Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-04-26

the period.
The last ten years the railroad ser
vice, Notwithstanding 4S.S60 miles OF
new road $50 per cent? has increased
but 70 per cent; the increase per mile
of transportation by railroad, 10 pei
cent; free delivery service has in
creased 175 per cent; salaries of post
masters. etc, 50 per cent: the revenues
have increased So per cent: the expense
of the New York postoflice has in
creased 81 per cent
1t is thus made clear that the rate
of increased cost for railway mail
transportation has been far less than
the increased rate of cost of free de-
livery and also less than the increase
in expense of conducting the New YorF
postoffice and the postoffices of the
whole country.
This is the strongest possible PROOF
that the basis upon which railroads are
compensated is an economical one
because the increase in cost of the free
delivery and the expense of the New
York postotfice represent the increase
in the mails and the facilities for hand
ling them. and. moreover. as both are
wholly within the immediate control
and supervision of government en-
ployees. by whom the entire service is
rendered. it cannot reasonably bt
doubted that the railroad tranSporta
ton under present conditions is the
most economical feature of the postal
system.
The demands upon the railroad com
panies for additional accommodations
the shortening of schedules and thei
arrangement with special regard to the
advancement of the mails. and the eX-
cellence of the postal service attest
the value of such arrangements.
The postmaster general. in his report
for 1894. page 4, says our rates of post
age are relatively lower than those of
any other great nation" He might
have added that a far greater service
Is rendered the public in this country
for the low rate of postage than is rem
dered in any other country. For in
stance. Great Britain delivers 40 pei
cent. of it's mail matter in the London
district and So per cent. of the re-
mainder in England and Wales, in area
about equal to one of our large states.
while the United States postal service
covers an area of 100000 square miles.
More mail is carried in and out of New
york in a single day than is carried ir
and out of London in a week.
The railroads Of the United States paiG
out in the year 1891 more money in wages
:to'its employees, and by wages | do not
include salaries than the entire receipts
# this great government 1t can de as
;ertcd without fear of contradiction, that
| the railroads of this United States. ponnt
| sor pound per mile. carry the mails at :
less price than they carry first elias!
| freight. such AS dry goods. boots. AN,
shoes, etc. -
| wish to Invite the attention of the
| ommittee to the mail service rendered i'll
| New England. and especially to the char
tcter and amount of service performed
| by the Maine Central. the Boston &
| Maine. and the Heston & Albany Rail-
.oad companies.
The Maine Central Railroad Company
| ,arries. the mail on 1,S miles of road
| This service is divided into fifteen ia
/ post ROUTES with an average length OF
tifty-fiVe COR miles per route. The long
| st route is that from Portland to Ban
sor on which tho daily average weight OF
! nails carried is ,::l. 80 pounds.
| The pay fos this service is ste. is PEI
| nile per .annum.- or seven and seven
| 4entbs cents per ton per mile.
How much ma service e; involves f be ;,,
statement of weight. may be seen from
! thcs following summary of the amount
| ind character. Of the service:
There are four r. p. O. cars. 80 it. each
.bur r. p O. cars, 10 IT. each four apart
i ,nent cftrs Is fl, each. augusta So mi.
I-1'our apartment cars IS it. each Drums
| wick 29 nil
The pay for the r. p. Q. service is one
| hunured dollars $500. 9o per mile while
Ithe car mileage per mile of road is 1915
| miles.
The average pay per car mile is five
| .ents tplls): while the average weight in
| Zach car is 3.} tons which at se.o11 per tor
Yields pal cents. To which add average
| lay per car. and have for the aver
'ge earnings per car mile thirty ana for
ty-one one hundredths coal cents.
| 1t will. be seen that this is a very mod
| rate compensation in view OF the serVic,
| rendered.
The route from Bangor to Mt. Desert
| Ferry is fDrtY-threc miles. On this route
| the pay is $lil.93 per mile per annum
With an average weight of three thous
| md pounds per day: giving AN aVerag e
cate per ton of twonty-siN t26 cents. The
'haracter of the service rendered may be
seen in the following statement:
The mails are carried in apartment pos
| ,ffices. fifteen % feet long. accompanied
~ postal clerk. The mail cars pass over
his route four times daily. making tn,
-otal annual mileage 3.S36 miles. with al
| average weight in the apartment car o
| seven hundred fifty 900 pounds. ON thi.
| oasis the pay per mile is seen to be but
| eleven and four-tenthS 1l.H cents pei
nile: which included all delivery of mail,
| % the side offices.
| If the pOStofiicc department were to h,
| charged for the transportation of tn,
| mail clerks at the reduced. or usual cX-
| ursion rates. the pay for this part of tho
| service, usually ignored altogether. woulC
yield the railway more than one-sixtl
| The present compensation.
| These and similar considerations com
pei us to urge upon the committee thai
the rate paid now is moderate and fair
and should not in justice. be reduced.
| And further, that this is d moderate
compensation may be shown by contrast
ing this route with one with which it con
meets.
The route from Mt Desert Ferry tt
| ment to the lowest bidder and now cost.
| same basis of pay the route from Ban
cred. would receive an annual compensst-
present pay.
| Let us select another route in ilustra-
ton of the lowest grades of service.
| The route from Quebec Junction t,
North Stratford. thirty-two (3al miles
| The weight of mails on this route is one
hundred and three I03) pounds daily, with
ten t1ob trips per week. for which the de
partment pays $l.3S1.66 per annum. This
makes the pay per ton $50. But in or
der to earn this $3.50 per ton per mile
the mails must be carried at least forty
| times over each mile.
l,n tat,.