The Irish standard., 1910-01-08
The Railroads are Paid a
Large Stipend
For Carrying u. S. Mail in
Well Equipped Cars.
They Receive Annually
About Fifty Million Dollars.
Especial to the Irish standard.)


the rental of the cars used to carry the
mails. An additional 100000 is paid
for the actual carrying of the mails.
The amount paid for the rentals alone
in two years would buy the cars out
right.
These are features of the postoffice
department not taken into considera-
ton by Postmaster-General Hitchcock
in his annual report to explain the
$17,5o0.00O deficit in his department.
When the postofice appropriation
bill came up in the senate, La Toilette
OF Wisconsin added to his unpopularity
by pointing out the governments ex-
travasanee in the rental of cars.
This bill, carrying as it does $4,-
100000 for car rental" declared La
Toilette, makes an allowance to the
railroad companies of the country for
the mere use of the cars $4,229 per car,
on the average. While was a mem
Der Of the House in 1887, Postmaster
General Villas had this to say, and l
read only briefly from his report:
1t is within bounds to affirm that
all these (mail cars then being rented
by the government) might be today
purchased, or their duplicates manu-
featured, for s1,Soo,oOo. Yet simply for
the use Of these cars for the last year,
including cleaning, etc, the depart
charge by the existing system of ST.
Ss1,58O. In illustration, $59,O73.75 is an
nually paid on one line for the use of
four cars that might be built and fully
equipped in the best modern style for
less than $4,000. Instead, then, Of
u,appropriating 100000 to rent the use
saof these cars for the coming year, why
alashould not the appropriation be of
sasmaller sum to buy them, and Of an
IL pther-say s25o,0O0-for their keeping,
1.-The two together not aggregating the
proposed rent? The department will
SAthereafter gain at least $500, 900 per
year
I'M 1t seems to me-" said La Toilette,
an unjustifiable extravaganza to pay
annual rental for these railway mail
Abcars almost sufficient to enable the
sagovernment to build and own the cars
stThese cars are railway postoffices. The
government appropriates large sums to
!. erect postoffice buildings. and it would
be simply logically carrying out the
plan of the government owning its own
postoffice buildings. Here it can be
done at an enormous saving to the tax
payers of the country.
IF the committees of Congress are
anxious to reduce this growing de-
f1ciency of the postof11ce department,
here. I submit. is pretty good place
to begin"
& La Toilette then submitted resolu-
ton that would have required the post
1nastersgeneral to make an investiga-
tion into the subject, and to report to
the next Congress. The Badger sena-
tor was promptly ruled out Of order.
That the railway companies have
been charging the government an ex-
orbitant price for the hauling of the
malls was not discussed in Postmaster
General Hitchcocks report, although
the fact has long been realized in cir
cles frequented by men familiar with
the postoff1ce business methods.
The government is now paying an
average of nine cents a pound to the
railways for carrying newspapers and
periodicals. President Taft, in his an
nual message, places the average dist
\ ance, Of haul of newspapers at POI
miles; Of magazines. at 1,049, and of
miscellaneous periodicals, 1,12s.
The rate Of the United States FIX
# press company between Now York and
Chicago-1,0O0 miles-is $3.50 hun
dred pounds. And that the express
company is making money at this rate,
is evidenced by the fact that in addition
N to it's annual dividend of about IL per
Il cent, the express company recently is
il sued an extra dividend Of 800 per cent.
The f1rst-class passenger fare from
u New York to Chicago is SIS. A 200
U pound passenger is thus carried 1000
miles at rate of 9 cents a pound,
while the railroads are charging the
government cents a pound for haul
ing newspapers 291 miles, and mail
bags do not have seats, asles and 9TH
er cQnveniences of air, light and space.
~ postal fact not generally known
Al as yet is that foreigners can use our
malls at lower rate than Americans.
ION March last President Taft con-
firmed postal conventions with Italy,
Germany, and Austria, under which
the people Of those countries are en-
abled to send merchandise to the
" United States at these rates:
Sss al From Italy. II pounds for 70 cents.
From Germany, IL pounds for 81
ne rants ~