Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-01-21
CAPITAL CHAT,
Post Office Department
Gives Maine Figures,
Heaviest Mai Passes Through
The Augusta Office.
Cost OF Transportation in Maine.
Large Stage Route Service.

aShlnSton, ID. G., Jan 20-(Spe-
ciaD.--The postotfice department is
giving out some interesting state
lnents about the carriage of mails by
Steam in tie United States. These APP
ply 10 the Eastern part of the coun-
try. where an official weighing was in
progress for three months last spring
ana summer. This was done for the
purpose OF adjusting the four-year
contracts. under which the railroads
carry mail, whether it be for a postal
car service or Tor the transportation
Of closed pouches only.
This information includes railroad
| routes in Maine. OF course the great
| est bulk of mail transported on Maine
railroads passes through Augusta.
which is on the great postal route
from Portland to Bangor. The weigh
! crs ascertained that an average Of 80
G69 pounds OF mail pass over that
route every day. which is more than
| IS tons, much OF which goes through
| Augusta. The Maine Central re-
ceives $677.26S.S3 a year for hauling
mail on that route. The Kcnnehec
| Central carries 49, pounds Of mail a
| CAV on an average bNNI lII'' ul.D- llillt'S
| Of road between Augusta and the Sol
diers' Home and gets an annual sti-
pend Of $221.43 from the PoStooicc De
partmcnt therefor. The daily mail
| carried over the Maine Central be
tween Cumberland Junction and SkoW-
hogan Maine, weighs 9022 pounds. or
| four and d half tons for carrying
which the annual pay is $l3 296.71. All
| these rates are determined by gov
crnmcnt schedule, which is hard ana
fast The rate depends much upon
the amount of mail carried. is general
| w less comparatively for the larger
quantities.
The daily mail between Caribou and
Limestone. 1853 miles apart. amounts
to 146 pounds, for which the annual
payment is $7194S. There are Sal
mounds of mail hauled by the Maine
Central daily between Newport and
Foxcroft. 2993 miles. 1t amounts to
almost a ton a day-1S94 pounds to be
exact as to the average. between
Pennington and Brunswick. 63.23
miles. 1t is almost as much-l4l1
daily pounds-betWeen Belfast and
Rurnham. 33.47 miles. for which ser
vice the Maine Central receives $343l
The people in the upper kennebec
Valley have d big mail business, the
daily weight of papers ana letters
passing over the Somerset Railroad
between Oakland ard bingham
Heights Station being 99' pounds
THAT service costs the government
s2555.72 a year. Between Pennington
and Phillips. the Sandy River and
Rangelev Lakes road carries an aver
age Of 75S pounds of mail day. for
which il receives $66S2.57. The Grand
Trunk TRANSPORTS IA pounds of mail
a day between Lewiston and Lewiston
Junction which costs the government
s323. 70 a year on the present oasis.
Between Oquossoc and Rumford. 81
l6 miles. the mails weigh on an aver
age 249 pounds a day and the annual
cost of the transportation service is
81 -2e5 20. The mail trains are more
freo11ent on some lines than others
and the speed of the carriage is great
or. these considera tons having some
influence upon the amount of money
paid
| 1t is well understood that the cost of
transporting the mails takes up a.
| very large part Of the earnings of the
postal service. The operations are on
a very comprehensive scale. even in q
state like Maine. There are As rail-
road post routes in that State, with an
aggregate length of 19S4.01 miles. The