Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-11
MAIL TUBE PEOPLE
SAY OFFICIALS ERR
Challenge Facts in Mr.. Burle-
sons Brief for Abolition
of Service.
MAKE BETTER SHOWING
THAN RAIL ROADS, is CLAIM
Companies Present Argument to-
Joint Congressional Committee for
Extension of Existing Contracts.

One of the most interesting items at
issue in the conference between the
House and Senate on the post Office ap-
preparation bill is an amendme Mt
adopted by the Senate "authorizing
and directing the Postmaster General
to extend for six months so that they
viii run to July l, 1917, the existing
contracts with the companies now OPP
Grating pneumatic tube mail service in
Philadelphia. Boston and elsewhere
The House bill merely appropriated for
the service for the fun fiscal year
without taking into cognizance the
fact that these contracts, running for
ten years. expire December 81 next
This pneumatic tube mail service
question has been under consideration
In Congress and in the department for
some time past. A joint congressional
committee, after a long investigation,
reported in favor of the purchase of
the pneumatic tube plants by the gov
er1ment, but no appropriation was
made to carry out this recommends =
ton: Meanwhile. in June, 1915. the
Postmaster General named a depart
mental commission to report on the adj
Visibility of continuing the service on
the expiration of the contracts. That
commission has not vet filed it's report.
Would Abandon, Tube Service.
1t is understood to. be the present
disposition of the Post Office Depart
ment to abandon the pneumatic tube
service and to substitute an automo-
bile service for it. In the course of
the hearings before the congressional
committees the pneumatic tube COM
panies have argued that such a substi-
tuition would be decidedly backward
step, 1nasmuch as under the most IA
vorabie conditions a motor car serv-
Ice cannot possibly reach the speed
that is obtained on the average by the
mail tube carriers. which maintain a
rate of about thirty miles an hour
Moreover. it has been commended that
the substitution of automobiles for
pneumatic tubes tends to increase the
congestion in the cities served by the
latter, in which the street traffic con-
ditions present already a grave prob
lem
The other day an argument was pre-
scented to the conference committee in
behalf of the Postmaster General in
winch he pointed out that of the fifty
seven miles of pneumatic tube serv-
ice in operation approximately eleven
miles are used less than 10 per cent
OF their capacity. and sixteen miles less
than 20 per cent, urging: There must
be some doubt as to the necessity for
continuing in force contracts for serv-
Ice practically half of which is utilized
less than 20 per cent of its time
On this point the Philadelphia Pneu-
matte Tube Company has filed with the
committee statement challenging the
soundness OF the argument that the
percentage Of capacity use is an index
of the value of the service. In refuta-
nf
percentage of capacity use of the rail-
way systems of this country
Use Railroads for Comparison.
The Pennsylvania system east of
Pittsburgh" they say, has mileage
of 3,oso miles. with SIS passenger trains
per month, or % trains day per mile
which is precisely per cent of its
theoretical capacity, and if doubled for
the freight carriage. would be only s
per cent. Its Long Island branch of 344
miles maintains a little better showing
from the Burleson viewpoint. II has
l.e22 trains per month or "a daily per
mile. which is per cent of it's capac-
ity. or. including freight. IL per cent
The entire mileage of the country 1884,
?t1 miles. With ~ S2S miles Of train
service monthly. had an average of I
trains day per mile. which is exactly 1.2
could be utilized
The pneumatic tube the conpany's
brief continued. makes a far better
showing on the least used Ifres--iines
which were built by express direction
of the government-than any railroad
system in the United States for all pas
stnzer. freight. mail and express bust
ness. Notwithstanding this showing by
the railroads we have heard of no cru
SADIE against them on this account nor
has there been any movement for the
annulment of their charters or the
breaking of their mail-carrying con-
tracts.
Blame Post Office Department.
That the tubes are not used to a
greater extent than they are is due to
no defect in the system, but is wholly
the fault of the department. as Illus
trated particularly here in Philadelphia,
where We can show that no less than
twenty-three important mail trains
have been diverted from the tube serv-
ice that the local post Office might
bolster UP its case against our system
IN favor of the trucks and AUTOMOBILE
which can no more take the place of
the tubes than the OK cart can supplant
the Chicago Limited"
on the point of the relative speed
of the pneumatic tube and automobile
The remaining argument that in
many instances there is little or no
difference in time between the trans
portation by tube and vehicular serv-
Ice is not so much attack upon the
tubes as upon the science of mathe-
MATES. Under the law the tubes are
compelled to make the service at the
rate of thirty miles an hour There is
not an important city in the United
States that allows trucks or automo-
bilcs in the congested centers to go
faster than fifteen miles an hour dur
ing the busy hours. There is not one
that can average with DELAYS and
crossing stops much more than half
this speed. certainly not more tina n
nine miles hour. consequently. to
say that an uninterrupted underground
tube service at thirty miles per hour
"annot go any faster than d surface
transportation system avera ging in
practice often low as from three to
ave miles hour is 10 fly in the face
of the multiplication table
Claim Praeger Letter Unfair.
Yesterday a letter was flied with the
difference committee. written by AS
.iStanJ Postmaster General Praeger to
he Pneumatic Transit Company OF
i;o4ton. holding the contract for that
ity. referring to a proposed change OF
ste OF the Back BAY. station involving