The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-12-10

is S5.a5 per ton mile. or approximately
ninety times as much as by train.
The law authorizing the Postmaster
General to employ airplanes In the
transportation of mail provides:
That the Postmaster-General may
contract with any individual, firm or
corporation for an airplane mail SER
vice between such points as he may
deem advisable and designate. In case
such service is furnished at cost not
greater than the cost of the same ser
vice by rail and shall pay therefor
ost of the appropriation for inland
transportation by railroad routes"
Some Airplane Mail Contracts
Contracts are reported to have been
executed by the Postmaster-General
with an airplane company on the basis
of 3oo round trips per year as follows;
New York and Chicago. via Pitts
burg. Sos miles. ..............,. 25s,ooo
New York and Atlanta. via Wash
Pittsburg and st. Louis, via Indian
apolis, $40 miles. 141,0OO
Total .ses5, 900
The maximum capacity of any plane
In use Is 1900 pounds, but the actual
load carried seldom exceeds 500 pounds.
According to the report OF the Inter-
state Commerce Commission. the aver
age load OF 60-foot storage mail car
Is 1850 pounds Assuming that the air.,
planes carry an average load of 1900
pounds, a comparison of the cost with
rail service is simple
It requires a 7-foot unit OF space for
800 pounds OF closed pouch mail service
aboard a mail car. and the cost of this
space Is 6A cents a mile. The cost,
therefore, of transporting the same
amount of mail by rail over the routes
selected for the air mail service would
be:
Rnd.rrip. soe Trips.
New York and Chicago 49,. 20 ..a 20, Or
New York and Atlanta
route ..................:. so.l2 2eo4e.1a
Pittsburg and St. Louis
ss4. 49212
These figures therefore. indicate that
Postmaster General Burleson, in contin-
uing the air mail service. is exceeding
his authorized expenditures at the rate
of $500. 507 .S8 q year.
To offset the cost of this air mall SER
vice would necessitate the withdrawal
of two 6O-foot storage cars on each Of
these routes, and the average load Of
these cars Is Is, 900 pounds of mall, as
against a maximum of 1850 pounds car
ried by air. Moreover, a study of the
existing air routes by the Postal Com
mission indicates that the reduction
claimed by the Post Office Department
In the number Of cars, used since the
establishment OF the air mall service
bears no relation to that service. Dis
tributing cars. notably between New
York and Chicago, that never carried
pound of the mail now being sent by
WithdraWn.
The Postal Commission now has en-
gineers at work making survey OF
the physical facilities existing and re-
nuired for q complete reorganization
of the methods of assembling, trans
porting and distributing mall matter.
Their report will not be ready for some
time. although certain suggestions al
ready have been received In the rorn
of preliminary recommendations.
One of these that 1t is said will re-
ceiye the approval of the Congressional
committee recommends the complete
separation of parcels post matter from
first class mail At present these are
handled in the same rooms and largely
by the same force. This tends 10 I'M
necessary delay in the delivery of both
classes of matter and great congestion
at the most important terminal points.
The plan to segregate the two classes
will call for the furnishing of new ia
cilties. which, however. 1t is not felt
should be allowed to stand in the way
OF improved service.
If this project is carried out in such
terminals as New York city 1t prob
ably will mean the abandonment of the
practice of sending parcels post mat
ter to the general post office. Instead
new terminal will be provided, prob
ably some place on Long Island, where
OUTGOING parcels post matter Will be
collected and from which incoming
| matter of the same kind will be sent
for distribution by a separate force Of
carriers, thus clearing the decks for
the more expeditions handling of first
class mail.
To.morrow's article will show how
the Senate and House committees are
! approaching the problems OF tax and
tariff revision.