The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-24

office in which the salary of the post
master was fixed so as to include compen-
| sation for clerk hire in the third and
| fourth class Offices
Mr.. Moon Of Tennessee who signed the
minority report on the disputed questions
in the bill, followed Mr.. Loud He asked
unaI nous consent of the House that
the views Of the minority might be printed
in the Record This was ordered aud
Mr. Moon yielded forty minutes TO Mr..
Norton of South Carolina, who did not
address himself to the pending bill, but
availed himself of the latitude allowed
during the consideration of general APP
preparation bills to deliver a speech on
the subject of education in the South.
Railroad Rates Discussed.
Mr.. Bell of Colorado advocated the re-
duction in the price paid the railroad
companies for carrying mail Every con-
sideration of common justice" he said,
land common honesty demands that it
should be reduced" The failure to make
the reduction, Mr.. Bell added had become
national scandal Referring to the Loud
bill, which had recently been before the
House, Mr.. Bell quoted Mayor Sam Jones,
OF Toledo. to support his assertion that
solicitations had been made of business
men for funds to aid in the passage CT it.
Jones promised to make contribution,
and was to send it to the treasurer of the
Adams Express Company, New York.
Later Mr.. Jones saw an article in the
Outlook said Mr.. Bell. saying that the
Loud bill was a scheme got up by the
railroad and express companies to wipe
out the deficit in postal revenues caused
by the transportation OF second class nat
ter so as to divert public attention from
the extortionate charge for carrying mails,
and Mr.. Jones did not send his subscrip-
ton.
Mr.. Bell said in substance that he was
satisfied that the main cause of the def
cheney in the revenues of the Postoffice
Department is largely due to cost of trans
portation allowed and paid to railroad
companies Oh inland mails.
These companies secure the best terms
they can from the Government to perform
this service. They ought to be paid such
price as would secure to them just and
liberal profit commensurate with the risk
and obligations assumed by them. He
called attention to the pay for transporta-
ton of mails, not with the view Of strik-
ing out this item of the appropriation bill,
for that could not be properly done at this
time under contract relations between the
carriers and the Government, but that
some action may be had by Congress before
the beginning of another fiscal year.
He said: I'VE pay an average, as shown
by the Postmaster-Ge Generals report for
carrying the mails, OF cents per
pound. The best estimate to be made from
the proof on the hearings on this question
is that the actual expense to the transpor-
tation companies in carrying the mails is
about l cent per pound, and that the
LII,
pay about 40 per cent of their earnings
to railroad companies for hauling their
cars) nnderbid the Government on second
class mail matter, and carry il at less than
l cent per pound on hauls of less than 500
miles, and still make a profit
Opposition From Mr.. Cromwell
Mr.. Bromweil of Ohio, a member Of the
Committee on Postofiices and Postroads
spoke of the items in the bill appropriating
for rural free delivery and pneumatic tube
service, expressing his opposition to them
He wanted rural free delivery to be kept
in the experimental stage until it had
demonstrated that it would maintain itself
He said, further, that he did not want the
appropriation for tube service increased
until some benefit TO or acceleration OF
the service was shown. At present, the |
benefit to the mail had not be5n salts
factorily demonstrated. But a combine of |
the forces favoring these two appropria- |
tions. in Mr.. Bromwells opinion. would |
secure the passage of the appropriations |
reported by the committee, and he should !
be agreeably surprised if the rural free
delivery item was not doubled or .veG.ed.
Mr. Bromwell also antagonized the items
in the bill giving subsidies to the Southern |
Railway and the road between Kansas City |
and Newton. Kan.
Mr.. Gaines of Tennessee made a short |
speech against trusts, advocating the |
passage of bill denying the use of the |
mails to these organizations.
Mr. Sibley of Pennsylvania advocated |
the various items in the bill which had 1
been attacked during the afternoon. He /
said the United States was engaged in the /
commercial conquest of the world and
anything that aided in accomplishing that /
had lis support For this reason he fav-
ored the appropriations for pneumatic /
mail service subsidies for mail trains, and
the present rate of payment to railroad
for transportation of mail Men
moved more rapidly now, Mr.. Sibley said,
than they did year ago. |
The committee rose and at 5 o'clock the
House adjourned until today.