Evening journal., 1914-06-30
sNAP JupGMENT vs.. INYEsrIaArlnN.


R ALPH PETERS IS president Of the Long island
~ Railroad Company and chairman Of the Com
mittee on R-ilway Mail Pay That COMMITTEES repre-
sents 264 railroads operating 2lSQ00 miles Of line
Ar Peters has paid his respects Chairman Moon of
the Post Office Committee Of the House OF Represen
tatyes What he says is in reply to- what he charac-
terizes as an .mazing statement made by Chairman
Moon the latter part Of last week. The comment OF
the railroad president Is interesting Ho takes Repre-
sentative Moon to task for baying introduced a bin
which would still further reduce the railway mail
pay and thereby extend the injustice 10 which the
railroads now are subjected instead Of waiting the
report Of the Joint Congressional Committee which
for two years has been investigating the matter Of com
pensating the railroads for carrying the mails
mr. Peters says the railroads have been claiming
ana they still assert, that they hav- proved to the
Joint Congressional Committee that they were all
ready underrad at least $15OOO000 year for carry
ing the mail and that fair consideration has been
given to the question OF compensatng them for car
rying the parcel post Yet Representative Moon he
asserts casually states that under his bin ethe com
pensation Is not much less q than the present
pay
The Representative questions he statement that his
bill would produce loss 10 Tile railroads Of S11O00-
600 year IN addition to tie loss hey have already
suffered
This is question Of fact--impossbie Of determine
tion except BY technical experts-and nobody can bet
ter Judge Of that than the Joint Congressional
Committee which wAl soon submit its report for the
consideration Of Congress- Mr. Peters says and adds
Congressman Moon states that the introduction Of
ms Dill was delayed long possible and that tho
policy OF delay has been pracced by the railroads for
sixteen years. The fact IS that the railroads have
been seeking by every proper means during the past
twenty-five years 70 obtain from Congress fair treat
ment on this subject The railway companies have
for the last eighteen months been urging the Post
master-Genera 10 no longer delay giving attention to
adequately compensatng them for carrying the in
creased burden Of the parcel post They have indeed
brought to public attention every reason that they
could suggest why Congress should indefinitely delay
any action to give them than their services are
worth
Congressman Moon further asserts that Che only
material difference between the Joint Congressioal Com
mittee and the Comitee OF Congressman Moon IS that
the Commission proposes higher rate than the Com
mittee The fact Is that the Commission has not vet
reported It's recommendations and that the rates OF
pay proposed by Congressman Moons bill are abso-
uteiy confscatory.
1--WE are in full accord with the conclusions Of Chair
man Moon that the old method OF weighing the mails
once in four IS altogether unfair unscientihc
and unbusinesslike. We have urged for many years
that the mails should be weighed every year for The
Whole country and the pay adjusted accordingly The
claim y also unfounded that the railroads divert the
mails SO as 70 pad them when the regular weighing
Is IN progress The railroads have no control over the
movement Of the mails; the routing is all done by the
officers Of the Post once Department The department
officers will readily verify this statement
"The railroads are prepared to abide by the con
cuson Of the Joint Congressional Committee upon
the fact a. to whether not they are now overpaid
They are also eager TO cooperate with the government
in arriving az policy to govern future methods Of
payment which viii protect the government and at the
same time secure 70 the railroads that pay to which
they justly entitled"
The American spirit fair-pay calls for an honest
and scientific settlement Of all the questions in dispute
The railroads have right 10 resent through Mr.
Peters and other agencies any effort hy Representative
Moon or anyone else to apply misinformation and
snap-ludgment to such an important matter sub
sutute for conclusions reached result of ntelli-
gent Investigators who have devoted two years to the
work