Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1913-11-03


following quotations are reprinted by
tho committees on railway muii pny,
represented by 26f railroads carrying
mails over 2is.oo0 miles Of line.
RALPH PETERS.
Chairman.
Just shat Is the complaint of khe
railroads in reEard TO the rates of
port Office payf' the sun asked Ralph
FeItft. president % the Long Island
failroad. Mt Peters is chairman 81
q committee on railway mail pay
which represents 2ei railroad COM
raNlea 81 the Uaited states which
sfanaport mail on 2is.7s9 miles Of
these lines
Tho first thing to understand In the
matter - how the railroads arc paid.
The government does not attempt 90
weigh nil tho mail carried; q arrangcs
weighing period, 60 occur iu not
more than four years. Then for a
period ranging from thirty days 60
ninety days the malls carried over a.
railroad nre weighed The total ~ sli-
vldcd BY tho number Of working days
IN the wclghing period. the average
amount for each day II determined
and that Is the basis OF pay until the
next weighing period four years later.
Right here the railroads have two
~ their strongest Complaints. The
post olice makes no allowance for
natural Increase and growth of the
mails, which would uoturaliy be-
Larger az the end Of a four year per-
iod that ~ the bosinning Tho other
complaint n In the matter 81 ilndlng
the average weight each day for the
Weighing period.
"The consequences OF this system
Of quadrcnnial Weighing are frequent
~ 40 intolerably unjust that 40 one
cOrld defend them" says Mr. Peters.
Zone such Instance was occasioncd
when the manufacture OF stamped
envelopes and newspaper wrappinEs.
made Tor the department. was re-
moved from New England and Ohio.
Just after the malls carried by thu
Ohio railroads had been weighed and
the rates of pay fixed for four years
cnsuing. After carrying all this mat
ter Ia tho malls for more than three
years the greater portion Of 10 waa
taken out of the mails just prior 10
the next weighing. SO not dollar
Of compensation Was ever received
or ever VIII be received by any rnil-
way on account 81 this heavy mail
movement. lt is also In evidence that
during this year the mails from Day
ton we're being weighed during tho
disastrous floods which practically
brought ali the business OF that re-
gion 10 standstiil"
The railroads want this Weighing
period 20 occur every year 20 that
thoy can hc paid according 30 the
actual amount Of mail they carry.
Ihey say that Il would be better to
nave the mails weighed every six
months 80 they could come closer 10
being paid FOR tho actual weight Of
mail carried. but fhat being denied
thcm, they think that the closer the
weighing periods are nxed the nearer
they viii get 10 being paid for the
actual work they do.
Another complaint 70 tho system of
Weighing the mail every four years ie
the system of lnding the average
weight carried each day.
Some railroads carry mail seven
days "a week, others only six The
law provides that the Weighing should
be- done for not less than thirty sue
cessive working days" This elm
mates sunday from the weighing per-
Tod. and IN Weighing the post Office
counts only the mail shipped over
railroads IN working days For the
roads which carry mail on Sundays u
~ claimed that they don't get paid
for any OF this work, as II is not
weighed In figuring the average. nor
do they get paid on tho basis Of seven
days Ia "a week Roads such as the
Long Island are not affected by this,
but tho tranHcOntinental roads. which
carry heavy malls on Sundays as well
as week days, believe they lose ~
per cent OF tho pay they are entitled
to.
Present Rates FIXED In 1879.
The rates of pay we're established
In 1878. hut have boon reduced threo
times since then. Tho original rate
was 5000 for carrying 5000 pounds
per day over tho whole length OF the
route This was reduced 10 per cent
ia 1875, and again per cont Ia 1878,
and again IN 1897 by an act Of con-
gross. which reduced the pay . per
cent on all routes moving more than
5000 pounds ana not exceeding 49,
eco per day. and 10 per cent on all
weights above as, 900 pounds per day,
and also reduced the pay for spacs
Wa railway post office cars 10 per cent
In 1907 the railroads received tA9,-
ISL. eco for the transportation 81 the
mails and the next year they received
94R,156,3T8, although the Increases
volume Of mails caused an increase
in the departments revenue ~ So
gg8g5g The revenue OF the depart
ment increased In 1910. sA0.aia,0&e
over 1901, and during the same period
the Increased cost of handling hy the
post ONCE department Increased &S9,-
1895, divided as follows;
than $4,000. 900. rural delivery ser
vice Increased more than $40 ,0OO,u 900,
city delivery service Increased more
htan $4,000 900, railway postal clerks
pay increased more than 4A,puo,ouu'
posfmaaters salaries Increased moro
than SO, O00, nOo, miscellaneous m
creased about t3,7OO,000.
BUT there Wns not one cent OF ~
crease ln payments 90 the raiirohas
for hauling and furnishing cars Tor
the distribution of the vast increase ~
the amount OF mail carried, whicM
wins more than 20 per cent, ana when
produced more than 4fO,UON,o9V ~
revenue. Ia fact, the pay 90 INC ran
roads decreased hy about tabv,pgV'
Tho railroads are paid somelhihs
for allowing space IN the railroad
cars Tor tbs postal clerks 90 distribute
Tho NATL. The system of payment
does MOI recognize any sreco less thah
forte linear feet Many cars nave
space of from 10 10 80
fect some f02o cars are now IN use
with space utilized for the mail ser
Woo aearcgating g2,SGG linear Feet
coal 10 I.6A8 fun sixty-foot cars. Inla
h equal 90 lGO more cars than the
government pays for.
Nssrxlpp Not luld i'Or,