Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-27
DAILY MAIL ABROAD
POSSIBLE RESULT OF STEAMSHIP
COMPANY MERGER.
Assuming That the Fast Vessels Will
Not Be Put in Competition
With One Another.

There is a strong belief that the recent
merger of the transatlantic steamship
companies may have a salutary effect ON
the transportation Of mails between this
country and Europe. Stated briefly, this
effect will be the establishment of a seven
mail service each way each week In lieu OF
what is now practically three-man serv-
ice each way.
This calculation Is based upon an assump-
tion that the new consolidation will provide
that its fastest steamers shall avoid COM
petition with each other to the fullest pos
sible degree. In other words, it Is accepted
that only one fast steamship shall leave
New York each day and that a similar
schedule will prevail for westbeund steam
ers. Such an arrangement would give each
Of the very swiftest vessels In trans-At-
lantic waters a sailing free from any
rivalry in Its own class, and. 1t Is assumed.
would commend itself to the managers OF
the consolidation as good business prin-
ciple.
The schedules now maintained by the
separate companies provide that several
fast vessels sail almost simultaneously. BY
dispatching European mails on only three
days of the week, therefore, the department
obtains as rapid and satisfactory service
as though it sent mails on the slower
steamers which sail on earlier days. That
Is to say, the faster steamers depart from
America Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sat
urdays of each week Occasionally Tues
day is a sailing day, but this 10 rare. Sun
days, Mondays and Tuesdays the steamers
which leave New York cross the ocean so
slowly as to be overtaken by the vessels
which leave Wednesdays. The result Is
that only the three days Observation-Disclosures
days, Thursdays and Saturdays-are profit
able mailing days from American ports.
Mails from Abroad.
Similar conditions prevail at European
mailing stations, except that the situation
is rather more complicated abroad. Eng
lish mails to America are sent almost ex-
clusively by vessels Of the Cunard and
White Star lines, those companies being
exclusively British. Germany sends it's
mails to America by the Hamburg-Ameri-
can and North German Lloyd lines when
ever possible. French mails to America
are sent by the French line from Havre.
But the effect is much the same as that Of
present American methods; several mails
are transmitted on particular sailing days,
and no mails sent at any other time during
the week.
With all these various steamship COM
panies operating in practical accord Amer
lean postal authorities believe the sailing
both ways will be arranged as to give
each of the fastest vessels an open day. If
this proves to be the case the American
Post Office Department, following regular
custom of many years standing, will trans
NIT it's mails by the fastest steamers which
sail each day.
The conclusion is, then, that a mail will
be dispatched on each fast vessel. notwth-
standing present contracts with the Ameri-
can line that 1t shall be paid in bulk on a
ten years contract for transporting malls
per each mile Travelled. About seven years
of this contract are still to be enforced, at a
rate of 81 per each mile Travelled, whether
the amount of mail carried be much or
little. In the event that the vessels of the
American line are the fastest which sail on
particular days the department would con-
tinue to ship all it's mails by those boats
Dividing the Mail.
But If more speedy service should be
offered the department would ship it's letter
mails by the opposition boats and its printed
matter only by the American vessels. The
cost of this non-contract service is fixed by
law. If the new and faster vessels fly the
American flag they are paid the full
amount of postage received by the depart
ment, about $1.60 per pound of letter mail.
If they are foreign vessels they receive
about A cents per pound of letter mail.
Either rate is regarded as more favorable
to the government than the contract rate
of 81 per mile Travelled, now in force with
the American line.