The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-05-15

Senator Simmons request that POST
maeteT-GeneraI Cortelyou appear be-
fore the committee has elected some
more interesting Information on the
! subsidy question. of course There was
To necessity for II bscause the money
! given for The s~o-caII-d fast mail i .
I plain subsidy. But those MO had not
studied il deeply wera insisting that i,
was necessary To give the south good
service.
The questions asked by senator sim
| mons ANA other brought forth an
secrs that didn't leave a peg for tho
subsidy 10 hang upon. The testimony
printed i'm a Senate document would
| fiji several columns. We giye only the
, material parts below:
eaator Simmons discover that
| YOU do not this year eStimate for THIS
| service. and probably YOU have not
| estimated for it for many years past
| why do YOU not III for it
Postmaster-Genera! Cortelyou-Ne
| have not estimated for it because Of
| the principle involved. II appears -
, be q discrimination in favor Of Il Dad
I or Of q section of the country. Per
sonaIly. / am not in favor of anything
in the uatur Of q special privilege =
| a road or TO a section.
senator Simmons-Do you mean, by
not estimating for it. 10 recommend
against the appropriations
Observation-Disclosures Cortelyou-l do.
| Senator SimmOns-NOW. | want to
ask you. General. the direct question.
In your judgment. is the appropriation
for this service necessary III order 20
secure proper mail facilities in the sec
ton Of country served?
pOStmaStcr-General tOFtelEOu.|
think not.
Senator CIay-Does it render the
people any service?
Postmaster-General Cortelyou-I
should say that it probably rendefs
them some service. | should say. look
ing at it in a large way, that ii is not
q good practice.
Senator Clay-Pneumatic tubes are
on the same principle. are they not?
POStmaSter-General CofttlEou-
They are, unless You keep on extend
ing them as you are doing.
Senator CGay-Pneumatic tubes were
something similar to those special ia
ciliticS2
Postmaster-General Cortelyou-If
YOU should grant this special facility
appropriation without n restriction
to section and say that we may employ
il in unusual cases to get unusual re-
suits TO the advantage Of this. that, or
the other part of the country, without
specifying one part, it would be re-
l1thtd SOlIltf " Hat III the oDJCNlioilo We
have to 1t.
Then followed whole pages of QueS-
tons about schedules and other mat
ters i'm the course of which the Post
master-General said that the Depart
ment wished no special appropriation
for q particular system or section. but
that if Congress would make an p
preparation when he had moi estimated
for it ne would regard it as manda-
tory. Asked if Congress should order
him to put the fast mail special ap-
preparation. as outlined in the Sim
mons amendment. on a business basis
Mr.. Cortelyou said:
Eyes, sir; but l should hin an APP
preparation OF that kind would make it
very difficult for US to get all the facil-
tiles from those railroads.&c. get any
thing like the facilities from those
railroads that We might be able to get
if we did not have it. l mean by that
tina Il injects a disturbing factor
Mr.. Simmons asked if he called the
appropriation "a subsidy" Mr.. Cortel-
you said: mo, [ have carefully avoid
ed calling it a subsidy. " : : | have
been looking into the matter for some
time, but | did not want to character
lie ii because we regarded it in the
Department as largely the act of Con-
greSs.'
The examination continued as fol-
lows:
Senator Simmons-If the a~ppropria-
ton passes. and this amendment is at
tached to it, YOU Would feel it your
duty to make a contract with the rat
roads based upon what h service is
reasonably worth, would o not?
POStInaSter-General CortelyOu-I
should consider it my duty to deter
mine whether 1 could not get equally
good service without the use Of the
appropriation. n if | found myself
unable to do that. / should hen use
much or little of the appropriation
necessary to Secur the proper facili-
ties.
senator Carter-The existence of
the appropriation would be a bar in
our way of getting the best possible
service?
Postmaster-General Cortelyou-In
my judgment 1t would eventually be a
oar. | Know the question of competi-
ton has entered into some of these dis
CussiOns regarding the special facility
pay, and l believe it has been stated
that it is doubtful whether we would
have more competition without it than
We do. | am not entirely clear on that
point.
Senator Simmons wish you would
explain to the committee what you
mean when YOU say that the existence
of the apprOprIaton would be a bar
to your getting the best service. l do
not understand what you mean by
that.
Postmaster General Cortelyou. |
mean that without this special appro-
prlation We would have free and open
competition between two or three
trunk line systems of the South.
Senator Simmons. Do YOU mean
to say. if this appropriation is not
made in you Judgment YOU can Sc
cure q better service han you now
have?
Postmaster General Cortelyou. l
! think that ultimately we could secure
just as good a service.
Senator simmons. If this proviso
is adopted, and YOU should make the
Southern Railway an offer for the ex-
ira service and they should say THAT
is not enough; We will not carry it for