The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-04-03
A COMPLAINT MADE
ON MAIL BUSINESS
Railroads Say 1t Does Not
Pay as Well as Does Ex-
press Business.
palladium Special

tIdltdhluHI SpttldIi
Pittsburs. Pa, April 3-According
TO statistics Just compiled by the Rail
way Mail committee from reports sub
mitted on forms prescribed By the
Post Office Department by 1N1 rail
WAYS, operating 1870 miles on which
there are 2,4ll mail routes. the rail
ways OF the United States not un.y re-
ceive less compensation for handling
the mails than they receive for hand
ling express. but in proportion to the
cost incurred by the roads and the val
ne of the service rendered by them The
compensation they receive for hand
ling the mails is less than that receiy-
ed for any othH service.
For the ycay ending June 80, 1909
the average earnings per passenger
train mile was SIT while the average
per freight train mile was 81 The
average passenger train is 800 feet
long and if ii carried mail only in all
It's cars it would earn only 81 cents
per mile
Is Least Profitable.
The railways receive less from mail
than from either express or paSSen-
gers-thc other services rendered by
passenger trains-while the total from
the three is less than half of that re-
ccived from freight. These figures
are based on the amount the railway
received for hauling one foot of car
space one mile in the transportation
of passengers. mail and express. In
November 1909, the railways hauled
.lJ3.1 10,2J4 feet of car space in the
transportation of mail for which they
received s3,721. 1900 1920. los, 5S9
feet one mile in the transportation of
expires IS for $5,07J,222 90, and $500 ,370.-
100 feet one mile in the transportation
of passengers Tor S43,l3S, 90. The
average revenue per one thousand
foot milcs-cQuivaicn to hauling a
train of twenty 30 foot cars one mile
was therefore as follows: Mail, $50;
express. $3.50; passengers, $442. the
roads receiving 10 per cent more per
foot mile for hauling express and 81
per cent more for hauling passengers
than they received for hauling the
mails.
This method of comparison was used
as the railroads claim it is manifestly
unfair to compare the rate per ton on
mail and express since under the reSu-
lations and orders of the Post Office
Department railway postal cars are
limited to an average capacity of about
three tons while express cars carry
from 30 to 80 tons. The Post Office
Department requires the railways to
haul 30 tons of car for each ton of
mail while the express companies
comply with the demands of the rail
ways that express matter shall be
econcmically loaded.
In addition, the railway companies
carry the mails between stations and
post offices at siX-scventhS of the mail
stops. This service the Postmaster
General has estimated would cost the
Department S4.O93,000.00 annually if
rendered by it No such service is
rendered the express companies. Pos
tai clerks are carried free while on du-
ty and between the ends of their lines
and their homes and the roads furnish
annually 81 ,0O0. 10000 of free trans
portation to various postal officials,
All these persons have the legal sta
tus Of passengers and the railways
are required to pay damages in case
of injury. The express companies as
sumo all such liability for their en-
ployer. The railroads receive pay for
every pound of express they haul but
under the system of weighing the
mails only once in four years. the
roads get no compensation for the car
rage of the increase during this
period. averaging 6 per cent or about
s.. OOO. O0O. 90 worth of service per year.
From 1907 TO 1910 the expense OF the
Post Office Department increased
about $4,000 .0O0.0 but the railroads
though thoy handled % per cent more
mail, received S3J2. 90 less i'll 1910
than in 1907.