Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-04-26
RAILWAY MAIL SERVICE.
Facts About the Proposed Reduction
Of Pay to the Roads.
The Argument Of Hon. J. n. ManIey Before
the Senate Appropriation Committee.

ment to the postoffice appropriation
bill. which is now pending in the Sen
ate, to reduce the pay that the rail
roads are receiving for transporting the
mails of this country.
The railroads, believing that any at
tempt to reduce their pay was unjust
and unwarranted at this time, asked
thecommittee for the right to be heard.
The appropriation committee have Civ
en- very exhaustive hearing to this
question, having held five sessions.
The heads of the postofiice depart
ment were.examined at great length as
TO the efficiency Of the service, and the
fairness of the cost to the government
The railroad companies throughout the
country made their fight through their
attorneys and officials. Nearly all the
great leading lines in the United States
were represented: and each represen-
tative agreed with the other railroad
representative as to the line of argu-
give the same point twice. and thus
unnecessarily take UP the time of the
committee.
At one of the hearings last week Mr..
J. II. Manley appeared for the Eastern
roads. and made the following state
ment:
The present law governing the COM
pensatiOn to railroads was enacted in
1873 and the rates therein prescribed
have since been reduced Is per cent on
all roads, with 20 per cent additional
reduction on certain Immigrant roads.
so that, aside from land grant roads,
only So per cent. of the rate prescribed
by act of 1878 is now allowed. The
character of the postal service rem
dered by the railroads has, in twenty
five years, undergone no change what
ever whereby the cost of it's perform
ance has been reduced. On the con-
trary, improvements in methods oil
handling and distributing the mail
have added to the cost to the trans
portatlon companies. In freight traffic
the carrying capacity of cars has been
doubled. and the power of the locomo-
tive has been CORRESPONDENCE in,
creased so that while the rate on this
class of traffic has been reduced per
ton. it has really not been reduced in
earnings per train mile. In every land
where the earth bears ties and rails a
discriminating tariff prevails, unde,
which different rates are charged PEI
hundredweight or per ton for property
of different kinds,as. for instance, what
would be a fair price for a ton of cop
per or gold. would he prohibitive for a
ton of brick or building stone and this
difference in rates holds between a
pound of printed paper and a pound of
printed bank notes.
In word. no other plan has been
discovered upon which railroads could
be operated to serve the necessities 81
society.
In the classes of transportation hu-
man life is first and the transmission of
the mail, combination of intelligence
and treasure, comes next; and these
two elements make uD the first class
trains, which arc run under particular
1y expensive conditions.
In considering what is fair rate for
railroad postal service, there are fou,
one of transporting the mail. that are
of great value and Importance in pro-
noting the efficiency of the service and
these elements are rarely thought of OF
taken into account, viz:
First. The enormous amount of cal
space used for the weight handled
Second. The immense mileage OF
transportation afforded railway post
.,HS, c1n
duty.
Third. The conveyance of the mai
between the railroad stations and the
poStoffices where the distance does not
exceed a quarter of a mile.
Fourth. The method of fixing the
compensation for four years prospec-
lively.
These four items may be reduced tc
an approximation of value. as follows
First A 60 foot postal car cannot
carry on an average to exceed five tons
\ loaded coal car will carry % tons.
Second. Six thousand seven hundred
postal clerks are constantly travelling
and distributing mail. These mer
travelled 305 $685. 64 miles in 1896 This
at the lowest rate charged for any
passenSer-two cents per mie--makes
Sb. llb.l2f2S. Sixty seven hundred mer
is a fair division of an army. 1t woulc
require IA trains. eight cars to a train
and every seat occupied. and trains
run every day in the year. to transport
this army of postal clerks. This illus
trates the value of this particular ser.
vice.
Third. The mail messenger service
performed by the railroads. The Uni
ted States employs III such mail mes
sengers. and expended for service il
1896 81, 115. SSS.-. The number of offices
to which the messenger service is pait
for by the railroad companies is abou
three times greater than the number
supplied by the poStofiice department
and these at the rates paid 10y the gov.
eminent, after careful competition ant
scrutiny. would make the value of this
item A.103,552 per annum
Fourth. The adjustment of paw
prospectively. results in tremendou.
advantage to the United States. Ref
erence to the annual postal revenu,
Will show a steady increase eyidenc,
ing the steady increase in the amoun,