The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-12-11
OtR EtRIy van SgRtUE.
- wurh n aIOD an Hour Paid foe asrS'
ting the Pres,sfrut's Message

time pretty expensive aTNAtle '" Wv
. country In 1899. for instance, the post
master AT Philadelphia was mide tbs
agent Tor IT, forwarding and WAS IN
: >trlcted to have It sent from PhllId"lph.d
; to New York IN five hours for sj'S
la D-c"mt"-. 1859. a contract "a'
arranged between TIA. Post Office Depart
n.'HI and the Franklin railroad Conpany
Ia carry tn" mails from thamh"rshurg
Pa, L. liag-r-t"wu. Md. there and back
al o. speed not les than seven miles al
hour and Tor the compensation III SJ'
per annum
About this time u controversy AROSE
between tn. Department and the railroad
c"mpInI''> nn Ia" question of comp-rs'i
lion and. according to th" RditrOdd
I'm piOyc" the Postmaster General h-'
cane. ~o di>-lII~ fled with the terms offered
=. 10y TIA" railroad companies that h" SAID
Let IT, Y" hlcl, to the stag. coach.
However. agreement was finally made
IL pay the New Jersey Railroad C"rnpnny
rh- present P-nu-ylvania Railroad tom
panyI to carry the mails from New York
along their lines siOn "a mile per annum
for on. mail aud $500 a mile per annum
for We mails daily ';l-t and west.
Though this rat. was higher than tina
paid tn other roads tn. Postmaster
General, despite his declaration. seems Ia
have accepted 1t. inasmuch a. he laid
stress on the fact that -th. great mail ~
between New York and Washington and
| VICE versa
I About Is,D the Postmaster General
makes mention in his report that tn"
: mail from New Work Ia Washington is
detained six hours in Philadelphia. and
Ia oy.rCpm. this h. issued AN order 10
paw the railroad company $3iS per mile.
ma Ni'num rate. to facilitate delivery Of
he. mail The railroad company declined
this Offer To satisfy himself ~ to what
"A reasonabl. rate. should bs for th. trans
portation Of the mail. the Postmaster
General sent a special agent Of the Depart
rnent Ia Europe to investigate the whole
subject Of the cost Of transportation Of
the mails in England
On the return of this spscial agent from
Europe he mad. many Recommendations.
bat there does not appear so b. any men
ton made a. tn what he had Ia say in
reference "a tn. compensation 10 b. paid
the railroads for this class of service
He did. however. bring out the fact that
In England AN ingenious machine was
attached to the mail cars intended to
catch and drop tn. mail at the same time
ut places where the train would not other
wise he Obliged TO stop lie goes on Ia
say: Il hay. seen this successfully done
al high speed Of thirty miles an hour
In our day we do this same thing at sixty
miles an hour.
The question 81 compensation 10 b-
paid for CARRYING tho mails becafn. "a
heated one and long drawn out IL ex-
l..i 4, ,,,i.yht h., said from tbs. Yifnn
the mails were first carried on the rail ,
roads until 1873. when IL was finally settled ,
Legislation WAS passed in thar year. and !
the basis Of paw established between tn"
Post Office Department and the railroad /
companies was but a slight modification /
Of what obtains today: but nrior To this I
the question became bitter that IN"
Postmaster General in 1852 made RECON-
mendation to Congress adv coating the
purchase of perpetual rights To- control .
the business Of the railroad companies
Tn" sans. year another report Of Sh.
Postmaster General stated hat th. Coun-
try was 10 be- congratulated upon tn"
regularity Of the service considering
III" vast machinery OF the Pos; Office. H. ,
detail and minute Application and IN" |
character of the roads over which the ,
mails are transported at AN Immense.
expense Then the mail was transported !
over 5000 miles of railway at cost II
little NOR. than siDo 9pI: to-day III.
mails mr.. carried over 2l7li5 miles OF
railway and the whole cost, emitting the
salaries paid employees of the railway
mail service. amounts to So .usl0p
Thus il il obvious that though tn" ton
mage Of 1872 il not Cpmparabl" with that
of to-day liknwi-. tn" mileage. th.. rate
Is far less 20 rh" Department than II was
IN IN. period referred 10
In 1873 the 'maSt-r-G General stated
that h" noticed u great d"c,in" IN the
revenu" Of the Department. and in look
ing for the reasons and CaliS'- Of this
falling Of IN r,.v'nt" II Wis found that
numerous priVarr cypress companies
had come. into existence. extending rhsrn-
selves over IN" railroads h.'rw""n m.
important cities and towns AT which
ih" railroad companies pass and t"rIni-
n.~"
These privat" express companies en-
gagged in tn" transportation " letters
and mail matters for pay. and the Post
went on 10 say. They
suck IN" very III" out Of the "N"hr lrer
max ing self support impossible PROSE-
Cutlon waS made against all tn" Offend
ara. hut in the test case against III" Adams
Company. now tho Adams Express Com
pany tn. defendants WEIR. nC.uIirt ed
The statutes to-day I"rInit express com
pani"- Tn carry any claS- II matter which
Is CARRIED in IN. mails. excepting s..ll"i
letters and communications known -
first class matter.