Evening journal., 1900-01-01
l...iuWAl NAIL ~
The Chief Barrier to Chief Parcels
Post System and One Cent
Letter Postage.
FINLEY AcEERs TESTIMONY

In view OF The great benent which
one cent letter postage and cheap par
cells post system would be TO the en-
tire community, and in view Of the fact
that the present rate for railway mail
transportation stands as an insuperable
barrier to the adoption OF either Of
these important postal improvements,
the testimony Of Finley Acker before
the Congressional Commission Is Of
value and interest.
The railways are paid enormously
for transportation OF mails, and, Of
course, will do all that skill In lobby
ing can to prevent reduction.
At the same time the express COM
panies will use every means possible to
prevent a parcels post department.
A hint OF Mr.. Acker's partial testi-
mony before the Congressional Com
mission to investigate railway mail pay
was recently published, but the COM
pleted testimony which has just been
submitted is distinguished, not only for
its fair and judicial spirit, but for its
logical analyses, upon a broad-gauge
business basis, Of the vital and funda-
mental principles which underlie the
comparative costs OF hauling mail, pas
sengers and miscellaneous freight
AS the average haul Of a passenger is
but trihe over 26 miles, and the aver
age haul of a ton Of freight is about
1870 miles, while the average haul Of a
ton Of mail is now said to be S13 miles,
Il follows that the average haul Of mail
is six times greater than the average
haul OF freight 80 times greater than
| the average haul Of q passenger, and
800 times greater than the average haul
Of q ton weight OF passengers and bag
gage Official rates were submitted
which showed that for a haul of S2l
miles the freight rates were 40 per cent.
less per hundred miles than for a haul
of only 105 miles on the same route.
Official tables were also submitted
which showed that when passengers
contracted, as In the case Of mail mat
ter, for transportation for the entire
year, discount Of so per cent. was al
lowed on the single trip rate for a dis
lance of 60 miles and discount Of 80
per cent. for a distance Of 10l miles.
A rental is paid each year for post
loffice car which exceeds the entire cost
lof its construction.
And yet In spite OF the comparatively
cheap cost for hauling mail the fixed
government rate for hauling 200 pounds
mail matter daily the full length of the
average mail haul is S94,77, while the
cost for hauling the same weight Of
passengers the same distance would, al
the lowest Communication passenger
rate, be but S2.07; or at first class
freight rate be S1.36, or az the sixth
class freight rate only 40 cents. Thu
above represents the rates for the light
est mail routes. but jumping to the op
pOsite extreme and taking the heav
lest mail route, which is approximate
ly 100000 pounds daily. it will b'
found that the rate fixed by the govern
ment for hauling this weight the full
miles) would be S7,S17 while a SINH
lar weight of passengers carried tn
. same distance would be at the loves
Communication rate s3,1E.02. or at frs
/ class freight rates b6~S2 ,04S.76, or a
, the sixth class freight rates S6S2.92.
The above comparison was suggeste
! by an examination of all the invalu
| able tables compiled by this careful
statistician (Which relate to railwa
Z mail pay fully corroborate the belle
that the present rates for transportin
5 the mail are disproportionately high
- comparison with other forms OF trai
Q hc
l The second table shows that Will
I the ton mileage Of mail had increase
800 per cent. since 1880, the operatin
$ expenses Of railroads had increase
I only 221 per cent, passenger mileag
2 224 per cent. and freight ton mileae
I 3l3 per cent, and yet no change in tn
q law fixing railway mail rates had bee
). made for twenty years.
Professor Adams third table show
that the law fixing the present rate wa
4 enacted in 1873. In 1876 when the to
I. mileage had increased 46 per cent.
. reduction of 10 per cent. was autho'
1. lied in the rates. Again in 1879 whe
I there was another increase in ton mill
a age of 10 per cent. another reduction
v 5 per cent was made-but no reductiC
& has since been made although the 10
d mileage has since that time increase
IS nearly 1000 per cent
The fifth table shows an'apparent r
e duction OF nearly 40 per cent. in ma
a. rates per ton miles-but this apparei
v. reduction is due in every instance
d the hauling OF wholesale instead of r
g. tail quantities. and had each rou
II | AdNANA hhlg Aut same WtibHt 40 ~
" merly there would not have been Il
s. slightest reduction.
s, The sixth table shows that the pc
10 centage Of mail earnings had increasl
ID from 1879 per cent in 1878 to 2.747 p
lie cent, and confirms the claim that Il
r proportion of mail earnings to the RAJ
roads had increased in a greater rat
than the passenger and freight trait
The seventh table is significant b
n cause Il shows that 50 per cent. OF d
n the entire mail tonnage Is carried
te only 1876 post Office car routes out
n a total OF 2,400 railway mail routi
as s-..u---u------.--.u.-