The Washington times., 1902-05-29
Service Recommended by
Committee for U.s. in
This City.
CAPITOL AND P0sT0FFiCE
TO Start With Connecting Senate and
House Chambers With Main Office
and Extend Service Throughout the
City Later.


J. NJ. Masten, V. ]. Bradley. J. T. Crew
and Postmaster Merritt. which was ap
pointed by the Postmaster General Il
investigate the establishment Of a sys.
TEN of pneumatic tubes for mail pur-
poses in this city, has finished its worl
and submitted its report TO the Pest
master General, The report is in part
as follows:
Under the terms Ct :he new law
which permits of The establishing OF
pneumatic-tu service in any city at
an expense not in excess Of per cent Of
its gross postal revenue. it is obviously
appropriate TO consider now the FEAST
bility of providing some pneumatic tube
service in the National Capital.
Local Postal Revenues.
Tho gross postal revenue OF the
Washington rostofice for recent fiscal
years has been as follows: Fiscal year
ending June 50. 1899. ss14 so4: fiscal year
ending June 80 800. s6S9. 767; fiscal year
ending June 30. 1901. s739.772 fiscal year
ending June 80, 1902 tpartly estimaiedl.
$50. 600
1T is estimated by the local postal
officials that at least so per cent should
be added to these figures in order 10 OBJ
tain proper credit for the free mail
matter handled.
'Eowever. in dealing with the situa-
ton in Washington under the new law
we can only reach proper conclusion
on the basis of ( per cent OF the know
revenue. and if we take the figures for
the fiscal year 1901. s73e,772, we hns
that 4 per cent would be S2s,5?o and
that The service to be advertised for NJ
present would necessarily have to lie
operated within this amount as an an
pual outlay.
THE principal postal stations of the
Washington postofice on the basis cf
gross revenue are stations G. c. and B.
and the postal receipts at these sta
tions for the past fiscal year ending
June 30. 1901. were: Station G. sl31 $50;
station C. s123.2s7: STATEN ID, 500. .72I
The revenue obtained az these sta
tions would at first glance indicate the
desirability Of their being connected
with the general postoffice by pneu-
matte tube service. But when we an
alyze the situation we find that station
G Is practically located on the General
postofiice district; that station C is not
q delivery station. and that station p
is a considerable distance from the gen.
eral postoffice and should only be reach
ed incidentally. and is not OF sufficient
Importance to justify an independent
line from the general postofice.
As to Railway Depots.
The connection Of the general post 1
ofice with the railway depots has also |
been considered. but we must recognize 4
the fact that there is to be a great |
change within short time, the present
depots of the Pennsylvania and Baltf- |
more and Ohio roads being soon to be
discontinued and replaced by union
depot in an entirely new location. This
feature of pneumatic tube service must
therefore be relegated to the future for
arrangement II seems TO your commit
tee that IL Will be OF great Importance
In the near future for the several de-
partments OF the executive branch of
the Government TO be connected by
pneumatic tube mail service. but II
would be uprroftable ct this time for
this committee to of.er any compre-
hensive plan, in view OF the fact that
the new law limits the expenditure for
pneumatic tube mail service in the CITY
OF Washington to about s2s, 600 per an
mum. This amount, at maximum rate
OF $1,000 per mile, would only permit
OF the construction and operation OF n
httie over one and one-half miles OF
tube service
Remembering that the sl7 ,OO0 limit
was imposed in cities where three miles
or r3ore OF tube service were 10 be
operated, it Is safe to assume that the
rate OF operation in a city whore less
than three miles is TO be constructed
would exceed the $4,000 per mile. but
in Washington this question nigh, be
modified by ;he apparent feasibility OF
constructing some of the pneumatic
tube lines within Government reserya-
ticus. thus reducing materially the cost
of construction, and therefore the annual ,
cost OF operation.
~ q,