The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-10-31
WOULD ABOLISH
THE STAR ROUTES
Report of the Postoffice
Department.
LARGE FIELD FOR FRAUD
SYSTEM DIsCREDITABLE TO THE
GOVERNMENT.
Mail Service in Alaska During the
Past Year Shown to Have
Been Irregular and
Unreliable.
LARGE FIELD FOR FRAUD
SYSTEM DIsCREDITABLE TO THE
GOVERNMENT.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

thTOuSnOuI Ine OIl1IGQ states IL 0NNAS
with in the annual report OF Second AS
sistant Postmaster General Wllllam ..
Shallenberger, which was made puphc
to-day. The main feature Oh the re-
port is vigorous arraignment OF exist
ing star route methods. Mr.. Shallen-
berger refers to the present system OF
speculative bidding for star routes as
"discreditable to the Government. lie
says the bidders cut little under the
regular contract prices and risk being
able to sub-let at profit. Ihe COM
petition results in the greater part OF
these contracts being awarded at very
low rates, the accepted bidders or their
agents often using deceit and mlsrepre-
sentation in securing sub-contracts
from poor and ignorant men as prin-
eiples and sureties. The report re-
cites the subsequent steps, saying the
sub-contractors, if complaining of
greater requirements than they under
stood, are threatened with the penal
ties by the contractors or if the sub
contractors attempt service with made
quate equipment, fines are imposed
upon them. Finally. if the sub-con
tractors abandon the routes or the de-
partment is compelled to remove
them and employ temporary service,
the cost of which is charged to the
Contractors the latter in turn take ac-
ton against the sub-contractOrs, who
may thus lose the little property they
have.
Then there arethe INSCRIPTIONS con-
tractors" it is added, who fail to pay
their carriers. which causes hundreds Of
claims against the contractors filed in
this office and necessitates voluminous
correspondence to get the claims adj
justed. Again there will be q bidder
who, in his inexperience and eagerness,
will make his bid at rates lower than
those for which he can secure sub
contracts. There follows a general
failure to perform the service awarded
him, and the department is put to
trouble and expense of arranging tenn
porary service and reletting the con-
tracts"
The conclusion drawn is that the
profit to contractors must be consider
able. and IL the department. could deal
directly witt t4asv rasa who do the work,
the total an luntt paid by the Govern
rnent being put into the service, with
out any margin to speculative middle
men, it would undoubtedly produce bet
ter mail service. 1t is conceded that
exclusion of speculative bidders would
increase the cost to the Government,
and recent examinations at the re-
quest of Congress indicate the addi-
tional cost would be $1,500,000, which,
however, would go into effect gradually.
The belief is expressed that a con-
siderable larger sum for faster trans
portation would be well expended, if it
resulted in improved equipment, las
many of the vehicles now used in carry
no the mails c1Jph q dila nj
dated and disreputable appearance as
to be a strong argument in condemna-
ton of the present system"
Legislation is recommended requiring
all such bidders to reside On or contig-
uous to the route covered or formally
agree to reside and personally super
wise the service, and authorizing re-
fusal to accept bids deemed excessively
The report shows the number of mail
routes at the close of the year was 49,
1876, total mileage $50, 1881, and averaging
on each route nine trips per week.
There were 434, 1892, 691 miles Travelled on
these routes, costing almost $107 a mile
Of length each, or almost II cents a mile
travelled The total annual rate of eX-
penditure for both routes within the
United States and in the foreign mail
service was $50, 923, asa.
Discussing Alaska, Mr.. Shallenberger
says the mail service on the overland
route from Juneau by Dyea to Circle,
providing for letter mail only, was ex-
tremely unsatisfactory, the contractor
failing to render the required number
of trips, and those performed were ir-
regular and unreliable, serious COM
plants following. The arrangement
with the Canadian Postoff1ce Depart
ment regarding monthly exchange Of
letter mail between Dyea and Dawson
also fell below expectations. To secure
regular service in the Alaskan interior
relay stations were established at fire.
quent intervals along the routes and
equipped to meet all emergencies. This
was done with the consent of Canada.
The establishment of an overland mail
route from Cooks Inlet or Prince Will
liam Sound through the interior to the
Yukon River has been considered, but
it is not practicable to establish it at
present
The expenditures to railroads for mail
TRANSPORTATION, so far as shown by ac-
counts stated to September 80, was $780,,
449,S37 and the estimate for railroad
transportation for the fiscal year end
ing June 30. 1900, is $33, 275, 900. A def
cheney of nearly $1,000000 in this fiscal
year for transportation is probable.
Concerning the railway mail service,
the report shows there were 1868 miles
Of travelling postoff1ces, and makes a
recommendation for a Redistribution
of the service and for legislation re-
curing newspaper publishers to make
primary separation of their papers and
periodicals for mailing, requiring postal
clerks to wear badges instead of the
present regulation caps, and for the
general establishment Of postal stations
in railroad depots.
For ocean mail transportation in the
next fiscal year $2,154, 900 is estimated.
Over fourteen million letters and post
cards have been distributed in transit
in our international sea postoff1ces and
only 1900 errors were reported.
CYCLONE SWEEPS A