The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-02-13
DISCUSSING POSTOFFICES.
Bill Tor Their Support Passed by
the House.

Washington, Feb. l2.-Thc House af-
ter opening exercises went promptly into
committee OF the whole on the postoflice
appropriation bill. General DEBATE was
limited TO an hour. Mr.. Cromwell, of
ONO, opposed the item Of $780, for
special mail facilities between Boston and
New Orleans. This so called fast mail,
he SAID, was i'll reality slower than the
ordinary trains going'South The ser ,ice
was not for the benefit of the business
men, the real beneficiares being the New
York daily papers. The Government
had already done enough for these great
dailies and was now losing thousands of
dollars annually i'll carrying them. He
could not see why this subsidy should he
given them. 1t WIS not extended to pa
pers in the West and other sections of
the country. a fund placed Mt the dis
position of the Postmaster General to he
used for special facilities where it Won Id
do the most good was preferable to sub
sides of this kind.
MIR. Swanson, of Virginia, said the gem
tlemen opposing the fast mail item were
not consistent. They upheld large an
propriations for facilitating delivery of
mail in the cities by bicycles. pneumatic
tubes, etc, yet were against giving n
small sum for the benefit of the peoDle
of fifteen States
An amendment offered by Mr.. Loud.
ut the request of the Postoiiice Depnrt-
ment. was agreed to. reducing the amount
for extension of the free delivery system
from $l40,000 to 100000, that being
sufficient TO meet the reeds of the DEPART.
ment.
Mr.. Bartou, CT Ohio, made il point of
order against the paragraph providing
that the free delivery service at Detroit
shall hereafter be performed By row
boats instead of steam launch
Mr.. Settle of North Carolina. said n
steam yacht was now maintained ut n
cost of 81 per day to pull u row boat
about 100 feet. The principal use Of the
yacht was rs pleasure boat by the post
Office officials. Finally compromise
was reached blythe adoption of an amend
ment offered by Mr.. Southland, of Ohio,
giving the Postmaster General discre-
ton to use either boat or steamer service
in delivering the mails ut Detroit.
Mr.. Taibcrt offered IN amendment in
creasing from so, 000 to $1,000 the
item for the experimental rural free de-
livery agreed to.
On motion of Mr.. Simpkins, of Massa.
chusct;s, the special mail facilities para
graph was amended by striking out the
amount to be expended therefor between
Boston and New York, ;:25,4gG. The
facilities between Boston and New York.
he asserted, were ample and the appro-
priatioh was unnecessary. The para
graph WAS stricken out which authorizes
the Postmaster General to cxpend for
other fast mail facilities on trunk lines.
The fast mail facilities paragraph was
then passed without division and the hill
was reported to the House and all the
amendments agreed to except that in.
crcasin:s from $4,000 To 100000 the
allowance for experimental rural free de-
livery, which was dcfeatcd-29 to 1902.
The bill was then passed; anu the House
again went into committee of the whole,
taking up the sundry civil appropriation
Dill, but before the reading was COM
pleted the committee rose and the House
mt lao adjourned until to morrow, doing
away with the usual Friday night SEES.