The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-03-28

Editor OF The Washington Herald: On
January l. 1913. the parcel post was cs-
tablished. 1t would naturally be sup
posed that the Postoffice Department
would have made some provision for in
creasing the remuneration of the rail-
ways for the extra service they were
called on to render in this connection.
Nothing Of the kind. however, was done.
Under the quadrennial system of weigh
ing, the railways were required to accept
In full payment for their transportation
service the weights ascertained by the
Postoffice Department at the last weigh
ing period as the basis Of their remunera-
ton until July /. 1913. The railways,
therefore. were compelled to carry the
entire parcel post for the first six months
without any payment whatever. though
IL must have been apparent To every one
connected with the department that a
gross Injustice was thereby inflicted on
the roads.
The sense Of this injustice is intensified
greatly when II is considered that the
railways appear to have been singled
out to have this outrage inflicted upon
them. Provision was made for increased
payments to what are known as star
routes and for mail transportation by
all other than the railway routes. Pro-
vision was also made whereby cOntrac-
tors in the large cities transferring mail
between the postoffices and the railway
stations received additional pay for the
increased weight they were required To
handle The railways were made the
sole exception.
But the scheme for footing the rail-
ways in connection with the parcel post
did not end here The robbery was made
of a double nature. Before January /.
1913. the roads were paid by the express
companies for the transportation of near
ly all. II not quite all. of the matter
which, under the new postoftice scheme,
they were required to carry as parcel
post matter. SO that the revenue formerly
derived from the carrying OF express
freight was lost. while they derived no
benefit whatever from its transportation
as mail. The matter was taken from
their express cars. where they derived
paving rates for its transportation. and
nut into their railway mail cars, where
they were compelled to carry it free.
On July l, 1913, the mail pay Of the
rods in the Middle Atlantic states was
increased to compensate them for the
weight of parcel post then being carried
Six weeks later the weight limit per par
Gel post packages was raised by the Post
master General from II to 30 pounds. and
on January l. 1914. 30 pounds. The
postage rates were lowered For the
additional traffic created the Middle
States railways have not been paid and
are carrying for nothing all packages
above II pounds weight.
Last spring the mails were weighed in
the far West and the increased pay found
TO be due was awarded to the RAILWAYS
of that section. beginning July I. 1917
These are the only railways in the coun-
try now being fairly paid for carrying
the parcel post.
In densely populated New England and
the Middle West, and in all the South |
east the roads are still carrying the |
parcel post without pay. save for certain |
arbitrary allowances, in TO case exceed |
ing a > per cent increase in mail pay and
RI nGinG down to a fraction OF per
rent, which Congress permitted the Post
master General to max eat his discre-
ton. Actual weighing of the mails else
where showed that proper increases would
have been - to . per cent
Nearly two years have now elapsed
since the esta blishment OF the service. vet
half the parcel post is to-
hay being carried by tn railways with
put payment. Results in the cases where
the increased weight of mail has been I
ascertained indicate that in the |
present year alone the railways will thus
lose upward of sSo0o,OCo.
Such treatment as the PostoffiCe De
v ould he most reprehensibIe as between
individuals IL would not be tolerated
for moment by any free and self
community. What then can
De said of il when the offending party |
3 the government of the nlted states?
The Constitution of the country provides
hat no one may be deprived of property
If any kind or description without due
process Of law. Transportation is the
property Of the railways. 1t is the only
hing they possess by which they can
,xist. Yet they are wantonly deprived OF
I at the behest of a department OF the
United States ,vernTent-
Nj Burleso..'s talk of the RAILWAYS
looting' the government is farCiCaL The
department. under his direction has been
Using a Jimmy on the railways for
he past two years. and no one is better
aware of il than the Postmaster General
himself.
FRANCIS DE SALES RYAN.