The Washington herald., 1906-12-18
TO DEMAND NAIL REFORMS
House POst-ofice Committee Consid-
ers MurdOek's Charges.
Resents Failure of Post-ofice Of
ficiaIs 10 Give I'm the Past Facts
Which Kansan Brought Out.

Members Of the House Committee on
Post-ofiices and Post Roads are eonsld-
erably exercised by developments grow
ing out Of Representative Victor Muir
docks revelations as 10 the methods used
IN weighing mail in order to determine
The amounts 10 be paid railroads by the
government for transporting il. The
committee IS determined to frame the
forthcoming post-ofice appropriation bill
IN such way as to prevent further
abuses Of the kind discovered bv the
Representative from Kansas and ex-
plotted IN his recent speech. Postmaster
General Cortelyou Is giving the subject
considerable attention. too. and It is ex-
pected that he VIII take some action in
the premises. In accordance with an
order issued by him. officials OF the de-
partmeHt are conducting an investigation
OF the methods shown up by Mr. Muir
dock
Conservative estimates place at 5000
90 the amount which the government.
loses annually through those methods. In
the last thirty-tbree years the total loss
has been about $60c0.090. but the loss
per year is much larger at present than
when the plan now in vogue was first
adopted. Ii d change is brought about
by which the government viii pay for the
transportation Of mail on an honest
basis, and the existing rates are de
creased, in line with the present intention
Of the Post7ofice Committee. it is said the
annual deficit resulting from the opera
lions Of the Post-ofIice Department will
be either wiped out entirely. or reduced
10 such an extent that il will not be
material II this IS done, It Is assumed
that there will be no further pressure
FOR the proposed increase in rates for
the carriage OF periodicals. and news
papers which the joint post-office Com
mltIees OF the House and Senate have
had under consideration.
Members Of the House Post-offlce Com
mittee were not informed about the
scheme by which the government is de-
frauded out Of millions Of dollars by tire
railroads every year until Mr. Murdoch
delivered his speech. He is a member Of
the committee, but did not inform his
colleagues Of the discovery he had made
Numerous Investigations have been made
in the past which should have revealed
the questionable methods IN vogue If Off
Gals Of the Post-office Department had
done their duty, It is alleged. In the
course OF its regular hearings prior TO
the reporting Of post-office appropriation
bills, the committee has had before it
officials who were asked questions which
should have elected answers leading 10
the detection of the imposition shown I'D
by the Kansas Congressman.
IS No -, d.
ter General should order an investiga-
tiOn,' said one member OF the House
committee yesterday. All he has to do
to get the facts in the case is to ask the
Second Assistant Postmaster General.
That official knows, or should know, that
while the mail is weighed for ninety
consecutive days, IN accordance with the
law, the sum TO be paid the railways is
based not on the QuOtient resulting from
the division Of the total weight handled
in ninety days by ninety, but by seventy
IS, by the whole number OF
days in the weighing period less the num-
Der Of Sundays IN that period. In other
words. If the mail carried by any given
railroad in one week Weighed 10000 tons.
the compensation Of the railroad should
be so much per ton per day for 10000
tons, the average weight carried per day
But according to the methods now used,
the 10000 is divided by six, which, of
course, makes the daily average and,
the remuneration OF the
railroad, considerably larger"
The law refers to working days" and
in the beginning of the application Of the
present plan this was construed to mean
week days. Such a construction is wholly
untenable now. 1t is asserted. since in
most cases mails are carried on Sun
days as on other days. and Sundays is.
therefore, just as much Of u working day
as any other.