Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-07-18

branches of the service the roads
could not be compelled to furnish any
service at a loss, as each branch OF the
roads operations should pay for Itself
Charges Against Postmaster General.
The petitions further set forth as
reasons why they should be allowed
adequate compensation the alleged IL;
legal system Of quadrennial mail
weighings upon which are based the
amount to be paid to the roads for
postal service for the four years 1ol-
lowing, and the rate OF pay per mile
together with the increasingly ex-
time by the Postmaster General upon
the railroads for facilities for which
no adequate compensation has peen
made"
With respect to the weighing Of the
mails every four years as basis FOR
the mail payments to them, the rail-
roads assert that such weighing mas
been done exclusively by the POST
Office Department and that they nave
been prohibited from fully inspecting
and verifying such weighing. ms
weighing of the mails for a certain
period every four years as the basis
for stating the average weight or the
mail carried for the four years peeln-
ming number of months after such
weighing had been made it is con-
tended is not in accordance with the
law.
The petitions in this connection
allege that the daily average weight
of mail was not ascertained by tne
Post Office Department for each and
every year of said contract period. as
was by law required, and as could and
should have been done. either by
weighing the same annually or by
averaging the weights so taken, IN
1904. 1908 and 1912, respectively be-
tween the different years of said con
tract periods. as the Post Office De
partment was by law bound to do"
Illegal Procedure Charged.
The railroads charge that the Post
master General deliberately and pur-
posely" resorted to this system for the
reason that by so doing they would be
compelled to carry and did carry the
whole increased and increasing amount
of mail during the subsequent four
wear period without any compensation
therefor. and that had they been Welsn-
ed annually they would have been PAID
more money. This is held to have been
illegal inasmuch as the annual COM
pensation was by law fixed according
to 1.-The amount of mail carried per
annum."
Another charge made against the
Postmaster General is that without
any warrant Ut III Nv
raised the weight limit of the parcel
post packages by his executive orders
of July %, 1913. and December 1S,
1913, the latter order bringing it up
to fifty pounds in the first and second
zones. land thereby invited and per-
mitted the shipping of vast quantities
of merchandise, farm. mine and fac
tory products, and materials OF all
kinds which heretofore had been ship
ped by freight or express, all without
any adequate compensation therefor"
1t is contended that by reason OF
these acts and by reason of the reduc-
ton of the pay for transportation and
for post office car service and also by
reason of the increased cost Of equip
ment and operation the compensation
of the railroads has since July l,
1907, been entirely Inadequate. 1t has
become, they assert, unreasonable,
unjust unremunerative and confisca-
tory" and does not repay them for the
cost of transporting the mails or any
profit thereon.
The present rate of pay per mile
per annum is unconstitutional and void.
say the petitioners, and to that extent
their private property has been taken
for public use without just compensa-
ton. They insist they are entitled,
therefore. to recover the fair and rea-
sonable value of the service, for which
in each case they ask judgment for the
respective amounts named.