El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-01-11
MANY POSTAL
CLERKS ARE
KILLED
Fourteen Meet Death and
1876 Injured On Duty In
Wrecks In Past Year.
COST TO HANDLE
MAIL rs HEAVY


| killed or injured or in which mail mat
| ter was lost or damaged; 13 clerks, one
| substitute and one mail weigher were
| killed, SO seriously injured and 403 slight
| ly injured; the number Of fatal accidents
is large; and the number of others is
smaller this year than last" This from
the report of second assistant postmas
ter general Joseph Stewart, shows the
dangerousness of the life OF the men
who sort mail on the trains.
Recommendations are made that rail-
annual leave and 60 days sick leave;
that railway postal clerks be retired by
the government when physically inca
pacitated; and that railway postal
clerk injured in the line of duty be
granted leave, not exceeding II addi-
tional months with pay at so percent Of
his regular salary.
Transportation Cost.
Transportation of the mails by rail-
ways, steamship lines and various star
routes cost the government, during the
fiscal year ended June 80, 1909, $751;
493,762
These are the figures also given in
the annual report OF Mr. Stewart. The
number Of railroad routes employed by
the department was 1916, aggregating
217,115 miles. The total expense of the
railway Service for the year was 49,
051,54S. For the fiscal year of 1911 it is
estimated that the expenditures for rail-
road transportation will be S46.620, 900.
The result of the readjustment of pay
for railroad transportation, effective
July 1, 1909, for the ensuing four years
based upon the weighing of the mails,
shows a decrease of $494,360.31. or sos
percent; and for railway postoffice car
pay decrease of S3,195-97, or 0.29 per-
cent.
street Car "Holdupso
1t has developed that electric street
railway companies in some Cities de-
mand extortionate rates for carrying the
mails. Concerning this situation, Mr..
Stewart says:
In view OF the demands made by
electric car companies for higher rates
for service in the large cities it is found
desirable, ia some cases. to substitute
motor wagon service for the electric car
service"
AS the appropriation made by con-
gress for railway mail service cannot
be used for motor wagon service, ii is
recommended that 100000 be appropri-
ated for the motor wagon service. 1t is
shown by the report that automobiles are
displacieng, to an extent, not only the
street cars, but horse drawn vehicles as
means for the transportation OF mails
in cities.
Foreign Mail Cost.
The total expense of the foreign mail
service for the year was S2,734,66 The
rates payable to the steamship COM
panies for the sea conveyance of letter
mails were so cents a pound to Amer Z.
lean steamers and four francs a kilo-
gram to foreign steamers. During the
year 355,S5s,2S3 pieces of mail were
sent from the United States to foreign
and ON 900 29O niocec mora
ceived. The amount collected by this
country in postage On mails sent abroad
was sS,627, O95.
In a general discussion Of the foreign
mail situation, Mr.. Stewart says:
Under existing provisions Of lazy the
department is unable to secure contracts
for the transportation of our foreign
mails in American steamships to the
ports of Brazil and Argentina and those
of the Orient and Australasia. Over 20
percent of the vessels carrying our mails /
TO the Orient fly foreign flags, and not |
a single one carrying them to Austria |
lasia and South America, except to the |
north coast, flies the American flag. The |
department has no control over vessels |
performing service to these countries |
and therefore can not prescribe sched |
ules.
South American Mail
Our shipping to South America has |
been placed at a marked disadvantage |
by the building of fast modern steam |
ships for service between European |
countries and Brazil and Argentina I'M |
der the stimulus of government aid. The /
service from Rio de Janeiro is made in |
Italian, English, French and German |
ships to their respective ports in from II /
TO Is days. while the time of the trip |
from New York to Rio de Janeiro in the /
fastest vessels carrying our trade is |
Is IL days, and other vessels require as i
much as % days.
These countries are of great COM
nercial Importance to our own. Trade |
immense proportions under encouraging
conditions. The foreign trade of South
America amounts to 100000, 900, and
S increasing at the rate of 800, 900, 900
year.
The passage of an act to authorize
he postmaster general TO pay for ocean
mail service in vessels Of the second
lass on routes TO South America, the
Japan, China, and Austria
asia. 1000 miles or more in length. out
ward voyage, at a rate per miles not ex-
eeding the rate applicable to vessels of
he first class as provided in the act of
March 3. 1891 will, it is believed. en-
Ible the department 10 secure contract
service TO these parts of the world
HALLWAY IOstOhlccs.
It is shown by the report that ION |
Tune 30 1909, there were 168 full rail-
way postoffice lines, manned by 1851
crews of 1868 clerks Gncluding 75 act
ng clerks); of these there were 139 full
'aiIway postoffice lines having apart
nent car service mapped by 905 crews
# 1897 clerks. Thsfe were also 1874
apartment railway postoffice lines
manned by 1894 crews Of 5163 clerks
including SO acting clerks; q electric
ar lines with 19 crews of q clerks; So
steamboat lines with 80 crews of 80
Jerks Oncluding "A acting clerks)
making a total of 1857 lines of all kinds.
manned by 1855 clerks. In addition,
here were 4S Officials, 129 chief clerks, |
SO transfer clerks employed in hand
ing the mails at important junction
oints. and 466 clerks detailed to cler-
cal duty in the various offices of the
ervice The total number of officers
nd employees was therefore 1904, an
Increase during the year of 749.
JUAREZ SCHOOLS OPEN.
Little Mexican children of Juarez |