not likely TO
a with 1t the trans-Aant malls are
however that the yearly mileage of this ne must have
been included in the grand total in order to reduce the
possible rate to seventeen cents per mile
another part of his Mr. Villas asserts sna
times what paid for carriage across the Atlantis anu
probably in most all that should be PAID ior
carving the mails" There Is wide discrepancy DC
tween this statement and the one made by Postmaster
General Gresham IN his report iSI r'
Lines had they been paid the fn
amount of sea and inland postage would have received
as follows From San Francisco TO japan ana Ihina
81 1855 per trip: NewYerk to Aspnwal $500 per Trip;
New-York Vera Cruz. 1870 per trip: New-forS ana
Newport news Brazil $lG7 per trip In the same year
the average amount per trip by the United states
aud Great Britain ana the Continent or Europe was
SG67. That was sea postage only ana Tue tolai
amount paid for the year was S2ot.IIo. 1he Iotal
amount paid to foreign steamship
mail between New-York and British and other Euro
pean ports was $266.524 and the cost
per trip was S6S7. Computing the total
cost OF the TRANSPORTATION OF the United states mails
in iss3 bv the american lines before mentioned-nad
both and INLAND postage been aliowed-ai dVldlng
by the total number OF trips in that the average
cost per trip found to be S59l. or $50 less than the
average amount per trip paid to foreign steamships
between New-York and the Atlantic ports OF Great
Britain and the Continent OF Europe. And yet,
In the face OF these official figures, Mr.
Villas asserts that under his oler
the American lines would three times as much
as the foreign transatlantic lines. He also declared
tiat the he offer ed i probably IN most cases
all that should be paid forcaIryng the mails. DuI whep
Congress enacted the law which he refuses 10 execute
dill not ask Mr. Vas's opinion regarding the rate OF
compel saton. and probably It's Judgment next WIN
fer will still differ from that Of the distinguished re
former" at the head OF the Post Office Department.