Evening star., 1894-01-06

year for rent of mail cars on the New York.
Buffalo route. But that includes special
compen sation for the special fast mail train
The Philadelphia Washington route which
is covered by the Philadelphia, Wilmington
and Baltimore road pays 81, 1875 a mile. II
jumped from s106.113 year in the four
years preceding the 1st of last July to $685.
6s7 year, which will be the rate of com
pensation until July l, 1897. Doubtless a
reweighing on the p, w. and B., two years
ago, would have increased the compensation
800. year. The Post Office Depart
route under the quadrennial average" sys-
tenn.
The route from Baltimore to Bellaire,
Ohio. on the Baltimore and Ohio road now
pays $4,000 more than 1t did last year-an
increase of forty-two per cent The Boston
and Albany road will get $244, 1893 a year up
to the 30th of June, 1897, where 1t used to
get s167, ,o3s for hauling the mails between
land route on the Baltimore and Ohio is
worth nearly 100000 more than 1t was last
year-an increase of thirty-f1ve per cent.
Fast Mail Routes.
The place where railway mail service does
not pay is on small road where the mail Il
light and the post offices are near the sta
tions. Under the law governing compensa-
ton for transporting the mail by railroad
1t Is provided that the railroad company
shall deliver the mail to all post offices
which are within eighty rods of the railroad
station. Some railroads doubtless pay out
as much for messenger service to small post
omces as they receive from Uncle Sam for
hauling his mail bags. But there is a
prestige about carrying the mail that atones
In great degree for the lack of profit in
hauling 1t. Ever since the railway mail was
established there has been something at
tractive t. railroad managers in having
their lines known as Fast Mail Routes" !"
Ihe railroad companies have continually
starred the mail car in their advertising
the mail Is to have the reputation of being
on time"-a reputation which is so seldom
deserved even by the best Of railroads.
COmprOmises.
Although the railroads protest constan antly
Of the injustice of their treatment by the
Post Office Department they very seldom
rebel against 1t. The p, w. and B. did one
year-and the Postmaster General threaten
ed to send all Of the Philadelphia Washing
ton mail around by way of Harrisburg. The
railroad finally came to terms When Con.
gress IN 1875 reduced the compensation Of
the railroads ten per cent, VIM H. Wander
bilt for the New York Central and Thos A
Scott Tor the Pennsylvania railroad notified
the POSTMASTER General that they would not
make any further effort to assist in estab-
lishing the fast mail. It was an unhappy
day for the superintendent of the railway
mail, for these two roads were the first TO
hoid out helping hand to the Post Office
department, and they had just begun to CO.
operate with the department in ouiclen O
the time between the east and the west
But congress atoned for its parsimony by
making special appropriation for fast mail
trains, and now the Post Office Department
controls special trains which run between
Shlcago and New York, st. Louis and New
York, st. Louis and Kansas CITY and Chica.
go and the Pacific coast
one matter which is usually not consider
ed when the work of the railroads in haul
ing the mails Is figured out is the transpo.-
tation OF railway mail clerks. The railroad
companies cannot charge for this service,
and they also agree to haul suppIies wtthonf
charge. The 60S2 clerks of the railway
mall service travelled last year 153, 900, 900
miles Figure their transportation at the
low rate Of one cent a mile and 1t makes a
total OF $3.50, ,OO0-not an inconside able
part or the S25,O00OOO which is paid to the
railroads every year for mail facilities.