Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-12-29

only obsolete. but negotiable, is con- viction arrived at by impartial in vestigators.
 l The average daily weight of mail carried by q given railroad is found by weighing the mail for ninety sue ccssive working days. As mat ter of fact, the mail is weighed for 1O5 successive days. including Sun days. but instead of reaching the av- | craze by dividing the total weight by 105, it is reached by dividing the to- tai weight by 90, the number of what | the law terms working" days. Nat urally, such division increased the average daily weight, on which the payments by the government are based.
 The subject has been considered by every postmaster general for quar- ter of a century and opinions nave been obtained from several attorney | generals of the United States as to the legality of the methods pursued by the postoffice department. In ev- cry instance, the present method has been sustained by these opinions. Congress never has seen fit to change the law and, consequently. every postmaster general has followed the methods of his predecessors Tn the mail weighing and payments.
 Recently, Representative Murdock, of Kansas, member of the postoffice and postroad committees, delivered a speech in the house, in which he as- carfoJ that tho onyaru,nopf annuallv were paying more money to the rail- roads for carrying the mails than they were entitled to. In fact, Le said that in the past twenty years S4O,OOO,OOO in excess of rightful charge had been paid to the railroads.
 The subject has been discussed pretty fully since the delivery of Mir Murdock's speech, both among meni- bers of congress and in the newspa- pers. In congress tentative, al- though informal, decision has been reached to change the wording of the law so that. after the act becomes ef- fective, the railroads will be paid not for an average daily weight of mail struck in any sense at random. but for an exact average. found by diyid- ing the total weight for q period of six months. for instance. by the to- tai number of days. including Sun days. on which the mail is weighed. This. it Is contended. will be fair alike to the railroads and to the govcrn- ment. Of course. it will reduce the railway mail pay of some of the rail- roads, but it is maintained they ear- not complain reasonably. because they will receive full pay for the scf- vice they render. :.
 The agitation of the question os railway mail pay has induced the postoffice department to take up the subject again. In fact. it had been under consideration by Postmastet General Cortelyou before MT Murdock delivered his speech. He called for n report on the question from Second Assistant Postmaster General Shal- lcpberger some time ago and now has it under consideration.
 Ii has been discovered ny inqu'ries that a few of the big railroad sys- tens. like the Pennsylvania and tho New York Central. are carrying the great bulk of the mail west of New York ani east of Chicago. while oth- CT important lines apparently hay. been discriminated against. Why this discrimination has been shown will he made subject of inquiry .g the department and. very likely. by congress. It is intimated that some interesting facts may be developed.