Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1911-01-27
Studying MaiI-Carryina.

Postmaster General Hitchcock IA
engaged In an effort to find out to the
last cent how much it actually costs
the railroads of the United States to
carry the mails. Mr.. Hitchcock wants
to cut further his department deficit
When the postmaster general gets
his information 1t may be that means
Will be found to save the people of the
country large sum of money, and
that they will get the benefit of 1t
through reduced postage rates, an ex.
tension Of the rural route service or
through something more profitable to
the purse and the convenience of the
American citizen. The department en-
ployes, under the direction of the
chief, are engaged in the giant task of
finding out definitely how much 1t
costs the railroads to carry the mails
and whether or not they are making
the enormous profits that have been
more than limited at In congress and
elsewhere.
The magnitude of the work in hand
may be known when 1t is said that a
large part Of the clerical force of the
service Is engaged in it. The returns
which the railroads make to the inter-
state commerce commission are under
study, and to these have been added
reports direct from the railroads to
the department More than this, the
entire inspector force of the service
Is lending its aid to enable the Of
ficials to get figures which they can
be sure are right.
The country has been divided into
zones, and each one Is considered sep
arately. 1t Is more costly to carry the
mail In some places than 1t is in other
places. and all this has to be taken
into consideration. Before the depart
ment gets through with its work 1t
will show what part Of the expense of
operating the railroads falls to the pas
senger service, what part to freight
service. what part to express service
and what part to the mail service. Ad-
mittedly. the problem to be solved is
as hard a thing as ever came out of
analytical geometry.
1t has been charged in congress and
in the press frequently that the rail-
roads were making too much money
out Of their contracts for carrying the
mails. There have been frequent at.
tempts In the past to find Just how
much It did cost. but there was lack
Of proper information.
Today the post ONCE department is
at the work in earnest It may be
that 1t will find that the railroads have
not been overpaid for the carrying
service, and It may be also that It will
be found that the profit is SO great
that the carriers must be forced to
share all but "a reasonable part of
It" with the people.
The passage Of laws in the last four
or Ave years which give easier access
to the records of corporations has
made It somewhat easier than 1t was
In the past for the department to get
at facts which are of service in this
work.
If the present Investigation shows
that the government can save money
on its mail-carrying contracts, the
money is going to be saved, IL the re-
ports of the present department Of
ficials have any weight.
1t is not at all unlikely, however,
that one-cent postage will come as
result of the saving, II saving there
be, but 1t will be something If the de-
partment deficit can be decreased
few more millions. and it will be
something more If 1t can be decreased
to the vanishing point.