The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1894-12-05
DISPATCH % l!!!ES.
Report OF Colonel Rrocks on
the TRANSATLANTIC service.
RAfEs caAEaEp gF YEssELs.

Speed Is TIE oniy Consideration IN Select
ing sI,Ips-Entirs Mere !I,i.it Marine free
ly rendered For the Conveyance of
Uncle SANS Communicates Central
and south American services esoted.
wAsnrSasoN. Nov. 27.AThs annual
report Of Colonel n. Ii. Brooks, super
intendent Of foreign nails. contains
some interesting points on The service
with foreign li:itions. or the trans
Atlantic service he says;
1.-THE entire transatlantic merchant
marine is freely rendered for the con-
yeyance of United Gtates Eiails at the
rates of compensation offernd BIZ this de-
partment. Consequently the mails OF
Great Britain and the continent of Eu-
rope are dispatched by every fast steam
err; and when two fast steesslet sail on
the same day or sssceeefiii e5s tl.c
mails are invar1ably assigned 0 the one
whose previous speed record gives rea-
SON to believe that it Will deliver the
mails on the other side. It is diff
cult to image condition OF affairs
more satisfactory from either "a postal
or commercial standpoint than the prac-
tice in vogue has built up. Under it
speedy transit is the only condition CON
sidered in the dispatch of the mails, and
the letter destined Tor Europe, which Is
carelessly thrown into a street letter
box, is as sure of the quickest transit as
the letter for the same destination
which Is superscribed to be sent by a
articular steamer after numerous
steamship schedules have been carefully
steamer it should be conveyed.
Other things being equal, preference is
always given to steamers sailing under
the flag of the United States, and these
steamers are allowed for their services
all the postage collected on the mails
they carry from this country, that is to
say, that the cent a.haif ounce, SLIGO q
pound Cor 81, 200 short ton) for letters
and post cards, and / cent for two
ounces, 8 cents q pound Cor 81. go short
ton) for other articles. But If a steam
er flying foreign flag can deliver the
mails at destination sooner than
one flying the United States flag,
the mails are assigned to the foreign
steamer and she is allowed compensation
with the rate of A cents pound Cor
$3.50 short ton) for letters and postal
cards and 4 1-2 cents a pound Tor $50 a
short tom for other articles. The adj
vantage of the present practice IS that
the mails are invariably dispatched by
the fastest vessels, every new and fast
steamer being at once placed at the dis
posal of this department. and reason
able rate of compensation. The disad-
vantage is that the department has no
control Whatever of the movements OF
the steamers, which are controlled ex-
clusiyely by the exigencies of trade
or commerce without regard to postal
interests; so that whether or not u ves-
sci sails at her appointed time, or
whether or not she carries the mails
which the department tenders her, are
matters entirely at the discretion OF the
vessel owners or agents"
The communication with Central and
South America is regular and reliable,
at least three times a month by vessels
plying between New York and Colon
and to Venezuela with the same fire.
quency Colonel Brooks notes the in
crease of the Pacific mail service at
some length and shows that the ex-
change of mails with Japan and China
have been increased to not less than
four and some times five dispatches
during one month.
This is an actual gain of one or two
dispatches month, the additional dis
patches being made through the post
office of Tacoma, which Office, by its
zeal and discretion, justified the expert
mert of intrusting toit the care of these
important international mails.
No change has occurred in our means
of communication with the Australian
colonies-the service being regular once
every four weeks from San Francisco to
sydney