The evening times., 1899-08-15
AUTOMOBILE MAIL WAGONS.
The Postomce Department VIII Elk.
pertinent With the Vehicle.

pertinent with the Vehicle.
Notice has been given lately OF the pro-
posed use of automobile vehicles for the
collection of mail matter in Washington.
Much interest is taken at the Postof1ce
Department in this experiment, because,
although in one sense it is local matter,
yet the habit has grown strong of using
this city as a sort of experiment station
for all kinds of postal as well as munici
pal improvements. A trial has already
been given to automobile collection here
which, though it has not settled the ques-
tion of its permanent adoption, has gone
good way toward that end by proving
that, even with a vehicle not fitted up in
any respect for postal purposes, the work
can be done with twice the speed of the
old collection by horse and wagon.
The practice of the Washington POST
Office in the past has been to let the col
lectors by wagon supply their own outfit,
taking in return therefor an allowance Of
S25 month. Each man gets his regular
pay as a carrier, and then is allowed to
make what he can out of this extra COM
pensation. The result has been the
launching of a pretty foriorn-l looking set
j of turnouts, the horses having been pick
ed up apparently at auction, and the wag-
ons being anything but creditable as
specimens of the Governments taste in
the machinery of transportation.
There have been accidents, also, which
only by stroke of good fortune have es-
capped being very embarrassing The other
day. in a thunderstorm, particularly
loud crash frightened a mail-collectors
horse while the man was getting letters
out of a post-box, and it broke away and
dashed down the street, smashing the wag-
on and scattering the collected mail all
over the highway. The automobile has
by no means yet proved its immunity from
accidents, but the chances OF such a mis-
hap as described above would probably be
greatly reduced by its use.
Another consideration is the probability
of economy in actual dollars and cents. 1t
appears that bought singly, vehicle Of
the size and kind adapted to postal pur-
poses would cost about 81 200, whereas,
built and sold in large quantities under
contract, the same thing could be got for
half or two-thirds the present price If
the present system of allowances to car
riers were continued, therefore, "a carrier
who could raise the money for his first
| outlay, even at 81 200, would be earning
25 per cent on his investment, which
good many persons outside of the postal
service would consider q handsome profit.
He would have no feed to buy, and no
veterinary bills to pay, and no horse to
| die on his hands. He would have some
| expenses possibly for repairs, but these
would be incidental to the use of any wag
on, and the only additional cost would be
the fuel for keeping the motor going. II
| the postal automobile should come into
| general use, the carrier would make an
| increased profit according to the decrease
! of the vehicle in price.
| But even il the government were itself
| to purchase and maintain the automobiles,
! or rent them from manufacturers or con-
! tractors, abolishing the present allowance
! system, it is obvious that 1t could do its
| work cheaper than now, unless some dis
advantages are developed by further eX-
pertinent All through the country post
masters are eager to learn the results Of
Washington's experience, in case il is
concluded to make the trial on any consid-
! cradle scale.