The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-18
ROADS CLAIM MAIL
LOSS OF S1O,SS0,S65
Seven New England Lines ASK
Restitution, Charging
Gross Injustice.
FRAUD CRY IN WEIGHING
Petitioners Say the Present
Rate Is Unreasonable and
COnfiscatOry.

wAsHrNGToN. July l7.--Claims against
the Government aggregating slo'sso'
sos were hled at the Court OF ''a'''s
to-day by the seven New England ra'i-
roads which allege that they nave 'os'
this big sum OF money in the last SIX
years through carrying the mails u"oe'
the present system % weights.
The petitioners allege their compensa-
tion at the present rate hxcd per m'ie
is unreasonable unjust and conrsca'oFy
and hence unconstitut! !onal and void. IL
Is charged that "the annual increase
Of mail has not been paid for at ALL
that "the carrying of the parcel post
has been without adequate compensa-
ton and that "the deficiency created
by loss Of mail compensation must be
made no from the freight passenger and
express receipts"
The petitioners and the amounts
claimed are: New York. New Haven
and Hartford sa.52i.713; Boston and
Maine. s3.s76.se3. Maine Central,
sl,s39.7IO: Bangor and Aroostook.
s4sO.ls4: New York. ontario and West
ern. s3o5, 900: Sandy River ano RangeleS
Lakes. $3O.9ss. and Bridgeton and saec
River. s13.425
Two causes of action are set up one
with respect TO the system o' auadreh-
NAL weighing. declared to be illegal. ana
the other with respect TO the rate OF pay
per mile and the increasingly expensive
demands made from time to tine by the
Post ma ster- General upon the railroads
for facilities for which no adequate com
pensation has been made.
Weighing System Attacked.
II is contended by the railroads tha'
the present weil nings are conducted by
postal officials and that they are no
even permitted to check up. They con
tend the weighing ~ not In accordance
with the law in that It is not done an
( nually that the four day periods are no
averaged, and in effect that no allowance
/. made for Increase during the fou
years.
The railroads charge that the Post
master.General deliberately and pur
pose,y" resorted to this system for III
reason that by so doing they would b
compelled to carry and did carry tn
whole increased and increasing tmoun
OF mail during the subsequent four yea
period without any compensation there
for and that had they been weighed an
nually they would have been paid NOR
money. This is held to have been illega
as the annual compensation was hxe
BY law according to 'the amount o
mail carried per annum."
Ii is asserted by the railroads tina
they repeatedly requested and demanded
of the postmaster-General that the mail
carried be weighed annually or tina
the weights be taken at the beginning
and end of the four year period an
averaged. bu, tina, such demands wer
ignored and refused"
Figures are given in each petitio
showing the Increases in the weight
recorded at successive four year weigh
ings. and 1t is asserted that the In
creases shown were regular gradual an
normal. and that this increasing amuun
OF mail they were compelled 10 carr
| through the four years intervening be
tween wtigh'ngs without any conpei
sation whatever.
one of the main contentious is tina
the vast amount OF parcel post ma
carried has never been included in an
Weighing Furthermore. II is declared
tn. raising of the weight limit package
by the Postmaster-General on July .
and December IS. 1913. has largely in
, creased the amount OF this mail. whic
has been carried at enormous expense,
but without any adequate compensation
1t is further set forth that even pr!C
: to reductions In the rate Of pay pc
mile, the last of which occurred in 1870
the total compensation paid has bee
insufficient to defray the cost of tram
portation furnished.