The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1898-11-02
rHE system IS BAD.


Abuses-An Interesting OficIal Report
Washington, Oct. 31.-The immense
work of transporting the mails
throughout the United States is dealt
with in the annual report of Second
Assistant Postmaster General Shallen-
berger. The main feature of the re-
port is a vigorous arraignment of ex-
isting star route methods. Mr. Shall
lenberger refers to the present sys-
TEN of speculative bidding for star
routes as ''discreditable to the govern
ment." He says the bidders cut
little under the old contract prices and
risk being able to sublet at profit.
The competition results in the greater
part of those contracts being awarded
at very low rates, the excepted bid
ders or their agents often using de-
ceit in securing sub-contracts from
poor and ignorant men as principals
and sureties. The report recites the
subsequent steps, saying the sub-con-
tractors, if complaining of greater re-
quirements than they understood, are
threatened with the penalties by the
contractors, or if the sub-contractors
attempt service without an adequate
equipment fines are imposed upon
them. Finally, if the sub-contractors
abandon the routes or the department
is compelled to remove them and en-
ploy temporary service, the cost of
which is charged to the contractors,
the latter in turn take action against
the sub-contractors, who may thus
lose the little properly they have.
"Then there are the unscrupulous
contractors" it is added, who fail
to pay their carriers, which causes
hundreds of claims against the con-
tractors to be filed in this Office and
necessitates voluminous correspond
ence to get the claims adjusted.
Again there will be bidder who, in
his ineXperience, will make his bids
at rates lower than those than for
which he can secure sub-contracts.
There follows general failure to per-
form the service awarded him and the
department is put to the expense of
arranging temporary service and re-
letting the contracts"
The conclusion drawn is that the
profit to contractors must be consid-
erable and if the department could
deal directly with the men who do the
work, the total amount paid by the
government being put into the service
without any margin to speculative
middlemen, it would undoubtedly pro-
duce better mail service. 1t is conced-
ed that exclusion of speculative bid
ders would increase the cost to the
| government and recent examinations
at the request of congress indicate
that the additional cost would be ST.
100000 which, however, would go into
effect gradually. The belief is express
ed that considerably larger sum for
faster transportation would be well
| expended if it resulted in improved
equipment.
The report shows that the number
of mail routes at the close of the year
was 1895, total mileage 4S0,467, and
averaging on each route nine trips
| per week. There were 434,332,691
miles travelled on these routes, cost
ing almost $107 per mile of length
each, or almost 12c per mile travelled
The total annual rate of expenditure
for both routes within the United
States and in the foreign mail service
was $53, ,454.
The report commends the use OF
pneumatic tubes, but regrets that in
some cases the tubes are not fully util-
ized. This service in Boston is espe-
cially cited as operating 81 hours daily
and carrying all the frst-class mail
The expenditure to railroads for
mail transportation, so far as shown
by accounts stated to September 80
was $50, O,449,S37 and the estimate for
railroad transportation for the fiscal
year ending June 80, 1900, is $33,275,.
600. A deficiency of nearly $1,000 ,O0C
in this fiscal year for transportation is
probable.
Concerning the railway mail service
the report shows that there were 1,62e
miles of travelling post offices and
recommendation is made for a reclass.
ification of the service; legislation re.
quiring newspaper publishers to make
primary separation of their papers
and periodicals for mailing; requiring
postal clerks to wear a badge instead
of the present regulation cap, and fol
the general establishment of postal
stations in railroad depots. For ocean
mail transportation in the next fisca,
year So, $4,000 is estimated