Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-11-02
Report of Assistant Postmaster Gen.
eral Shallenberger.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF TIE SERVICE
Increased Estimate for Appropria-
tons Submitted.
PERILS OF RAILWAY CLERKS

The annual report of w. 8. Shallenberger.
second assistant postmaster general, has
been submitted to the Postmaster General
The second assistant postmaster general
has charge Of the transportation Of all
mails.
The estimate for the fiscal year ending
June 80. 1902, is s31 430, 249, being s., 1885,
610.25 or 3.64 per cent, more than the ap-
for the current fiscal year.
The total cost of transporting the mails
during the year ended June 80, 1900, was
s57, 100, 1912. OF this amount S. 15S, 083.OS
was for the foreign mall service, the latter
an item of s143. 495.12 for inter-
mediary service to foreign countries. OF
the total expended for transportation $685.
424, 9S21 10 was for railroad routes and 81,
1858, 80 for postal car routes, neither of
which Items includes the expense for rail-
way post office Clerks, which amounts to
SS,946, 424. The length of all mail routes
was 5O0,9S9.61 miles, the number of miles
Travelled during the year being ass, 20o.-
1913 The rate of cost per mile in length
was II cents. In all respects the service
was greater on June 30 1890 than it was
OF miles Travelled per annum during the
year was 10, 460, 927.93, or 500 per cent, the
increase of expenditure being s2069, 645.S So,
or 800 per cent.
Inc star Route Contracts.
Considerable space in the report is de-
voted to review of the evils of specializing
in star route contracts and to the effort of
the department to prevent them. Under
the old system the department had a great
deal Of trouble with contractors who subet
their contracts often at SO low a rate as to
fail to give an efficient service. and there
was frequent contention over the work OF
rir,tr fl. tic,
February an examination of the records
showed that there We're 81 failures on the
part of speculative contractors to carry
the mails In the preceding five months.
During the past fiscal year there was an
average of DO of such failures a month.
These failures resulted in a serious injury
to the service, and as a remedy for such
evils the second assistant postmaster gen.
eral on February II issued an order that
in the future star route contracts should
be awarded only to those who reside on the
route to be served or who propose to reside
on such route. This has resulted in prac-
tlcally eliminating the speculative feature
of star route contracts and while it Will
increase the cost of the service slightly. it
is believed that it will effect a vast i'm
provement. For eight months before the
order went into effect the average rate for
star route contracts was 54 cents per mile
Travelled. Since that order 5.72 cents per
mile travelled has been paid. an increase
of .6s of a cent per mile Travelled, or IL
per cent.
Arrangements have been made which Will
double the frequency of the mail service to
Alaska during the coming winter. The
postal service in the newly acquired terri
tory of the United States has been salts
factorily handled.
The Pneumatic Tube Service.
The last post office appropriation bill pro-
vided for an investigation of the pneumatic
tube system of handling the mails.
This investigation" the report says us
being prosecuted under your direction by
some of the most experienced and capable
officers Of the postal service. Valuable in
formation has been collected which will
be submitted to the careful review and crit
ical judgment of distinguished engineers
and practical business men. 1t Is expected
that the investigation will be concluded
and the report ready for your submission
to Congress soon after it convenes in De-
cember next. Estimates for the contin-
uance Of existing service and for the proper
extensions of service are withheld for the
present in the hope that the final report cf
the Investigations desired by Congress may
be completed IN time to accompany them.
Weighing the Mails.
The result of the weighing of mail
throughout the United States has been of
great interest. The report says:
The surprising fact developed by this
weighing was that the aggregate weight of
mail matter carried by the railroads of the
United States was very much greater than
any estimate heretofore made by the de-
partment or by expert statistcans and
railway officials whose testimony had been
called for by congressional committees, or
who had been interested in discussing the
question in the public press. Another sur
prising fact developed In this recent weigh
Ing was that SO per cent Of the total amount
of mail matter originating in the United
States was sent direct to railroads.
Electric Car Service.
The report shows an increase of the cleo
trio car service. which is declared to be the
most advantageous means of providing ex-
peditiouS transportation of the mails par
ticularly for suburban towns. In one city
it was found possible to arrange the
electric service as to entirely do away
with wagon service.
The number Of mail pieces with illegible
addresses amounted to 14.617 .2S4, an in
crease of IL, 1879 pieces over the previous
year OF the whole number, S37S,71S were
returned to the writers or corrected and
forwarded to their destination.
PeriIs of Mail Clerks
During the past year. the report states
clerks were killed, 81 seriously and 1877
slightly injured, against the record OF
the preceding year in which clerks were
killed. 90 seriously and 1872 slightly injured.
The dangers to life and limb incident to
the railway mail service have been repeat
eddy brought to the attention of the depart
ment through the reports of the general
superintendent, whose earnest recommended
ton that some provision be made by Con-
gress for affording a reasonable measure of
relief 10 the family Of the clerk who loses
his life in the line Of duty, is which l
feel called upon to specially emphasize.
Under the law and the practice of the de-
partment clerk who is seriously injured
in the line of duty can be granted leave
of absence with pay to the extent of a full
year If his disability continues; but clerk
killed III the service leaves his family with
out hope of receiving any assistance what
ever from the government, even to the ex-
tent of the payment Of his necessary
funeral expenses.
Another subject closely allied to this,
which has been urged from time to time
by the general superintendent Of the rail-
way mail service, and which l approve, is
the creation of a fund which will enable
the department to retire and pay clerk
whose further usefulness has been cut short
by permanent disability incurred in the line
of his duty a yearly amount equal to a
fixed proportion Of his salary at the time OF
his retirement
The Redistribution of the railway mail
service is recommended. During the past
year $50. 53S. 800 pounds Of second-class mail
matter were received from publishers
against 352 ,051 800 in the previous year.
Inn he