Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-07-04
WASHINGTON.
POstOffice Subsidies Discussed
by Dickinson.
FOREIGN MAIL CONTRACTS.
Changes in the Metal Schedule Of
the Mills Bill-Cap-
ita1 Notes.

WASHINGTON, July 8. = Postmaster
General Dickinson has written letter
to Chairman Blount, of the House POST
office Committee, in which he vigorously
attacks what is commonly known as the
Subsidy Amendment, put on the Postof-
fee Appropriation bill by the Senate.
This amendment appropriates $500, 900 to
provide more efficient mail service be-
tween the United States and South
America, and authorizes the Postmaster
General to contract with American-built
vessels to carry mails at compensation
not exceeding for each outward trip 81
per nautical mile. The Postmaster-Ge
eral begins:
1t will hardly be claimed for this legis-
lation that it is either demanded or re-
quired, or that it can be utilized for the
beneft,o of the postal service merely; the
resources and powers Of the Department
have proved entirely adequate to af-
ford the citizens of the United States
foreign mail service equal to, and in
most cases superior to that Of any nation
in the world. Nine-tenths of our foreign
letter mail crosses the Atlantic, and the
settled policy Of the Department has been
to employ the swiftest vessels from
week to week for carrying the mails.
The Department at the request
of prominent merchants, importers
| ing commercial relations with foreign
countries, has endeavored to induce the
foreign postal administrations to adopt
similar policy to promote expedition and
security in correspondence under the
present system. On routes other than
European ports the mails have been car
ried in American steamships at four
| times the rates paid for the transatlantic
service, although no foreign vessel has
ever refused to accept q sea postage of
one-fourth the rate paid to American
| bottoms.
| After aliuding to the various advan-
tages given by the Central and South
American countries to vessels carry ing
mails, he continued:
If there shall be super-added to the
| functions of the postal administration,
that OF administering subsidy or bounty
for the promotion of American
shipping interests, can readily
see why in practice these two
offices must 30 conflict that so far
from being of advantage to and promo
ters of efficient mail service, such sub
sfiy with such purpose in the hands Of
the Postma ster- General must antag-
onize and overbear the primar object Of
his office, which is to give the correspon-
dence of our citizens the best expedition
and certain transmission. If the bounty
or bonus system is to be revived it should
be done without involving this
Department in the complications
certain to arise from adminis-
tering it, and without hampering its
fundamental rulesof action, which is that
the mails must go at all events. The
proposed bill will be a mandate to the
Postmaster-G General to contract with AM
erican- built and American-registered
steamships for the transportation Of the
mails to the ports of Central and South
America and the West Indies, for period
of not less than five years, and with
compensation for the outward trip of one
dollar per mile. There is no condition for
advertisement, and indeed unlike even
the British subsidy acts, competition is
not contemplated, orr omitted, as the
contracts are to be limited to those now
in existence, between whom there is
comparatively no competition, because
of the number which can be employed in
bu0 bcItlCcs OuuCI PIcSCut COu~
ditions the proposed law might
persons to whom thisl money is to be
paid. Even the laws under which Amer
ican ships might be compelled to carry
mails, have been repealed, and it goes
without saying that the proposed legisla-
ton intends the Department to pay the
maximum rate provided to these
few persons, without troubling them
with any negotiations as to terms, and,
indeed, you will observe without even
the Judgement of discretion in the De-
partment to designate from what ports in
the United States the mails shall sail.
1t may be said in passing that, presuma-
bly,, the terminal points from which the
sailings will be made, if self-interest, as.
is usually the case, governs, will be those
from which the greatest number of
nautical miles may be computed
rather than from these at which the con-
venience and needs of the service would
be suited. 1t may be noted, also, that
the schedules of sailings are to be fur !,
nished by contractors and not by the
an analysis of the proposed legislation, it !
would seem to exclude the exercise Of
any power Of any representative of this
Government to provide for mail
service in the interest of the people
except after contract which must be on.
the carriers own terms, and after the
carriers have fixed the schedules ac-
cording to their ideas as to what the
mail service should be to compel them
to conform their own expressed views
and decision as to public convenience and
public interests. With very great respect
to the trainers of the bill, I seriously
object to that provision of the proposed
legislation, which places the mail SER
vice at the mercy of any firm, individual
or corporation. While indeed subsidized
lines might be compelled to carry mails
if rendered, yet the Department
should be independent and should
at all times be enabled to send
mails by the most expeditions routes, and
make use of the best facilities afforded
for that purpose from among all carriers
offering. On this plan the payment pro-
posed, which is fixed without regard to
the amount Of mail carried, the mail SER
vice which cost us in the fiscal year OF
1887 $47,3l7, would have cost the United
States, if paid for as proposed, 81, ,213, 200
! Continuing, the Postmaster General
says:
In my opinion the bill would not be adj
vantageous to the service, but disadvan-
- <ov e,o,,1I 1,n v,onitiva in M for aa this