Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1909-12-17
THE POSTOFFTCE DEFICIT, THE
RAILROADS AND THE POLL
TICIAKS

In that portion Of the message dealing
with the deficit in the Postoffice Depart
ment President Taft made an astonishing
statement. He said that the average cost
Of transporting second-class mail matter
is 8 cents pound The second-class mat
ter is composed Of newspapers, magazines
and miscellaneous periodicals. The aver
age distance over which newspapers are
delivered TO their customers, according to
the Presidents figures, is 291 miles. The
average haul Of magazines is 1,049 miles,
and Of miscellaneous periodicals is Lips
miles. This second-class matter comprises
nearly "a per cent. of all the mail carried.
and it yields only 5.19 per cent. Of the rev.
enues. That is to say, the Government
pays cents a pound to the railroads for
carrying this matter, or nearly that amount,
and receives only cent pound. This,
the President says. amounts to an enor-
nous subsidy paid by the Government to
the newspapers and periodicals..
Does it not rather amount to an enor-
nous subsidy paid by the Government to
the railroads Would it not be well for the
President to order an investigation of the
reasons why this enormous price is paid to
the railroads for this service He should
lose no time in calling his Postmaster
General into consultation, and he might
well invite to the conference the railroad
representatives in both houses of Congress.
as well as Mr.. Cannon and Mr.. Aldrich,
who may be said to constitute or embOdy
the two houses, and who probably know
some of the reasons why this enormous
subsidy is paid to the railroads. Nine
cents pound is $50 short ton. To pay
that for carrying bags filled with newspa-
pers less than 800 miles is simply rob
berry OF the Treasury. The average rate
for the transportation Of first-class freight
on the trunk lines is less than cents per
ton per mile. This would amount to So
for carrying ton 800 miles, and the Gov
eminent pays $50 upon the whole second
class matter, the average distance trans
ported being probably less than 700 miles
The ordinary rate on this, if the railroads
got as much as two cents mile, would be
$l4. instead Of $50. The express com
panies would probably gladly take the con-
tract Of carrying this mail for one-fourth of
the sum the Government pays and then
make money out of it.
Who represents the railroads in Con-
gress? What powerful influence gets all
this money from the taxpayers to 90 to the
railroads There should be an investiea-
ton
sMr. Taft says in his message that the
deficit in the Postoffice Department was
caused by the loss in carrying second-class
matter and in the rural delivery.
The other day Speaker Cannon made an
after-dinner speech in Kansas City in
which he attacked members of his own
party. On Tuesday Mr.. Hale, in the Sen
ate, asked for an order to have that speech
printed as public document 1t will not
only be printed at the public expense, but
perhaps wagon loads of copies of it will be
carried free through the mails as a parti-
san document Does it cost nothing to
transport that speech2 Does it cost moth
ing to transport the carloads of public
documents and campaign speeches which
are sent by the million through the mails
free? Why does not the transportation OF
these things free help to make the deficit
as well as the transportation of second
class matter at price which would be
profitable if there was honest and fail
dealingY 1t is, indeed strange that this
matter escaped the attention of the Presi-
dent.