The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-12-01

mails, and whether they are making
the enormous profits that have beer
more than limited at i'm congress and
elsewhere
Magnitude Of the Work.
The magnitude of the work in hand
may be known when il is said that
large part of the clerical force of the
service i'm engaged i'm it. The returns
which the railroads make to the inter-
state commerce commission are under
study and to these have been added
reports directly from the railroads TO
the department. More, than this, the
entire inspectors force of the depart
ment is lending its aid to enable the
officials to get figures which they can
be sure are right.
The country has been divided into
zones and each one is considered sep
arately. IL is more costly to carry
the mail i'm some places than it is i'm
others and all this has to be taken into
consideration. Before the department
gets through with it's work ii will
know what part of the expense of OPP
Grating the railroads falls to the pas
senger service what part to freight
service, what part to express service
and what part to the mail service.
Trains are being considered separ-
ately. The number of cars on a train
is noted with a separation of those
given over to passenger, baggage, ex-
press and mail service purposes. The
space in the cars which is used by the
postoffice department is computed and
its relation is gagged to the space Civ
en- over to other carrying purposes.
Will II Eliminate Deficit?
Some of the men engaged i'm this in
vestigation in the department are
working long hours. Admittedly. the
problem To be solved is as hard
thing as ever came out of analytical
geometry. The work is pretty well
advanced but absolute accuracy is
necessary and Is insisted upon. The
department does not intend to permit
any mistakes. II has been charged in
congress and i'm the press frequently
that the railroads were making too
much money out of their contracts
for carrying the mails. There have
been frequent attempts in the past TO
find just how much it did cost, but
there was lack of proper information,
and IL was found to be almost impos-
sible to drag from their hiding places
the facts which were necessary to
bring results.
Today the postoffice department is
at the work in earnest. 1t may be it
will find the railroads have not been
overpaid for the carrying service and
it may be also that the profit is so
great that the carriers must be forced
to share all but "a reasonable part of
it, with the people.
The actual labor of getting ut the
facts In this case is under the direction
of Second Assistant Postmaster Cen
eral Joseph Stewart, who, IL is said.
did not need to be told to put both his
heart and his head into the work. The
passage Of laws i'm the last four or
five years which give easier access TO
the records of corporations has made
1t somewhat easier than II was in the
rast for the department to get at facts
which are of service in his work.
II the present investigation shows
that the government can be saved
money on its mail-carrying contracts, |
II VIII be saved II the reports of the |
department officials have any weight. |
1t is not Mt all likely. however. that one
cent postage will come as result of |
the saving, IL saving there be. but Il |
Will be something IL the department
deficit can be decreased few more |
millions, and it will be something more
II 1t can be decreased to the vanishing
mint