Evening star., 1934-02-20

thought that all Of these routes were
to go to predesignated bidders on the
inability of others to comply with the
advertisements. They all received the
highest pay. with one exception.
Pacific Routes.-The next routes
provided for were routes Nos. "a, 25
26, 27, % and 20, advertised for on
June II, 1928, and operations were to
begin on September 1, 1928. There
was much trouble about these routes
The Post Office Department and the
Shipping Board evidently desired to
give the maximum rates under the
law. The giant steamship companies
of the Pacif1c-the Dollar Lines and
the MatSOn Line, were rivals for the
Pacific trade. 1t was Incompetent
sible that there should be any COM
petitive bidding on these routes.
Route No. 30, from New York by
American route. P. A. S. Franklin of
the American Lines Steamship Corpo-
ration wanted the route. The Dollar
Line bid on this route, as we'll as the
Luckenbach Line. However, the Post
master General held that the Luck
enbach bid was not responsive and
that the Dollar Line bid was not
in proper form So that they were
both thrown out, and Mr.. Franklin got
the job at the highest rates of pay
incidentally, $3,7o2,osO for the 10-year
contract.
Savannah Liverpool Bremen.
There was no competitive bidding in
Route 33 and the contract was let to
the South Atlantic Steamship Co. at
cost to the United States of S.
$3.50.
The celebrated San Francisco, Los
Angeles, Buenos Aires route.-This
route "a was advertised October o.
1928. There was but one bid, and the
remarkable part about this bid was
that apparently, from record, it re-
duced its rates a few cents per mile.
or course this route was utterly USE
less, OF no possible value. The idea of
sending mail on a freight route from
San Francisco to Los Angeles and to
Buenos Aires! But the bidder, the
records show, carried in less than 30
months mail which at normal rates
would cost s274, and the Government
actually paid him s759,036.
Continued Under the Hoover Ad-
mlnlstration.-On April 18, 1929, a
new route from New Orleans to South
american ports was established and
plds asked for. But trouble arose
ABOUT the very first contract. AL
though the Postmaster General had
inserted in the advertisement. but
with provisions for limited passenger
service and suitable refrigeration
space" two bid-the Mississippi Ship
ping Co. and the Munson Line.
Why the Post Office Department was
interested in refrigeration space is
difficult to imagine, as all of the
proof indicates that 1t was not nee
esSary to carry the mails in a re-
fr1gerator, even in a hot country.
NOW, the MunSon Line runs more
foreign ships than American. It had
previously bid on two contracts and
was the fortunate bidder. Its bid was
lower on class 6 vessels and class S
vessels, but 1t was the same on class 4
vessels, and higher on class 8 and
class vessels. The Postmaster Gen
eral was about to give the contract
to the Munson Line, a foreign line,
when Senate Joint Resolution No.
1870 was passed, and the Mississippi
Shipping Co. got the contract. I
take it, therefore, that this Is legal
contract, and probably the only one
in the entire number of ocean mail
contracts that is legal contract.
Tacoma to Manila.
Route SO, from Tacoma to Manila
was advertised for bids in April, 1929.
There was only one bid, and the con-