The Washington herald., 1907-03-07
ROADS TO RETALIATE
New Nail Regulations Arouse
Strong Protests.
MAY CURTAIL THEIR SERVICE
Railways Notify POst-Ofiiee Depart
ment They Cannot Meet Latest
Postmaster General COrtelyOu's
Order Creates CONSERVATION,

The transportation worm has turned.
The railroad managers have threatened
reprisals on the government for what
they auege TO be oppressive Executive
orders and legislation. The source OF
complaint is not so much against the rail
road-rate law as against the limitations
put upon the contracts for carrying the
mails and the penalties and forfeiturcs
imposed for Irregularities.
The chief source Of complaint Is against
the legislation IN last years post-ofice
appropriation bill authorizing a reduction
IN the mail pay Of the roads that fail to
keep TO their time schedules in the ar
rival and departure Of the mails. This
law has recently been put into perfect
operation. The result has been that there
is hardly o railroad in the country that
has not forfeited something from its
stipulated contract price for carrying the
mails under the law during the current
quarter.
In some cases the f0rfeiturcs fall very
heavily and render the contracts un-
profitable. Added to these Inconvenience,
the present Congress reduced the COM
pensatIon for carrying the rhails about
100000 on the railway post-office car
item and lowered the compensation on
other contracts about 10000.
HIT by New Order.
Right on the heels Of the Congress ad-
Cournment. when the railroad managers
were congratulating themselves on the
fact that the Ia Folette-Murdock amend
ment changing the divisor TO be used
from 10 : in asccrtaining the weight Of
mails during the mail-weighing season
had been knocked out by Congress, they
were startled by the announcement that
Mr. CortelyOu. the then Postmaster Gen
eral, had issued an order applying the
new divisor as proposed by the rejected
legislation, and the effect OF the order
will still further reduce the compensation
| for carrying mails about Il per cent from
the present prices.
il would have been better for the roads
II tho proposed legislation passed. for IL
would not have gone into effect until
the beginning Of the new fiscal year.
July J. As IL is, the order Of the POST
master General applies the new divisor 90
the weighing Of malls at once. The mail
weighing season Is now on In the district
which comprises the states OF Wisconsin,
Michigan. Indiana Ohio, Illinois. Mis-
souri,. Minnesota. and Iowa. The aggre-
gate weights when ascertained at the
close Of the season in that district early
IN June. will be- subjected TO the new
diVlsOr-
Must Reduce service.
The railroad managers have told Post
Office Department officers that they can
not meet the new limitations put upon
them without changing their schedules
to give slower and less frequent train
service
They insist that this policy is not re-
prisal but a matter Of business necessity.
II is asserted by the transportation agents
that a general reorganization OF schedules
and the dropping Of many trains. espec-
tally I'm the sunday traffic. Will follow
inevitably.
The railroad men say that if the people
complain Of poorer accommodations they
may put The blame on the legislators and
the POst-ofiice Department. The postal
officials are somewhat concerned over
this threat