Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-05-05
THE POST OFFICE BILL
Restricting Contracts for Pneumatic
Tube Service.
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT ADOPTED
Pay for Service on Star Mail
Routes.
r Z RAJ FREE DELIV Err Y

Soon after the Senate convened today Mr..
Money tMiss-) gave notice that Thursday.
the 18th instant. at pm, he would pre-
sent resolutions in memory of Mr.. Wal
thall.
Consideration of the post Office appropria-
tion bill was begun at the instance of Mr..
Quay pa. in charge of the measure. The
amount carried by the bill as it passed the
House of Representatives, was $50 112, 800.
As reported to the Senate it carried siI2-
90 more.
When the committee amendment was
reached providing that no additional con-
tracts should be entered into for pneu-
matte tube service unless authorized by
law. Mr. Pettigrew maintained that a pro-
vision ought to be inserted making it the
duty of the United States to purchase of
individuals or corporations whatever rights
they might have in the pneumatic tube
service.
Mr.. Quay called attention to the fact
hat sucn right was already reserved to the
government.
Mr.. Pettigrew admitted that the provision
was In the law of last year, but no effort
had been made to put 1T in operation. In
New York today he said the pneumatic
tube service was under control Of a cor
poration- The plant cost between 100000
and $4,000. yet the corporations compen-
,ation was more than per cent on $780,
Don. He held that it was an outrage upon
the people thus to fatten the corporations
and build up monopolies
The committee amendment was agreed to-
- An amendment offered by Mr. CockrelI
tMe9. providing that the weight of franked
official letters might be increased from one
ounce to two ounces was adopted.
Stnr Route Subcontracts
Mr.. Stewart New offered an amend
ment to the star route section of the bill,
providing that no part of the sum appro-
priated for such service should be paid to
any subcontractor and that the Postmas-
ter General must require affidavits from
contractors that they themselves did the
work.
The amendment was antagonized by Mr..
Money (Miss.), who believed that its op-
GRAFTON would result in largely increasing
the expense of carrying the mails over star
routes
Mr.. Teller Coli urged that it was the
speculative syndicate bidders at whom the
amendment of Mr.. Stewart was aimed. He
said if the government would pay directly
to the mail carriers the sums given the
contractors who sublet their contracts it
would receive good service at reasonable
rates.
Mr. Chandler On. HI thought the precise
evil that ought to be corrected was the
elimination from the equation Of the pro-
fesSional bidders These syndicate bidders
often blackmailed the carriers of the mails.
and there ought to be some way of break
irg up this system. He believed the rem
aGx- t~x-
one.
Mr.. Cockrell (Alo.) declared the adoption
of the amendment would result in a loss to
the government of 100000.
The amendment was agreed to-
Rural Free Delivery.
The amendment of the committee strik-
ing from the bill the appropriation of $780,
o9O for rural free delivery created con-
siderable discussion. Mr.. Quay explained
that IN the opinion of the committee the
results Of the experiment thus far scarcely
warranted Congress in going forward with
the experiment.
Mr.. Chandler thought the matter ought
not to be stricken out entirely. Rural free
delivery was a little boon, little con-
yenience to the farmer in the rural dis
tricts throughout the country.
Mr.. Pettigrew inquired whether the ex-
tension of free delivery meant the aboli-
uCn of the country post Offices.
Mr. Quay replied that that would GER
family be the effect of it.
Mr.. Pettlgrew declared that the farming
people of the country were not demand
ing rural free delivery and he regarded it
as hurabug
HOISE OF REPRESENTATIVES,