Evening star., 1913-12-07

commission has no other statistics snow
ing the average haul OF express tnan
those gathered at the instance OF Sohi-
missioner Lane. which are fragmentary'
n would not be a difficult task to ascer-
rain this average haul. All that would
be pecexsary would be to take any given
date and check up all the Waypiiis OH
that date; although the volume OF traMc
may rise and fall and the class OF pusi-
ness change from month to month, the
average haul would be about the same
as at one time as another. except, per-
hans at Christmas. With the average
haul of mail matter already known, ana
with the average compensation received
hv the railroads per pound for transport
ing a pound Of mail and pound or ex-
press. remembering that the two services
are conducted in almost identicaliy the
same way. the average haul OF express
would give a basis of comparison better
than anything yet brought forward.
The railroads claim that they have
been singled out among all the
agencies OF the postal service to De the
victims Of a policy OF expense cu.',hs r ths
cost they incur in carrying the mails
has increased. they are now CARRYING
them for less money per pounu PeI
mile than ever before in transportatlo,..
history. They assert that the presen.
law is based on correct principles. anu
that any system of paying them TOT
space used rather than for weight car
ried would be unsatisfactory. They con
tend that Postmaster General Hftch-
cock, In an effort to show that tne
roads are overpaid. made many serious
errors. In the first place. they tniin IN
that his assumption that a lalr rate "
them would be rate which Wouid al
low them the expense of the operation
plus per cent, is not 1air 10 theh anu
assert that II this were applied as
general rate fixing ideal every raiI-
road in the country would nave 10 oe-
70 To int charges.
~.
Furthermore they contend. the par
eel post has taken revenues away from
them by at
Parcel Post tracing busi-
Has Cut Business. .na axnress
companies, thus lessening their income
while increasing their burdens Inc
railroads contend, also. that the pas
senger business Is not revenue pro-
ducer. and that 1t is not fair to them to
compare the cost Of handling the mails
with the cost Of handling passengers.
They assert that they get q third more
revenue for every mile that a car OF
given length used In the passenger and
express service travels than they get
out of a mail car. q statement which
the Post Oface Department vigorously
controverts. They contend that they
have always to provide maximum
facilities although they are paid only
for average facilities. They also assert
that they furnish the government with
terminal facilities amounting to mil
lions Of dollars year. that they fur
nish a million dollars worth of free
transportation q year to postal en-
ployees, required by departmental
regulations, but not by law. They assert
that the railroads in 1901 received $34
for every 500 of postal receipts where
they now receive only $2l.
In answer to all the contentious of the
railroads that they are underpaid for
carrying the mail, Postmaster General
Burleson asks the question why 1t Is
that a week never passed that agents
of various railroads do not come to
him and seek to have arrangements
made whereby they can increase the
arnount of mail they handle. Some of
them propose special facilities, rear
rangements of schedules and other con-