The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-11-25
RAILROADS REPLY TO
ATTORNEY GENERAL
Claim They Are Ill Paid for
Carrying Mails
THE PARCELS POST
viii Enormously Increase Mail Traf-
fic--Roads May Refuse to Make
New Contracts Until Quad
rennial Weighings End

The committee of railroad executives
on postal transportation remuneration in
tends to plead their case before the
public, according To a statement made
public yesterday. The statement was Is
sued by the committee representing 26S
railroad operating 2l4275 miles of rail-
road in this country. The committee is
composed OF J. Kruttschnitt, chairman
director of maintenance and operation
of the Union and Southern Pacific sys-
TENS; Ralph Peters. vice chairman tpresi-
dent of the Long Island railroad); Charles
A, Wickersham. president and general
manager. Western Railway of Alabama;
w. w. Baldwin, vice president, Chicago
Burlington & Quincy railroad; w. w.
Atterbury. vice president Pennsylvapia.
railroad; George T. Nicholson. vice )resi-'
dent, Atchison. Topeka q Santa Re rail-
way; Il. ]. Pearson. first vice president
Missouri Pacific railway: Il. G. auckland.
vice president. New York. New Haven
& Hartford railroad; C. +. DAILY. vice
president. New York Central Lines; w.
A. Worthington, assistant director of
maintenance and operations of the Union
and Southern Pacific systems; w. +.
Allen, secretary; and II. T. Newromb,
statistician.
Committees Statement
In it's official statement. the commit
tee characterizes the scope of its an
swer TO the postmaster general .husly:
"The committee on railway mail pay.
representing railways whose lines include
% per cent OF the aggregate length OF
ell
believes that the payments to the all
ways for the services and facilities fur
nished by them to the postoffice depart
ment are. and for Ions time have
been, unjustly low. The series Of state
ments which will be made public VII
contain a concise exposition of the facts
which will prove that this belief is war
ranted and, incidentally. a refutatIon
of the estimates made by the postmaster
general, and reported to the congress
lhouse document No. 105, sixty-second
congress, first session., which led him
to conclue that the basis changed so as
to accomplish present reduction of
about 20 per cent. II will be shown that
although the insufficient data and the
erroneous methods employed by the post
master general resulted in his making
estimates of cost to the railways that
are far below the real cost, his own
figures and calculations, when properly
analysed and supplemented, demonstrates
that the mail service has not been fairly
remuneratiye to the railways"
Parcels Post
Before proceeding TO demonstrate their
claims, the railroads say 1T should be
4I..s Ia hnt
to be forced still further below the level
OF Just compensation. unless payments
are promptly readjusted, on account OF
the additional volume OF mail that will
result from the Inauguration, on January
1, 1918, Of the parcels post.
Congress has provided for vast and
incalculable extension of mail traffic by
creating parcels post to be inausu-
rated on January l, 1918. which. by open
Ing the mails to many articles not pre-
viously accepted at the postoffices and
by materially reducing the rates on
mailed merchandise. is expected snor-
mously to increase the volume of ne
shipments which IL covers.
The government seems TO have as
sumed that under existing contracts,
which were made before the meaning OF
the word mail was thus extended, The
railways can be compelled. until these
contracts expire, to carry this great adj
dltiOnal Voiume OF mail traInc WITHOUT
any compensation whatever.
May Postpone Contracts
In the former practice OF the postofnee
department is followed, no new contracts
will be made until after the next quad
rennial weighings in each of the four
Weighing sections OF the country, so thar
the position of the government amounts
to an assertion that the whole added
volume OF the parcels post mails will
have TO be carried without any conpeI-
sation by the railways of New England
for four years and six months (these
railways are in the first weighing Sec
ton but the weighing for the adjustment
to be made on January l. 1915 has begun
and will be completed before the parcels
post is inaugurated), by those of the
second weighing section for two years
and six months. by those of the fourth
weighing section. not located in New
England for six months.
mo presentation OF the injustice OF
the mail pay received In former years
suggests even the approximate extent
of the losses which the railways will thus
incur In the next four and one-haf