The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1916-01-04

, III W Tile
: [Issued October 20, 1915, by tn,
! Committee on Railway Mail Pay. Il
! iIhurch street New York City. Ralpl
! Peters. president OF the Long Islant
Railroad company, chairman; W. F
Allen, secretary.]
The measure commonly known a!
the Moon BILL devised to change
the method of paying for mail trans
portation on railroads, was made {
. rider on the postofiice appropriation
bill in the last congress. but failed tt
pass. The postmaster general has an
inounced that 1t will be reintroducec
In the new congress.
The railroad managers of the coun
try. earnestly believing the Moon bill
ITO be an unjust and improper meas
ure, wish to lay before congress and
THE public their reasons for this con
tVlctfon. Three leading reasons are:
l. The Moon bill is substantially a
idelegation to the postmaster general
of legislative control over railway mail
pay.
2. 1t would vest the postmaster gen.
eral with arbitrary personal powers be
yond the proper scope of his Office
5. 1t would tend to make railway
mail pay political instrument by
making the rates and conditions of
service on all railroads discretionary
with successive postal administration
thus permitting wide discrimination
between different companies and sec
ltions of the country.
How the Moon Bill Would Affect the
Railroads.
The Moon bill would confer upon
the postmaster general. who is OF ne
sccssity interested in the, reduction of
the postal deficit, very broad authority
to determine what pay the railroads
shall be allowed for carrying the mails.
and for all other services required by
his department
Coupled with this grant OF the rate.
making power would be a penal pro-
vision OF great severity under which
any railroad would be fined $4,000 per
Gay for refusing to perform any serv.
Ice the postmaster general might de.
mand for whatever he might elect 10
pay The bill contains no provision
by which an appeal might be taken
from any specific order or decision so
made
The Moon bill would forbid the post
master general to pay the railroads
more than certain designated rates for
the various services. These rates
would be Inadequate, even if allowed
In fun, because they would limit the
earnings from mail transportation to
smaller return than Is derived from
the carriage of passengers. which the
interstate commerce commission has
decided to be an unremunerative serv-
ice
The bill would place no restraint of
any kind. save personal discretion. up
On the extent to which the postmast-
er general might reduce the compensa- /
ton OF the railroads, in the exercise
OF the rate making power which would /
be delegated to him
Certain passages in the Noon bill
would specifically require the rail.
roads, upon demand OF the postmaster
general, to furnish his department 1
many valuable special facilities with. /
,ut any additional compensation what.
ever.
An Unfair Basis Of Pay.
The Moon bill would introduce 9TH
II confscatory principles by setting
lp the so-called space plan" OF pay.
lnder which the facilities of the rail-
oads would be virtually commanders.
ID. The railroads would be COM
'elled, by this plan, to accept fat
Mileage rates for mail cars and apart I
aents. regardless OF the load carried I
The highest rates permitted by the <
the postmaster general II
ould further reduce at his discretion
-ould be Inadequate even for the i
Of very light loads. Yet t
be postofhce department would claim {
be right to load the car space to its /
Ill capacity, thereby making 1t pos t
ible to obtain the transportation Of
very large additional mail tonnage e
-fthout payment for the additional f
srvice rendered It
A Significant Feature. ID
This feature OF the Moon bill is of @
reat importance and significance in ID
lew Of the entrance of the postoffice e
apartment into the field of CONNER II
la transportation. In competition 20
18th freight and express services,
trough the medium Of the heavy r.
eight parcel post. s
From the viewpoint of the public s
SO. the space plan" OF pay would p
1pear undesirable as tending to re- n
III In deterioration of the railway
an service. II the system were to II
: administered with the object of b
,oaomy. the tendency would be to k
DID hack the mails until they could "
. concentrated into heavy loads. thus ip