The Washington herald., 1906-12-26
MULCT GOVERNMENT
Railways Which Carry Mails
Are 0yerpaid.
DUE TO ANTIQUATED SYSTEM
Representative Murdoch, of Kansas,
VIII Press Resolution and Bill
After the HOIidays-ExpIains How
Present Method Results in Payment
for Services Not Rendered.

Considerable attention has been attract
ed in Congressional circles by the revela-
tons Of Representative Victor Murdoch.
Of Kansas, with reference to the mulct-
ing Of the government by the railroads
which carry United States mails In the
speech delivered on that subject some
days before Congress adjourned for the
holidays, Mr.. Murdoch showed that the
amounts paid the railroads is enormously
larger than it should be. as a result Of
the present system Of ascertaining the
In a resolution offered just before ad-
jOuTnment, he called on Postmaster Gen
eral Cortelyou for information as to why
present conditions are allowed 10 exist,
and this viii be pressed when the law
makers get together next week The
periodical weighing Of the mails viii COM
mence February in several Middle West
ern States. and Mr.. Murdoch and those
who are supporting him are anxious 10
secure action before that time
In a statement showing the manner in
which the railways are overpaid, AIr. Muir
dock points out that on the New York
Buffalo route. over the New York Cen
trial. the amount paid by the government
Is $500 year more than It should be-
Daily Excess, $4,000 Pounds.
Another route on which similar condi-
tons prevail Is that between New York
and Philadelphia The average daily
weight Of the mails on this route is given
in the report Of the Post-ofice Depart
ment for 1905 a z9S,S74 pounds" said Mr.
Murdoch Apparently it was not that:
ii was. in all probability, $4,000 pounds;
that is 66,000 pounds less. The annual
rate Of compensation is given at S491. 600
and it should have been $4,000, OF $54.-
coo less.
The average daily weight Of the mail
on Route llo00l. on the Pennsylvania. from
Philadelphia TO Pittsburg. is given at
362.e9 pounds. II was probably. in fact.
$4,000 pounds, and the annual rate Of com
pensation is given at $4,000. That should
have been a.z2S,@00 or SIS. 900 less.
IF this IS an oyerpaymeut on these
three routes, the figures would reach
$1,000
The basis If most Of our enormous
outlay for the railway carriage Of mall
S45,001.099 this year" Mr. Murdoch said.
lis the average daily weight Anticipated
and faulty as the system of pay is. If We
are 20 retain il. the basis Of that pay
the average daily weight-ought TO be a
true and not "a false average. That the
average is mathematically false believe,
and an accountant would show that this
government in the last ten years has paid
something in the region of 100000 for
the carriage of the mails more than It
would have paid on true average. II
HE average is correct, the system Of
pay is stiil antiquated and inequltable.
and should be changed
Sundays Are Excepted.
In explaining how. according TO his in
formation a false average IS struck. Mr..
Murdoch said that the mails for a Ger
tain territory are weighed for lC5 days.
Sundays and all. and this is all totaled
Then TO secure the average daily
weight" said he. the total is not divided
by l05, but by 80 days; that is. the
Sundays are excluded. Reducing the
system TO the basis Of a week. seven days
weighing are aggregated, and the result
is divided by six. This increases the aver
age, Of course. As nearly all the heavy
averages come from routes which have
Sunday mails, the loss 10 the government
is enormous
Mr.. Murdoch asserted that this system
has continued, apparently, for years. The
department, he explained, has a warrant
for IL in an opinion given by an Attorney
General in 1854
Mr. Murdoch is the author Of a bill to
reduce the rate of pay Of the railroads
for transporting the mails He believes
that if the system of weighing was re-
vised and his schedule OF pay adopted
the saving to the government would be
enormous
If postal-car pay, over and above pay
for weight is to remain a part of the sys-
TEN OF pay, MIR. Murdoch says the present
schedule of pay for space and hauiage
should be revised.
The present pay for space and haulage
Is based on the following ratio.
Length o. Cars Per Daily Line.