New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-02-06
MIR. YILASS IDEA OF ECONOMY.
STARVING THE STEAMSHIP MAIL CARRIERS.
STATEMENTS TO A HOUSE COMMITTEE ABOUT TIE
SOUTH AMERICAN sERv1CE.
rpr TELEGRAPH TO Tae rRInuSEl


SOUTH AMERICAN SERVICE.
tsY TELEGRAPH THe TRIBUNE]
WAsutxGroN. feb 5.-The House Commitiee |
m Post Offices and Post Roads to-uay |
listened 10 statements by President Ripley ana zen
oral Manager Lachlan. OF the Unuol States anu
Braziiiau Steamship Company. This line OF American
steamers carries the United States maiis pe'"o'h |
New-York and Newport News aad st. iholha' ano
narbadoes in the West Indies, and Para Maranham'
Boba ri, De Janiero aud Other Brazilian ports IL
Il building three aud more commodious steamers
and when they are completed the line will De extended
20 Bueoos Ayres ami other sOuth American places
General Ripey said that the company desired to secro
fair and adequate compensation for the carrying OF inc
limited States mails Captain Lachlan SAID rhat
owing to what the POstmaster-General regarded as
the ami. guilty of tho last appropriation act he had oe-
cned 10 pay than the amount OF the sea u III
land postage or at the rate of aoOnt cents mile.
For the quarter ended September 30 this amounted 10
sl72O7 10. or about $3.50 round trip OF lI'ooo
nilss while the total actual cost Of handling the malls
Was IS COS or at the rate of more than 80 cents
mile The company did not refuse to carry the mans
hut il had respectfully returned to the Post oee De
,ar,ent tbe money rendered because it was not re-
earded as adequate compensation large reES'e'o"'
mail is carried by the company but whenever the SUD
iect of turning the registration TO the company
has been mentioned the Posi- OiGce officials nave
.r;,ced over it very lightly" On single trip the
oa,s,r.,n fees on letters carried amounted TO more
than 5000 Registered mail is carried IN the express
room and special pains are taken TO secure liz e"o!'
On private matter equally valuable tie company receives
many times the amount paid to the GoVe>nmeh' ir
the registration Of letters. To accommodate southern
natrcns of the line the company had seceu te eSu"o
Gsbment of an exchange Office at Newport News so
that shippers in the Caroiinas Virginia, etc. cond
mail their letters at that place instead OF senIl"s
ne ste alter beng lOducu
,,.;, OF Nevnort for the mails from New ORR ana
other Northern cities that shippers can selu IN
invoices and drafts by the same snip that taxes 'e
freight -, .. A. ,,;.,oo that
while the designation OF Newport News As an -
,ast oiica Tor the Brazilian mails WAS due wholly 10
bis efforts and the desire OF the company 10 acc
date Americ ,n shippers the Post once DenAi'neh'
cnoIy appropriated all the credit therefore anu,
thr,.gh The newspapers informed the c1nhrY OF tl's
new blessing vouchsafed by a " Reform AulilniS'"-
lion. o,. =, :. - ,,orobor of tba
committee expressed the opinion that II the steamship
company allows its vessels TO %I St,J" 40 ,ber
c;t;es the s6ippers who are accommodated t'ereoy.
ana not the Government which undertakes to pi"FI,e
them it'll postal facilities should DE heI fe,'hslo''
other rem 1rks of General Warner and Mr. Jorcs' ol
Texas showed that they fail TO apprec!t e 'uT ~
rahle relations OF the foreign mall .eiVicF a. Ie
can commerce with foreign untr'es, OF TO reiii1e
th,t IL invoices ana aercal cOrrcsp"n ienee "-e
to he detained three weeks alter tue depaftu[r 81 e
cargoes to which they relate thcfe soon "ouu " NV
foreign commerce t. speak o. ,:,..a O..
,cc"rdino 10 one item in the statement sItmt'ed TO
a. cmyo1t1ec II oppears that the Postmasti tie era
a III :; .nvious to separate as widely may the
consideration of the foreign man SERVER u o YIN
mercal considerations. In obedience To NJ Le'luo
the comnanv's statement OF the actual COS. OF the ma
service was itemiZe1 30 10 show the amount 'H'-u
ON account OF the port of Marian 'am hra1l atol a.
ducting the amount received from ireiYhI otiNeIen az
So, Loco Nov MarapnaIn has a tidal harbor whch
can be entered only al certain hours ana IRE iue We
,enions are the result me POI Icrt dn Br an
{be trade al present is entirely in the hands OF the ~
lish ana Portuguese. by perSeN eranee ana rtg'.a
calls United States merchants whi eVeh'naiS 'oiVo
Aner;can products INTO that por. they have done
ai,eady into Para where two large kn hFn snip
oTni1g Arms have threatened the local merchants
that they will flood tie city with English goods unless
sand merchants resume shipment by their Ahes; 49,,
C.ntaiu Lachlan submitted many Iact- TO "ho" the
necessity OF regular frequent and speedy man com.
mnnication between the United States anu Dtd]r "s
.naans If nrou,oting American commerce. Imports
;." she Uh;,ed states from Brazil amount to some
s51 600 600 year while the exp rts To- az country
amount to only SS,GOO.OO0 year large par % .,
which il -four But BOur from Ir'ese can DC 'Au
SaTvn at Rio DE Janiero abont cheap a. American
aour and there is already sharp competition the 10
suit of which Is naoe uo sro, se,sbin inc to
EraIi ore sabsdized by their ecuve experiments
The United States and Brazil Line y or3usE' Itb
netition with English German. Dntch, Ftrucn a3u
Italian lines all Of which receive large subsidies III inc
form of mall pay. -, so..,a,. o,,,,
Asked what in his opinion would be adequate COM
nensatiop to bis Inc Tor the service lenders 10 tAe
tIovprnment Captain Lachlan SAID, so,o"o rolnu
trip. The sea and inland pc,ge NOW ours and = Is
~
three ships in commission which cost SooV w an an
the pay Toll for round mp amoIn,S 10 S4'G 10
Tlre. larger ships are building. The led 9" Line
which carried The mails between New-York and ven
zurIa and Curaooa until Mr. Villas refused TO execute
tne viii ,f Congress on the basis OF aud lnla1d
hostage would receive the munihcen sum Il , 20 a
ropnd trip OF 1000 miles. Its repIe'entalves nSS'a
that fbe eompensa,ion should be % cents mile, or
81 0O0 a round trip. - ,.,-:s
10 a TnlBUxE correspondent General Ripley saic
aThe American steamship companies arc greatly ~
deted to PHh TuBu~t for thu active Interest IL mas
shawn anG the valuable services II has rendered III oe
baf of American commerce and the American iner
chant marine. have been surprised to hnd thai MA
other leading ne wspaters in our great CONNIE rciaI
centres have tai gu different course or have ignored
us together" He added " The United STATES HoV-
erome6t il the only which took advantage % the
reduction OF postal by the lnternatiInh unloh
10 Cypress Its citizens Before the berhe Ool-
yenton the sea postage foreign letters paid vessels
n geperons con pensatien. When the rates Were re,
Gseed every other Government except the omteo
States assumed the burden instead OF laying u upon
the shoulders Of It's citizens who were engaged IN the
fCrtign carrying trade"
CONGRESSIONAL DOiNGs IN BRIEF