The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-03
r LROADS
ROADS Get STUCK
Are Underpaid for Services to
Government Says KOuns.
Santa Fe Official Suggests
Remedies for Situation.

That the government requires rail-
roads to perform important services
for which no compensation is allowed
is contended by c. w kouns, general
manager OF the Santa Fe, in I state
ment that he has prepared for stu
dents in various schools throughout
the state where study is being held
made of railway mail pay. The gov
eminent underpays the railways about
100000 yearly, Mr.. kouns de-
clares
Receipts of the postoffice depart
ment have increased 1S1 per cent since
1900, Mr.. Kouns points out. Statistics
from the annual reports of the de-
partment show that in 1900 the re
ceipts were $102,@ 1879 In 1915
they were $23S, 969,73S. On the other
hand, all expenses of the department
except railway mail pay, increased 239
per cent, having advanced from $1O,-
424,543 in 1900 to $23S, 969,73S in
1915. During the same period, rail-
way mail pay increased from $37, 81 o.
1874 to $59,576,2Ss, an advance of so
per cent.
From 1900 to 1915, expenses for
rural free delivery increased 11,744
per cent; wages of railway postal
clerks increased 221 per cent and serv-
ice in postoffices increased 173 per
cent, the statement prepared by Mr..
Kouns shows. In 1900, rural free de-
livery expenses were $420,499. In
the same period, wages of railway pos
tai clerks increased from SS,S39,767
to $2S,40S,243 and service in postof-
fices advanced from 51,214,49S to
$139, S36,546.
Mr.. Kouns says: THE postoffice
department. unable to carry on its
business without heavy annual def
icit, requires the railroads to transport
the mail from hundreds of thousands
of points of origin to hundreds of
! 2 hon n nf Of inT1 ut
a price that often does not cover the
actual cost. The railroads have fire.
quently sought relief but up to this
time their pleas apparently have never
been heard
The Remedies Sought.
Several remedies sought by the rail-
roads are included in Mr.. Kouns's
statement. They are:
Mail pay ought to be adjusted ac-
cording to some fair standard fairly
applied.
Mail pay ought not to be affected
by the postoffice department balance
sheet; the roads should receive not
what the department is willing to pay
| them, but what the service is worth.
Congress should lay down for guild
ance of the administrators of the law,
the rule that compensation shall be
equivalent to what private shippers
would pay for similar service.
Fixing of rates and measurement
of service to be paid for at those rates
under the statutes should be subject
to review by some government body
not directly interested in showing a
surplus for the postoffice department
Amount of railway service to be
paid for should be determined by
measurement of actual service per-
formed over a test period, never by
arbitrary estimate not subject to
check up by the facts.
Weight should be factor as we'll
as miles travelled. and should be TAX
en- at least annually.
Total mail pay for each road
should be large enough to include fair
compensation for every facility fur
nished and for every service rendered.
Payment to each road should vary
according to length of haul, speed and
frequency of mail trains