The herald., 1894-11-28
OUR FOREIGN MAIL SERVICE.
Superintendent Brooks Annual
Report.
Ample Transportation Facilities ON
the Atlantic.
Mail for Europe Dispatched with Great
Cslsrity-Improveme In the
Pacific ervice-Wash-
ington Notes.

WASHINGTON, NOV. N.-Tne annual
report Of Col. N. M. Brooks, supsrin-
tendent OF foreign mails, contains some
interesting points on the service with
foreign nations. OF the transatlantic
service he says:
The entire transatlantic merchant
marine is freely rendered for the COM
veyance Of United States mails at the
rates OF compensation offered by this
department.. Consequently the mails OF
Great Britain and the continents OF
Europe are dispatched by every fast
steamer and when two fast steamers
sail on the same day or succeeding days.
the mails are invariably assigned to the
one whose previous speed record gives
reason to believe that it will deliver the
mails earlier on the other eide. II is
difficult to imagine condition
OF affairs more satisfactory from
either postal or Q commercial stand
point than the practice in vogue; under
it speedy transit 10 the only condition
considered in the dispatch OF mails.
Other things being equal, preference is
also given the steamers sailing under
the United States flag, and these steam.
ers are allowed for their service all the
postage collected on the mails they
carry from the country; that 10 to say.
2 cents half ounce, or $4,000 short
ton for letters and postal cards. and $l6O
. short ton for other articles. But il a
the malls ct the destination eooner
than one flying the United States flag,
the mails are assigned to the foreign
steamer, and she 10 allowed compensa-
ton at. the rate of $3.50 short ton on
all letters and postal cards, and 500 q
short ton for other articles.
The communication with Central and
South America 10 regular and reliable,
ct least three times q month by vessels
plying between New York and Colon
and to Venezuela with che same ire.
quenoy.
Colonel Brooks notes the increase OF
the Pacific Mail service in the following:
by utilizing the fast steamers sail
ing once or twice month from Tacoma,
WASH. as we'll as the steamers sailing
three times q month from San Fran.
cisco, the opportunity to exchange mails
with Japan and China have been in
creased to four and sometimes five dis
patches during the month. This is an
actual gain of one or two dispatches
. month, the additional dispatch being
made through the postoffice at Tacoma,
which Office by its zeal and discretion
justified the experiment OF intrusting to
it the care of these important iuterna.
tional mails. which are required to be
handled and treated in strict accordance
with the stipulations of the universal
postal union.
mo change has occurred in our means
of communication with the Australian
colonies-the servics being regular once
every four weeks from San Francisco to
Sydney, performed by the Oceanic
Steamship company under an arrange
ment entered into with the colonies OF
New Zealand and New South Wales
many years ago, but which is renewed
from year to year. This departm emit is
not q party to the arrangement, but
contributes toward the support of the
service to the extent of its ability under
the statutes in force, by allowing the
Oceanic Steamship company all of the
postage collected on the mails collected
by its steamers sailing under the United
States flag, which amounts to about
500, 900 year.
advantage has also been en- OF the
opportunity offered for the dispatch OF
correspondence for the colonies by means
of the Canadian line of steamers sailing
from Vancouver, B. c., once a month,
80 that practically the frequency of the
service has been doubled
1.-THE steamers above referred to call
at Honolulu and the Ocesnic Steamship
company dispatches an additional vessel
every month to that port. Besides, about
one steamer q month en- route for Japan
and China calls at Honolulu. 90 that
there are not less than three opportuni-
ties q month for communication by mail
with Hawaii, and generally there are not
less than four"