The San Francisco call., 1908-12-04
LESS FOR RAILWAYS
IN HANDLING MAILS
Report of Second Assistant
Postmaster General Stewart
Shows Saving
Branch of Service Carries zl,-
650,S49,745 Pieces, Exclud-
ing Registered Matter

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3.-Exclusive Of
registered matter, the railway mail
service during the last fiscal year hand
led 21.65O,S49,145 pieces of mail matter,
according to the annual report of Sec
ond Assistant Postmaster General
Stewart. Because of practically illeg-
ible addresses 1855, 361 pieces required
special attention, with the result that
1S,9SS,626 were returned to senders or
corrected and forwarded.
new division of the railway mail
service, embracing the states of Ore
gon, Washington and Idaho and the
territory of Alaska, is recommended.
Favorable consideration of congress
is asked to recommendation that pos
tai clerks be allowed travelling ex-
penses while away from their homes,
and also that postal clerks who have
become unfit for active sercice by rea-
son of advanced age or physical dis
ability incurred in the line of duty be
retired with suitable pay.
SAVING IN SOUTH
For the transportation of all classes
of mail matter the department during
the year expended $Si,l57,72O. A con-
siderable saving was effected in con-
nection with the weighing of mails in
the southern states. In consequence of
the use of the new divisor the railroads
received S437,730 less than would have
been paid under the old system. Alto
gether the new system of weighing has
resulted so far in net saving of ST.
229, ,108 per annum. Because of the
equalization of the rates of pay to
transportation companies, the report
states, more equitable basis of COM
pensation has been reached, with re-
suits mutually satisfactory to carrier
and. the department.
Still further economies are recorded.
A review of the railway post Office car
service resulted in the readjustment
of the car space on a number of routes,
thereby effecting a saving of S272,040
during the year.
So called half lines of railway post
Office cars-that is, where the postal
needs in one direction warranted the
authorization, but in the opposite direc-
tion did not-are dealt with at length.
Numerous protests arose over the ac-
tion of the department reducing certain
lines to half lines, and these led to the
appointment of a commission to inves-
tigate the whole subject. The post
master general approved their recon-
mendation that full pay be allowed for
a line of 40 foot cars in all cases where
a 40 foot car must be run and returned.
SERVICE IN ALASKA
The report calls attention to the fact
that provision has been made to trans
port additional weights of mails from
Valdez to Fairbanks, Alaska, in the
four midwinter months, so to allow
IS, 900 pounds increase. The weights
on other main lines in Alaska also have
been augmented.
Efforts of the department to establish
semiweekly sailings between New York
and Porto Rico, it is stated, failed, the
steamship companies refusing to make
any changes in their practice of hav-
ing sailings only on Saturdays.
During the year additional parcel
post conventions were negotiated with
the Netherlands, Uruguay, Italy, France
and Austria, and the parcel post rate
of 20 cents a pound to Bolivia, Chile,
Ecuador and Peru was reduced to 12
cents pound.