Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1902-12-18
Government Ownership Of Rail-
COMMUNICATION.

EDITOR NEWS ITEM: AS you are
giving every body an opportunity to
air their vie KS on government own
ership of cal mines and railroads
l desire to make a brief statement
in reply to Editor Newell's fiimsy
veil of irrational reasoning in his
last issue. He says: "In the postal
system the government enjoys COM
plete monopoly, and yet fails to
make it pay. Would the govern
ment make the railroads and coal
mines pay? We do not believe it.
And if they did not, where would
the money come from to make
up the difference ?"
Let us study why the postal sys.
tenn does not pay-so to speak. But
1t does pay, pays the public hand
somely. Does Mr.. Newell not rea-
lize the benefits he derives and the
advantages he gives to every one of
his subscribers by not having to pay
one cent postage on all the papers
he sends out in Sullivan county and
only one cent a pound on mail out of
the county. This gives the public
much cheaper news service which
they would not enjoy if J. P. Nor
gan was at the head of the system.
The so called deficit for this year is
81, ,937, ,949.S1, almost a million less
than last year. We will figure the
deficit at $3,OOO,0OO. The govern
ment extends to publishers through
out the whole United States, a free
circulation within their respective
counties. Postmasters weigh all
these many tons of papers sent out
daily and reports it to the depart
ment. 1t is here found that these
papers, at regular rates Of postage,
would pay the department $l2,OOO,-
600. Why not place the deficit over
against this amount and say that the
people enjoy profit of $9,OOO,OOO
annually, which they keep in their
pockets. This surely is not an un-
reasonable way of looking at the
matter.
Then comes the usual extortion of
the railroad combines. In the Post
master Advocate of December issue
is found some statistics of Professor
Frank Parsons, who has been at work
for number of years on book of
railroad questions. His data rela-
tive to what American railroads re-
ceive for carrying the mails in COM
parison to what is paid in foreign
countries for like service is so radical
that it offers food for thought.
The United States pays the rail-
roads, for carrying the mails, about
$34, 900, 900 per annum. This enor-
nous sum is further increased to
$37 900, 900 when rental of mail cars
is included. In France the railroads,
in return for their grants of right of
way, carry the mails free. In Swift
zerland the same. In Germany the
railroads carry one mail car free,
when more are required the govern
ment pays moderately for it. Italy
pays nothing to the railroads for
carrying the mails, as it is provided
in the concessions made for right of
way that the mails must be carried
free. Belgium's laws are the same.
In England where the House of Com
mons is filed with railroad directors
and holders of railroad shares the
comparative expenditures by the
government is only about one-ninth
of the expenditure by the United
States for like service. III this free
country the railroads receive one
third of the money expended to run
the postal department. 1t has been
conservatively figured that it would
cost our government less to convey a
ton of mail from New York to Chi
cago by hiring aman and team and
paying the expenses at the best
hotels, than what is now charged by
the railroad combine. Were the
railroads to receive the same rate for
hauling postal cars that are charged
for freight cars, as near as l can cal
culate, the government would save
over $2l 100000 annually. Add
this to the $l2, 900, 900 of free service
it gives to the people and you have
credit balance of $33,000,O 900 to
offset the 81, 600, 900 deficit
These words and figures are not
juggled without regard to fitness OF