The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1902-06-21
R0BBING THE STATE
HOO THE RAILROADS WAX RICH
BY CARRYING MAILS.
Pay More in a Year for the Rental
of a Mail Car Than It Costs
Then Pay Fancy Prices
For Hauling It.
(sAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER

The government refuses to in
crease the pay Of letter carriers,
postal clerks and other government
employees.
Mr.. Loud and others in charge of
postoffice affairs raise the cry of ex-
travaganee as an excuse for over
working and underpaying men em-
p1oyed in the United States govern
ment.
We should like very much to
know what Mr.. Loud and other
.postoMce authorities have to say a.
bout the steady robbing of the gov
ernment by the railroads. Who
gets the money paid out by the rail
road lobby, that its robbingo of the
government may go on? 1 would
be interesting to know why it is
that no man in public Office COM
bines the ability and honesty neces-
sary to shut QUIT le rail oai. thieves.
Read some figures; bear them in
mind when government, ownership
of railroads is discussed.
Senator Villas, of Wisconsin, in a
speech in tie senate, February 13,
1885, supplied the following figures
among others:
The cost Of building of one of the
railway postofice cars averages $3,-
500.
The railroads charge the govern
ment certain rental for the use of
these cars, in ad dition to making
the government pay for. the hauling
Of the cars.
According to the railroad figures
supplied Ex-senator Villas, the fol-
loving expense accompanies the
operating as the postal oass, for each
car:
Light, year. Heating.
1856 a year. Repairs, $3.50 a year.
Cleaning, 1855 a year. Total av-
erage cost of maintaining each car
in use, 81 1856 It is needless to
point out the extravaganza Of these
estimates. But let them stand for
the purpose of argument.
When Senator Villas was speak
ing, it was proposed to approparite
So, ,205o00 to be paid by the govern
ment for renting postoffice cars dur
ing tie ensuing year. That amount
was to be paid for 100 postoffice
cars-560 cars in use, 18o cars in
reserve and so additional cars that
might become necessary.
According to the railroads. own
figures, the cost of maintaining and
operating the cars would be $780,
100.
Take that amount from the ap.
preparation of $3,2o5,o 900 and you
find that the railroads were paid by
the government $2,314,84 for The
use of the cars for one year. Te
build those cars outright cost only
i$2, ,7o5;ooo. So that after deductine
a sufficient amout TO renew the cars
and keep them in order the rail
roads steal from the government ir
one year practically the total cos
of building the cars. In addition
the government pays an -extraya
lgantly high rate for hauling al
these cars.
Things have been getting wors'
Instead of better since Villas msd
his speech. For the fiscal year end
ing June SO, 1901, the government
paid to the railroad companies fo
the use of postoffice earg-as asrental
independent for the hauling of tn
CARS, ,638, ,234,o3. Seven hun
dred and sixty five cars were used
/ Thus as rental for each car, the gov
ernment paid an average OF Sc, ,o63.
o5.
! To build a mail car cost So, 500
1 the outside limit, as fixed by tn
railroads, of the cost of maintaining
and operating the car in use is ST.
/ t336-a total of 1886 for building
a car and keeping it in order for
| year.
Therefore the government pait
| the railroads for each car per yea
the total cost of building the car
/ the cost of maintaining it, and 81,
| 2o7 .o5 additional.
Every year the railroads ge
! back from the government the en-
TIRE cost of every car, the entire COS
! of maintaining and operating them
ES1,2o7. o5 besides, and the regula
scale for carrying the mails, as th
law provides-an extravaganza,
| high rate-ayer al4d above ell tn
/, gest.
] Individual railroads iare bette