New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-12-07
st.enerson, House Commit
tee Chairman, Predicts
Roads Pay Increases Will
More Than Offset Surplus
Western Union Telegraph
and Bell Telephone Spe-
cially Favored, He Says

WASHINGTON, Dec. eth 9 con-
..ntion of Postmaster General A. 8.
Burleson in his annual report that the
po,toffice Department has made q net
surplus of ss5,oOo,Ooo in the last seven
years was held up to ridicule to-day
Nv Representative Halvor Steenerson
Of Minnesota, chairman of the House
Committee on Postoffices and Post
Roads.
To offset the department alleged
awnings are claims for S100, 900 900 in
additional pay, made in the last three
years by the railroad companies. Mr..
Steenerson expressed the opinion that
it is "quite probable the awards which
the Interstate Commerce Commission
will make to the roads will wipe out
completely the supposed surplus"
The management of the telephone
and telegraph companies, which Mr..
Burleson took occasion to applaud
about in his report, was condemned by
Mr.. Stevenson, who made the charge
that the Postmaster General discrim-
mated in favor of the Western Union
Telegraph Company and the Bell Tele-
phone lines.
Terms Claim Untrue
The Postmaster Generals claim of a
net profit of sS5,o0o.O00 would be i'm
portant. if true" Mr.. Stevenson said,
and continued:
1.-THE principal saving appears to have
been in the expenditures for railway
mail pay which he says is at the an
nual rate of SAT 100000, notwithstand-
ing the fact that the volume of mail
during that period has at least doubled.
The parcel post, which was inaugurated
since the beginning of that seven-year
period. has now reached 100000 900
pounds, or more than half of the total
volume of the mails, and yet the COM
pensation of the railroads for trans
portation has been absolutely reduced
from $4,000 in 1913, under the
weight plan, to the present rate of an
nual expenditure of $4,000, 900. In
other words, the work of the railroads
has been doubled, but their pay has
been reduced 10 per cent
The claims Of the railroads for in
creased rate OF pay over and above
What they have been paid for the last
'hree years amounts to over s1OO. 900
400, and II this claim is allowed only
10 the extent of one-third, it will wipe
out the whole of the alleged surplus.
Air Service Experimental
In regard to the air mail service,
TO which so much space is devoted in
the report | would say that the evil
denee before the Postoffice Committee
tends to show that it is in the expert
mental stage. and so far as the New
YORK " ashlngton air route is con-
cerned, 1t is Of no practical utility in
expedting the mail. The Postmaster
General has wipe dout the extra post
age, 50 there are no special earnings
for this service. The claim that BY
carrying the mail by aeroplane they
save sufficient amount of car space to
save the extra expense has not been
sustained. Several accidents have oc-
CURED IN the air mail service, and
large quantities of valuable mail have
osen destroyed by burning of the ma
ch;nes.
i believe that the air mail service,
as an experiment, should be continued
and possibly by developing aeroplanes
ol greater load capacity, it will become
useful auxiliary to the postal service
Mr. Burleson's management of the
telegraph and telephones has entailed
loss of more than $4,000. 900, and
s,00o,0O0 of this has been awarded by
MN, under compensation contracts. to
Inc Western Union Telegraph Company
and the American Telegraph and Tele-
phone Company
Dominated Department
Mr. Carlton, president of the West
cfn Union, and Mr.. Bethel, its manager
and Mr.. Vail and Mr.. Kingsbury, of the
american Telegraph and Telephone
SSImRRsn r C ON z. were called in by
business.
While they did not actually have
enarge Of the compensation contracts
,hey seem to have dominated the whole
fostofflce Department in their own in.
erest They not only got $4,000, 00O
OUT OF the taxpayers of the country
OUT S3l 100000 in increased rates was
authorized by Mr.. Burleson to be
narged against the public
There has been complaint because
me packing interests wet represented
~ dollar-a-year men in the Agricul-
nrai Department, but what would the
public have thought if the Secretary OF
Agriculture had called in Mr.. Armour
70 manage the regulation of the food
industry. But that would have been
no more preposterous than Mr.. Burle-
Fon calling in the very men who for