Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-03-30
Observation-Disclosures 30, 1899.
THE MAILS IN VIRGINIA.

Our Washington correspondent has had
an interview with Mr.. James i. Cook, OF
the Post-Ohice Department. with refer
once TO the Dispatches publication Of Conn
plants concerning the star-route service
in Virginia.
Mr. Cook quotes the rules and
regulations Of the department, and
states that the department is kept
well informed as 10 the charac-
ter Of the service by monthly re-
ports. There are also inspectors whose
duty It IS to travel over the country and
see that the contractors perform their
duties. II seems that there arc fines and
penalties imposed whore the nature or
frequency Of the contractors failures jus
tify them. II also appears that railroad
companies. too are subject to fines and
deductions under section $50 Of the rules.
We farther learn that there are LILO star
routes in this State. aud that there viii
be an imposition of 935 fines on contrac-
tors for the past sixty days
We DO not know what excuses have
been made by star-route contractors ana
by railroad companies for the defaults
and delnqucncics Of the last twelve
months. nor do we know whether the inn
position OF fines on railroad companies
has been as rigorous as upon other con-
tractors.
or course. our people make no COM
plant Of the delays which were conse-
quont upon the great snow-storms of this
winter. ours are a reasonable people and
they would not have the Post-Omce De-
partment deal harshly with any one be-
cause OF his failure 10 keep up the sche-
dulles during the period of severe winter
weather.
The defaults that are generally COM
planned Of have been numerous and no.
torious for several years past. one of
these was the frequent failure to make
connections at Staunton for Lexington.
The schedules were so often dsTegarded
there that the Richmond morning papers.
at tho request Of their Lexington sub
scribers. changed the direction Of their
Lexington packages from the Chesapeake
and Ohio route to the Richmond and AL
leghany route.
At the beginning OF this month some
change was made in the transfer service
at Stanton. and it may be that connec-
tons are now made there regularly; about
that we DO not know But how was it
that the Post-Onice Department, If 1t is
as well informed as it ought to be, did
not detect the failure OF the west-bound
railroad trains to connect at stanton?
Why was il that II allowed the patience
of the public to be exhausted before it
made any move TO rectify the matter?
furthermore, we should like to know Il
the Post-Ohice Department, even now, is
prepared 10 assure the Virginia public
that IL has a safe and reliable Lexington
connection at Staunton?
In time past, at certain periods of the
year, our southern mails were late in
reaching Richmond. Time and again the
Dispatch called the attention of the POST
Office Department 20 that fact but IL il
did any good we are not aware of it.
We dare say that the star-route con-
tractors are often blamed for delays
which truly are chargeable not 10 them,
but TO the railroad companies. 1t has
been too much the practice In Virginia
Tor local mail trains to be side-traeked to
give the track TO fast-mail trains. Thus
the star-route carriers are subjected TO
delays. which they cannot always explain
10 the patrons along their routes The
necessary result is that sometimes the
star-route carriers are blamed for delays
for which they are really not responsible
Tho Dispatch is giad TO find that Mr.
Cook is taking an interest in the sche-
dulles OF the railroads and star routes in
Virginia. II he viii take our advice he
will get the railroad companies schedules
right before he begins TO bother with the
star-route contractors. Unless the rail-
road companies comply with their con-
tracts with the department il would not
only DO useless. but ridiculous, for the de-
pilrtment TO be prodding the star-route
fellows. To the public anything Of that
sort would appear TO be in the nature Of
the weil-known stage scene where a
great, big policeman starts our TO qucll a
row on the street and comes back 10 the
station-house rejoicing In the capture Of
IA 6-year-old boy. Yes. let him first look
10 the railroad connections in Virginia.
Let him see II there are not too many
misses" of connections. Let him see If
the railroads are running on schedule
time. and when he has been able 10 se-
cure q reasonable degree OF accuracy I'm
the observance OF those schedules. he
may 20 forth confidently and "stlr up