Daily Arizona silver belt., 1910-01-06
In The Halls of Congress
BY TAv.
Special Washington Correspondence. EVMHT


 The United States government is paying the railroads $4,800,000 annually merely for the rental of the cars used to carry the mails. An additional $4,5O0 is paid for the actual carrying of the mails. The amount paid for the rentals alone in two years would buy the cars outright.
 These are features of the postofice depart ment not taken into consideration by Postmas- ter General Hitchcock in his annual report to explain the $17, 100000 deficit in his depart ment.
 When the postoffice appropriation bill came mp in the senate La Toilette of Wisconsin added to his unpopularity by pointing out the govern ment's extravaganza in the rental of cars.
 "This bill, carrying as it does $4,S00,000 for ,ar rental" declared LaFoette, makes an allowance to the railroad companies of the coun- try for the mere use of the cars $4,229 per car. on the average. While l was member of the house in 1887 Postmaster General Villas had this to say, and l read only briefly from his report
 e It is within bounds to affirm that all these (mail cars then being rented by the govern. ment) might he today purchased or their dupli- oates manufactured for $1 600,000. Yet simply for the use of these ears for the last year, in cluding cleaning, etc, the department was under
 he annual rate of charge by the existing sys- tenn of $1 ,S81 580 In illustration, $59,073 75 is annually paid on one line for the use of four ears that might be built and fully equipped in the best modern style for less than $l7,500 Instead then, of appropriating $200000 to rent the use of these cars for the coming year, why should not the appropriation be of smaller sum to 5uy them and of anotheT-say $250,000- for their keeping, the two together not aggregatine the proposed rent! The department will there after gain at least $1,500,000 per year..
 ct seems to me, said LaFolIette, ''an un- justifable extravaganza to pay an annual rental for these railway ears almost sufficient to enable the government to build and own the ears. These cars are railway postoffices. The government appropriates large sums to erect postoflice buildings, and 1t would be simply logically car rying out the plan of the government owning its own postoffice buildings. Here it can be done at ga enormous saving to the taxpayers of the coun- try.
 If the committees of congress are anxious to reduce this growing deficiency of the postof flee department, here, 1 submit, is pretty good place to begin.
 LaFollette then submitted a resolution that would have required the postmaster general tc make an investigator into the subject and to re port to the next congress. The Badger senator was promptly ruled out of order.
 That the railway companies have been charg | ing the government an exorbitant price fer the hauling of the mails was not discussed in Post master General Hitchcocks report although the fact has long been realized in circles ire auented by men familiar with the postoifce bus mess methods.
 The government is now paying an average ol nine cents a pound to the railways for carrying newspapers and periodicals. President Taft il his annual message places the average distance | of haul of newspapers at 291 miles; of maga Ezines at 1,049, and of miscellaneous periodicals l1128
 The rate of the United States Express com lpany between New York and Chicago 00C miIes-.is $2.50 hundred pounds. And that the express company is making money at this rate is evidenced by the fact that in addition to it's annual dividend of about II per cent