The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-12-08
UNCLE SAM WASTES
ANNUALLY
ON CAR RENTALS
Pays Out $4,s00,00O Each Year for
This Purpose and Railroads Get
Additional s4e,OOO,O00 for
Carrying Mails.
Extravagant Donation of Postal De.
partment Will Be Brought To
Attention of Congress. i
BY OLSON GARDNER.

WASHINGTON, ID. c., Dec. SIN
connection with the efforts TO reduce
the deficit in the postal service, the
unnecessary and excessive rentals
paiC TO the railroads for postal cars
viii receive early congressional atten-
ton
This Is probably the greatest waste
In the postal service. Every two
years the government pays in cars
rentals sum which would buy these
cars outright
This fact has been we'll known
mary years. No less than S4,800.00V
is paid out every year for postal car
rentals. and the railroads draw in adj
dition $4,000 900 for the actual carry
/ ing OF the mails. There Is no doubt
that this enormous sum contributes
the largest items of unwarranted ex-
pense entering into the annual deficit
/ of the postoffice department
/ AS long ago as 1887 Postmaster Gen
eral Villas had this TO say in his re-
! port TO congress:
1T is within bounds to affirm that
all these (mail ears then being rented
! by the government might be today
f! purchased, or their duplicates manu-
| featured. for $1,600,000. Yet, simply
| for the use OF these cars for the last
year. including cleaning, etc, the de-
/ partment was under the annual rate of
charge by the existing system OF ST.
! SS1 $50. In illustration, $59,073.75 10
annually paid on one line for the use
of four cars that might be built and
| fully equipped i'll the best modern
style for less than $l7,500. Instead.
then, of appropriating $2.0OO,O00 TO
rent the use of these cars for the COM
ing year, why should not the appropri-
alton be of a smaller sum TO buy them.
and of another-say $3.50. 000--for their
keeping, the two together not aggre-
eating the proposed rent? The de-
partment will thereafter gain at least
81 100000 per year
During the consideration of the last
postofficee appropriation Dill Senator
LaFollette brought out some impor-
tant facts:
"This bill said he. carrying az
II does $4.S000G0 for car rental. makes
an allowance to the railroads FOR the
mere use of the cars OF S4220 per car.
on the average.
at seems to me an unjustif1able ex-
travagance to pay an annual rentai
/ for those railway mail cars almost sur
| fcient 20 enable the government I'D
build and own the cars. These cars
are railway postoffices. The govern
ment appropriates large sums to erect
postoffice buildings, and it would Do
simply logically carrying out the plan
Of the government owning its own
postoffice buildings. Here 1t can be
done at an enormous saving To the TAX
payers OF the country.
The senator then submitted res
olution RECURRING an investigation ana
report by the acknowledgements I'D
the next congress. He was promptly
ruled out OF order.
The railroads are cyharging an ex-
orbintant rate for hauling the mails
For instance the average distance OF
haul of newspapers Is estimated at
29l miles, for which the railroads
charge an average Of . cents pound.
The first class passenger rare rom
/ New York to Chicago is $500. A 2O0-
pound passenger is thus carried l.
600 miles at rate Of 3 cents pound.
while the railroads are charging the
government 9 cents Tor evry pound
of newspapers hauled POI miles, In
mail bags which require no seats,
aisles, air, light. or other convent
fences.
Postmaster General Hitchcock In his
last annual report. and President TAFT
/ I'm his message TO the last session OF
congress. both went out of their way
! in an endeavor TO show that the post
age rate on magazines and periodicals
is too low, trying in this way To ac-
count for the postal deficiency, and
totally ignoring the exorbitant sums
paid to tn erailroad companies for
the railway mail service