New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-04-07
THE FOREIGN POSTAL SERVICE
ITS ENORMOUS GROWTH WITHIN THE LAST
FEW YEARS.
sNuBBING THOSE WHO HAVE WANTED II
ASSIST AMERICAN SHIPPING - WHAT
THE SHIPPING BILL WILL DO.

| sNUBBING THOSE WHO HAVE WANTED III
ASSIST AMERICAN SHIPPING - WHAT
| THE SHIPPING BILL WILL DO
tpY TELEGRAPH TO THE TnIBuSEI
| Washington, April 6.-Few except those dlrectiy
| connected with the postal service nave soou
| conception Of the magnitude TO which that scr
| vice has grown within the last few years.
| In the number of miles of railway postal
routes the United States leads all the world The
combined length OF the railway postal routes OF the
country is 144557 miles, while the transportation OF
mails on those routes last year reached the enormous
| total OF 1S6,575,384 miles. Germany comes next
with total length of 24522 miles ana total trans
portation of s0,2G5,O 900 miles But tho railways BY
no means carry all the mails In this country The
star and steamboat service have length OF 2ol''o2
| miles with transportation annually of over
| 1Oa 900 900 miles. To carry on successfully TINS I'M
mense service requires the work of over 10000 persons
The postal correspondence OF the United States with
foreign countries falls but little below that OF Ger
many which leads the list Of nations. Ninety millions
OF pieces were dispatched by the United States to io-
elgn countries during the year 1890. The increase
over the amount forwarded in 1880 was about TOPPER
cent when IL is known that Of the 00,0O0OO0 pieces
forwarded fully 100000 were carried by vessels OF
foreign register the anxiety for some measure by
which American mails can be carried by American YES
sells will be readily understood The truth is that tic
Government has actually snubbed other nations WHO
have beep disposed to assist American shipping and
have more intimate and friendly relations with the
United states.
Take New-zealand for an example. That far-oG
| colony OF Great Britain has always shown a warm
| feeling for this country and manifested in every
| possible way a desire to have more intimate con-
nectons with america, and foe several years has
actually been Substituting a line Of vessels to carry
| the nails across the Pacific, paying 10 that line
annually 100000, while the United States paid for
| n mt 10 Nntv
Zealand paid for bringing her mall to the United states
eight times as much as this country paid for carrying
| the outward bound mail. Time and again the Gov
eminent OF New-Zeaand appealed to the postal
authorities here to bear more equal portion OF inc
burden but they powerless to act because OF the
failure Of Congress to confer the authority during
the latter part Of last year N6wZeaand Informed the
authorities here that she would no longer contract Tor
carrying mails to san Francisco unless the United
states would assume It's equal share The owners OF the
steamship line announced that without the help they
wera then receiving they would have to abandon The SER
Vice and dispose OF their vessels Canada and England
have been exceedingly anxious to have New-Zealand
abandon the Francisco line and pay Its subsidy 10
vessels making Vancouver their port on this side So
anxious however, New Zealand to deal with tli'
country that she renewed her contract with the san
Francisco line for one year, hoping that at the ex-
praton of that time this Government would DO some
| thing.
| Had IL not been for the passage Of the Shipping
| bill the United States would have lost the Trans
Pacific line of steamers before the end OF the year.
and would have been compelled to send mail for
| China Japan and Australia via Vancouver, and all
merchandise destined for those countries would have
| had 10 take the same route. so long as the mails
were being carried to those countries with reasonable
regularity the people of this country seemed to care
but little about the weak tenure by which that car
rage was secured or held. The fact is that the
| United States owes the existence OF the line OF
steamers plying between this country and those on
the other side of the Pacific solely to the bounty paid
by single colony OF Great Britain, and thai against
| the protest Of the parent country. England and
Canada in the hope Of destroying the San francisco
| line have subsidized one from Vancouver, hid will
| forward their mails from there instead OF from San
| Francisco
This Government has not single line Of contract
steamers between this country and any Of the South
American States, but Is compelled TO take its chances
on steamers sailing to any Of those States. Hence
mail connections with those countries are Irregular.
| Whenever the agents Of any steamship line fix the
date Of sailing OF vessel they notify the fact to the
Postmaster OF New York. other port Of departure,
then notices sent out to the leading postofccs
OF the country and mail Is hurried forward. 1t is
only by such irregular communication that this coun-
| try has had mail facilities with the greater part Of
South America for years. Under the new system the
| service will be better and much more speedy.
No vessel of the first class Of American register. car
ried mails fbr this country last year, and but one
of 1e second class. Eighteen were Of the third
class. All of the othees of the fourth
class or of smaller tonnage thar tho minimum fixed
By the new law. All the transatlantic mail was car
red by vessels Of foreign register which also carried
much Of that destined foe other countries Amer
lean vessel OF the second class and two Of tho third
class ply between San Francisco and China, and two
Of the third class between Francisco ard Australia
Seventeen trips were made by American vessels to
Brazil last year. while ffty-three were made by those
Carrying foreign flag from American ports Under
the law 1t is hoped that fully seventy five trips
number OF trips Of American vessels % China, Japan
and Australia may be more than doubled. At this
time there upon the oceans but fourteen lines Of
American vessels, employing forty five steamers. OF
these orly four transatlantic vessels, but they
carried mall they but slow freight steamers.
IL requires thirty days for letter to go from
NewYork to Rio dc Janeiro. but it Is hoped that fast
down by from seven to ten days. Arrangements are
now being perfected on the Pacific Coast to build
era vessels OF the first class and Of great speed for
the Carrying trade to China and Australia. New and
faster vessels likely TO ply between NcwOrlesns
Tampa, Newport News and the ports OF Mexico Cen
trail and South America while San Diego CAL s look.
Ing anxiousy for the establishment of trans Pacific
line from that port. More regular and rapid com
municatlon between this country and the countries
south and west OF us means of course great increase
In the volume OF trade.
AN ACTOR DIES FROM AN OPERATION