The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1906-11-15
INFERIOR MAIL SERVICE
Brings Forth Numerous Protests from
All Parts Of the South-Ra!i.
reads Are Put on Notice.

A Washington special says: AS the
resul: of numerous complaints Of de-
layed mail from the superintendents
Of the southern divisions, the post
Office department has taken the mat
i ter I'D for investigation with view
to taking immediate steps toward
remedyius the situation.
These complaints, coming in from
all parts of the south, are more num-
erous than they have ever been be-
fore. Delays of mail trains are not
only getting more and more fire.
quent, but tEey are longer, resulting
in more often missing connections.
The letters and reports which have
reached the department within the
last few weeks have opened the eyes
Of the ofRcials to conditions which
hey hardly dreamed could exist
AS a result the postofice depart
ment las taken hold of the matter
and put the railroads formally on no
tice that compliance with the mail
contracts will be exacted.
To meet these very conditions the
postofIice department issued a: formal
order on August last, and it is this
order which the railroads are now
put on notice will be enforced. The
order is as follows:
"Ofice of the Postmaster General,
Washington, D. c., August 5, 1906
Order No. 1131 The act making ap-
preparations for the postal service
for the fiscal year ending June &C.,
1907, provides:
"'That the postmaster general
shall require all railroads carry
Ing the mails under contract to
comply with the terms Of said
contract, as to time of arrival
and departure Of said mails, and
it shall be his duty to impose
and collect reasonable fines for
delay, when such delay is not
caused by unavoidable accidents
o. conditions
1T is therefore ordered, that every
railroad company operating q route
over which mails are carried shall,
on the regular affidavit covering fail
ures to submit promptly at the end
of each quarter to the respective di-
vision superintendent, railway mail
service, show in addition to and sep
arate from such mail train failures,
the number of minutes late of each
arrival lnot time of arrivaD of every
train carrying mail which has reach
ed the terminus of said route, the
terminus Of such trains run, or any
intermediate point designated by the
postmaster general and CT which the
company shall have notice, thirty or
more minutes late as many as ten
times during the quarter, the ex-
tena, cause in detail, and place of
each delay being given.
This order supersedes that of Oc-
tober 2, 1905.
."N. S. SFLALLENBERGER,
acting Postmaster General"
Must Make conneeticns.
As is well known, the government
is now paying the Southern railway
and connecting lines an annual sub
sidy of Sl95,OOe for carrying the mail
on fast schedule from New York to
New Orleans.
The postmaster general holds that
this train is intended not only to
carry the mail directly along the
line, but it is for connections as
we'll, and the department. proposes
to see to it that these connections are
made.
The department proposes to see
10 it that other lines shall deliver
the mail promptly and make their
connections as called for in their con-
tracts, or suffer the penalty.
The protest has become SO vigorous
that the department finds itself fore
ed to take stringent measures to rem.
edy the evil, and it proposes to do So:
Attention IS further called to the
fact that The department will make
heavy fine of the railroad companies
for each mail train that reaches the
terminus Of the route, the terminus
of It's run, or any intermediate point
designated by the postmaster general,
thirty or more minutes late as many
as ten times in quarter without sat.
isfactory excuse.