The Washington herald., 1907-08-19
McCleary Induces German
Lines to Continue.
FRANCE AND GERMANY AGREE
secOnfs Assistant Postmaster General
AccOmpIishes His Mission Abroad.
Steamship Companies Threatened
10 Disrupt system of Sorting Mails
While on Ocean-Pay Insufficient.

/ McCleary. taken at the instigation Of the
! Postmaster General. the German steam
ship lines have reconsidered their pro-
posal 10 refuse 10 continue the ocean post
service on their ships. and an agreement
/ has been made with France which will
result IN the Installation of such service
! on the French lines.
Mr. McCleary, who returned to Wash
| ington yesterday after flying trip to
England Germany, and France. feels
/ highly elated with the success of his trip.
and believes there Is no question but that
/ the proposals he made will be ratified by
me postmasters general in America,
| France, and Germany.
Some time since the German govern
ment notified Washington that the Ger
man steamship lines, the Norta German
Lloyd and Hamburg American, bad told
/ the Berlin authorities that the service
would be discontinued. The reason given
was that the recompense, based on the
amount Of mails handled at the installa-
/ ton of the service is now inadequate
At the time the service was inaugurated.
not much room was required, either for
sorting or storing. and the recompense
was based on the amount Of matter han
died.
1Iueh Room Required.
As the post service has grown con
/ tinually since first started. much room
is now required-one large room for sort
ing, storage rooms for the sacked mail
and rooms for the ocean post-ofice clerks.
Under the original contracts, IS was spec
lted that the steamship companies could.
/ by giving six months notice terminate
the service. It was when the TWO German
lines served this notice on the German
/ government that Postmaster General
Myer decided 10 send Mr.. McCleary
+ abroad 10 take the matter up.
The ocean post service has been han
died by the two German lines, and by the
American and White Star lines. between
this country .and England. The service
costs about $1,000 a year for each line,
and the work is done under an appropria-
tion OF SIz5,09a. some $500 OF which is
i now being used, S40,c00 going 10 the steam
ship companies and the balance TO the
employees and for incidental expense.
VIII Pay More in Future.
For this reason Mr.. AIcCIeary was en-
abled 70 promise the companies that the
/ Irecompense from the government would
! be made more equitable and at the same
/ time the facilities for the handling Of the
mails will be improved.
From Berlin, after getting a rough
+ draft Of the new agreement framed up
Mr.. McCleary went TO Paris. where he
/ took up the matter Of a similar service
with that country. by way of the French
lines.
This has heretofore been considered an
/ lmpossibility, Or the reason that the
/ French government has refused To con-
slider the proposition seriously. Mr. Nc
/ Cleary, however. succeeded in getting a
/ long conference with the proper officials.
/ and he says that he found there were no
points upon which an agreement could
not be reached
| He spent his time up TO the last minute
/ going over the details Of the plans, and
/ "a draft Of this agreement viii be for
warded 90 Washington. and ar Nc
/ Cleary viii embody his ideas. also. into
! a tentative agreement, and forward Il 10
Paris.
Cunards Ask Too Much.
/ in regard 10 the proposition TO have the
/ Cunard Line enter into a contract for
this service, Mr.. McCleary also had a
number OF conferences. but at this time,
I he says, II VIII be Impossible for the gov
| eminent 10 reach an agreement with the
/ company for the reason that it asks
more than the department can afford
to pay under the present appropriation,
and further. he says that If the govern
ment meets the figure demanded by the
F.. company. il wOuld become necessary TO
/ increase the appropriation for other lines
As the service, however has grown
/ enormously in the past few years, and
as it has been practically in the nature
of an experiment il is believed Congress
VIII see the necessity for increasing the
| appropriation, and it is considered but a
/ question Of time until the Cunarders viii
/ have sea pcst-Otiices.
Garry Only sacked Mail.
At present, this line, as well as the
French and Holland-America lines, carry
sacked mail, and as this amounts to be-
tween 1000 and 5000 sacks each trip. Mr..
McC! airy calls attention to the delays
in getting the enormous mail distributed
after it lands. on the lines that handle
the ocean post service, the distributing
clerks work day and night. and by the
time the boats reach New York, the mail
is distributed down even to the thirty
four post-oftice stations in that city.
In addition. Washington, Pittsburg.
/ Chicago. st. Paul. and St Lsuis mail is
all distributed, sacked. and ready to be
rushed 10 its destination All mail for the
/ Northwest goes Immediately to ST. Paul:
that for the Southwest 10 S.. Louis. while
/ Washington gets special distribution.
r. P. 0. Clerks Next.
After the ocean clerks have sorted the
mail that far, it IS taken up again by the
railway mail clerks as It speeds away
from the cities named, so that not a
minute is lost
On the other hand. where the mail IS
carried only in bulk, it is all distributed
in New York, and although a liner may
arrive in the morning. New York business
men are compelled 10 wait until the next
day before receiving their foreign mail
For this reason, there is a great de-
mand that the service be extended. and
/ it is considered probable that after an
other year a contract viii have been
made with the Cunard and possibly an
| other company.
THREE SEALS OFF THEIR BEAT.