The Washington herald., 1914-09-27

| tend to take OF of the market cotton that
\ must be sold. Every one who partici-
pates in this movement is performing a
patriotic act in 3 vital emergency which
will be OF great value to the entire
| South" ~
Railroad Mail Pay.
Following a meeting Of the committee
on railway ma pay. held to discuss the
report submitted to Congress by the
| Joint Congressional Committee on Rail
way Mall Pay, Mr.. Ralph Peters, chair
man OF the committee representing 2lS
principal railroads OF the country, au-
thorizes the following statement:
"It is most gratifying that the joint
Congressional Committee fully and unan-
imously sustains our main contention
that the railroads are nov materially
underpaid for carrying the mails.
THE committee proposes a plan of pay
ment which will give the railroads an
increase Of $SOOO,OOO a year, and COM
pletely supports the companies in the
other leading principals which they have
urged, namely:
That the railroads are entitled to a
fair commercial profit for carrying the
mails; that apartments in. cars fitted up
as travelling pOstoffices should be paid
for; that the railroads should be paid
for the terminal messenger service they
now perform, and that the system of
Weighing the mails only once in four
years is unjust and unbusinesslike.
While the Congressional Committee
does not see eye-tO-eye with the rail-
roads as to the total compensation due
thu companies for their mail service the
railroad committee has expressed its
Willingness to accept the views of the
Bourne committee upon this main Ques-
ton of fact
I'VE firmly believe that the Congress
sionRl Committee has canvassed the
whole subject most carefully and that
its findings of fact embOdy the sound
judgment of an unusually able and i'm
partial committee
The specific plan proposed y the
Bourne committee for hereafter meet
ing the underpayment due the companies
is open to question. The feeling Of the
railroad managers is that the present
system of payment, based on the weight
OF the malls and the distances over
which il is carried, is scientific, and.
that II fairly administered, il should be
1t actually measures and
provides payment for the actual service
performed. The proposed plan does not
That, however. is a technical matter.
The Bourne Committee has established
the doctrine that the railroads should be
on a commercial basis for
the services they render The Railroad
Committee is now prepared to cooperate
with Congress in establishing detailed
standards OF payment which should place I
this purely commercial relation Of the I
government and the railways upon a
sound business basis"
1t is reported that negotiations for the |
and Northwestern operating
between Jackson and Dycrsbureh, Tenn. /
forty-nine miles. have just been closed /
the purchaser being the New Orleans. !
Mobile. and Chicago. That company. II /
5 stated, will at once build a connection /
1f forty miles between Middleton and .
Jackson. which will later be carried 10 {
Paducah by way of Hickman. which is I
ifty-twO miles from Dyersburgh, the I
terminus OF the Birmng- /
lam and Northwestern. As the New Or |
cans. Mobile. and Chicago is operated /
Ointly by the Frisco and Louisville and /
Nashville. 1t is supposed that the acquisi-
ion of the Birmingham OF Northwestern
las blocked the ambition of the Bur
ngton to get into the section described
The steel rail mill of the Maryland Steel .
'ompany at SparrOws Point will resume
peratiOns and finish the rolling Of I3.-
% tons of rails taken some months ago
or an Australian railway. The order
,as POSTPONED on account of the Euro
can war