The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1902-06-21

New York Central Railroad, which owns
one of New York's representatives in the
United States Senate, Mr.. Depew, and
controls the other, Mr.. Platt, through his
express com pany, The New York Cen
tra1 carries the government mails on the
route from New York to Buffalo. In
1901 the government paid the New York
Central $3.50, ,033,60 for the use of - cars.
Therefore the government paid to the
New York Central for one year $40, 1885,
OF for each car. That is to say, each year
lit pays the original lost Of building the
car, and the total cost of maintaining the
car, twice over.
And at the end of the year the railroad
still owns the car.
In addition, the railroad company re-
ceived. from the government SI,22S, ,o80.-
Al for transporting the mails, under the
regular weight schedule between New
York and Buffalo.
IF you want to know how the railroads
rob the government through the conniv-
ance of senators, congressman and others
Influenced by the railroad lobby, study
these figures. which compare the charges
for transporting government mail matter
and ordinary express matter to New
York Central station twenty miles from
New York:
For carrying 200 pounds per day of
mail matter, at $50 per mile per annum,
the rei1road is authorized to charge in
one year 81 600. The express company
carries a 200-pound package the same
distance every day for 1855 year.
In other words, the government pays
81, 900 for carrying Zoo pounds of mail
matter twenty miles. every day for a year
in addition to paying an enormous rental
for the cars. Express matter travels the
same distance at the same speed for $365
year, and the railroad coElp any
made a good profit on the transaction.
Poor's Manual gives the Pennsylvania
Rlilroad Company's own statement for
1900 as to its earnings.
On passengers the railroad earns a
small fraction over 2 cents per mile per
passenger. On freight it earns a little
LESS than third of a cent per mile per
ton.
Tie government, however, pays all the
railroads ,inc1uding the Pennsylvania, an
average, oil. .IS cents per mile.
These are dull figures, but when you
I talk government ownership, when you
taffs about the robbery Of tie public by
corporations. it is well to have some facts
at your disposal. Remember that the U
uited States government pays every year
20 the RAILROADS $38,ooo,oo0 for carrying
the mails and for the use of cars.
| In France, where the government con-
trolls all the railroads, owns many OF
them, and will eventually own all, the
railroads carry the mails free, in return
| for their grants or right OF way.
In Switzerland the railroads receive
nothing for carrying the mails. The conf
pany that got permission to build a rail
road had to carry mails free in exchange
for the privilege-witn this exception:
If the railroad company actually earned
less than 1-2 per cent year the gov
ernment paid a reasonable price for mail
service. The Swiss, more wise than we,
have now made all railroads government
property.
/ In Germany, all railroads must carry
one mail car free. Ifothef cars are need
ed to transport the mails the government
pays small rate, which barely represents
the cost of hauling the cars EAustria's
rales are practically the same as those ot
/ Germany.
The British Parliament, Like our owr
national congress, consists largely of mef
owned by the railroads. But they have
some shame over there, and although the
British mail service includes the parcel:
post and does the work of our express com
panieS, the government pays to the rail,
roads for all of its carrying, including thi
enormous parcel express business, on1.
one-ninth of the amount which the Unit
ed States government pays the railroad
for the carrying of pure mail matter.
LIE pupilc onlcials III w asiihgeoH wiz
connive at this kind of thievery talk a
bout extravaganza and waste when it i
suggested that the hard-working mel
who sort the letters in the postoffice o
carry the huge bundles on their back
should be paid fairly.
They can easily be persuaded to giy
away millions of government money t
the New York Central Railroad. whic
has one fits 1ackeys and one of it's pnf
pets In the United States senate, but the
can't treat fairly the actual workers VIII
serve the people.