Evening journal., 1915-03-29
nrRLlsoN AID MAIL.PAY.

IN
Il show deficit in the Postonice Department at the
end of the present fiscal year Unwilling to assume re-
sponsbillty for It himself there is manifest inclina-
tion on his part TO unload the blame upon the Amer
can railroads He would have the public believe that
the railroads arc "ooting" the Federal treasury by
their charges for carrying the mails. He does that
in the face Of the fact that It has been shown by the
Bourne Congressional Committee. which spent two
years investigating the mailpay question that through
the system of weighing the mails only four years
and through the even more recent system of unloading
upon the railroads the carrying the parcel post
packages practically without compensation. the Fed
ora Government is proyng upon the treasures of the
railroad companies and increasing the burdens under
which they already staggering a result of unfair
treatment by that government
II Is useless for Mr. Burleson cndeavor deceive
the American public on the mail-pay question II has
been up between Federal officials and railroad
officials and exploited too thoroughly in the newspapers
for the people fail 10 realize that the utter
ances Of the against railroads
merely add insult injury and that too corpora
ons that helpless in tho hands of the Federal Gov
ernment
The public knows through tho complaints of Ralph
Peters, of the Long Island railroad and other
the committe appointed TO obtain justice for the vari
Gus railroads. that under the present system the mails
weighed every four years; that arbitrary price
carrying them is fixed and that incumbent upon
the railroads to carry them during the ensuing -FOUR
years upon the strength Of that Weighing matter
how much they may increase in volume. That public
also knows that since the last Weighing the parcel post
has assumed unooked-for proportions; that tho gov
ernment has unloadod upon the railroads for ranspor
taton the millions of parcels mailed and that has
persstently refused to grant to them proper compcn-
sation for doing that That is manifest act Of
injustice
The Bourne Joint committee spent two years inves-
tigating this mai-pay question It made its report to
the last Democratic Congress. That report was too
favorable the railroads to suit the Democratic
gers and the Democratic Postmastcr-GeneraL Instead
of passing legislation based upon the report certain
Democratic leaders, including the posmasterGeneral
endeavored to put through the Moon bill which
measure was manfesy unfair to the carriers Quite
naturally the railroad companies protested II failed
10 pass.
Postmaster General Bureson never has become
reconciled to the defeat Of that BILL His most recent
utterances show that he has become so reckless in
cussing the mail-pay question that it not for the
high position he occupies in the Federal service what
he says would not be worthy of consideration One
statement is that the railroads receiving from the
Government amounts which, "for haus OF any consid
cradle length exceed by about two the amounts
they from the express companies for like and
similar service" He fails point out however that
the bulk of the parcel post tonnage is shorthau
business that the longhau business in that line is
not sufficient to be considered vital to the contro-
versy.
The Bourne committee report explodes the Bureson
contention that the railroads receive better pay for
handling the mails than for handling express parcels
His efforts rebut its findings have been fruitess IL
the report of the Bourne committe sufficient
show the unfarness Of the utterances OF the POST
mastor-G General the testimony of NJ O Lorenz OF
the stststicans for the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion is conclusive in that matter. lie says that data
of the Postoice Department itself indicates average
railroad of 33T mills per foot mile from the
mails and OF $50 mills from the express traffic; and
that in face of the fact that il is much
pensive carry the mails than the express packages
Lorenz also characterized obviously absurd"
parsons between the two services on the basis Of net
ton-mile Of paying load without taking account Of the
difference in load per car.
II will be therefore. that the Postmaster
eral placed himself uneuahle position the
mail-pay question and that does little credit to him
high public official who should stand for intelli-
gence in discussion and fair-play in action.