The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-11-28

practice in vogue has built up. HLder
I speedy transit is the only condition
considered in the dispatch of mails, and
the letter destined for Europe which is
carelessly thrown into q street letter
box is as sure of the quickest transit
as the letter for the same destination
which is prescribed to be sent by a
particular steamer after steamship
schedules have been studied to deter
mine just where it should be conveyed.
Other things being equal. preferences is
also given the steamers sailing under
the United States flag, and these steam
erS are allowed for their services all
the postage collected on the mails they
carry from the country, that is to say.
2 cents a half ounce, 81. 60 pound, or
So, 200 q. short ton for letters and postal
cards, and l cent for two ounces, s
cents a pound, or 81, 500 a short ton, for
other articles. But if a. steamer flying a.
foreign flag can deliver the mails ct
destinations sooner than one flying the
United States flag. the mails are as
signed to the foreigner steamer. and she
is allowed compensation at the rate of
A cents a pound or $3.50 a short ton,
for letters and postal cards and AZ
cents pound or $50 a slioEt ton, for
other articles. The advantage for 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 disposal of
this department. at a reasonable rate
of compensation.
The disadvantage is that the depart
nent has no control whatever over the
movements of the steamers which are
controlled exclusively by the exigencies
of trade or commerce, without regard
to postal interests; so that whether or
not a vessel 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"
The communication with Central
and South Africa is regular and reila-
be, at least three time month by
vessels plying between New York and
Colon, and 10 Venezuela, with the same
frequency.
Colonel Brooks notes the increase of
the Pacific Mail service in the fol-
lowing:
s.By utilizing the fast steamers sail
ing once or twice a month from Taco
ma. Wash, as well as the steamers
sailing three times q month from san
Francisco. the opportunity TO exchange
mails with Japan and China have been
increased to four and sometimes five
an actual gain of one or two dispatches
a month, the additional dispatches De
ing made through the postoffice of Ia
coma, which office, by its zeal and DIS
erection, justified the experiment OF in
trusting to it the care OF these import
ant international mails, which are re
auired to be handled and treated in
strict accordance with the stipulations
OF the universal postal convention.
mo change has occurred in our
means of communication with the Aus
tralian colonies-the service being reg
ular once every four weeks from san
Francisco to Sydney, performed by the
Oceanic Steamship company, under an
arrangement entered into with the col
on;es of Rev Zealand ana New South
Wales many years ago but which is
renewed from year to year. This de-
partment is not a party to the arrange
ment but contributes toward the sup
port of the service to the extent of its
ability under the statutes in force by
allowing the Oceanic Steamship COM
pany all of the postage collected on the
mails collected by its steamers sailing
under the United States flag, which
amounts to about $55,G00 year.
Advantage has. also been taken of
the opportunity offered for the dis
patch of correspondence for the colo
MES by means of the Canadian line of
steamers sailing from Vancouver, r.
c., once month, so that practically
the frequency of. the service has been
doubled
The steamers above referred to call
at Honolulu and the Oceanic Steam
ship company dispatches an additional
vessel every month to that port. Be
sides, about one steamer 81 month en-
route for Japan and China calls at
Honolulu, so that there are not less
than three opportunities a month for a
communication by mail with Hawaii,
and generally there is not less tnan
fOur