Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1950-11-10


w mands shout "Featherbeddng" But If
featherbedding they about. let them
anime their record since 1915
Fact feaherbedding for "a
Uncle Sans to the tune of hundreds of mill
lions of dollars Uncle Sans dollars remember dol
lars and
The featherbedding a "round trip
legalized clause which you'll find tucked in the
Uncle pays railroads a full of mail
from Chicago to Seattle and then pays them to haul
although the roads woefy short of these days
Neat little gimmick, isn't it, And oh, how that
rolls railroad Golfers that is The Postoffce Depart
the trip costs the
ernment around $50 million year It's lot of jack.
The racket lucrative that the railroads prefer to send
back empty rather than for commercial traffic
They get that Testimony hearings dis
closed that railroads actually have issued not to
other traffic particular n order to fully protect
accomplish that end.
In the Senate August 3d. 1850 H. Humphrey
orator cars were east from the west coast as
basis for obtaining deadheadmail at time when
similar needed the west to bring the fruit crop
east"
Humphrey speaking in support of his amendment to
1915 would 'round trip pay"
provisions the Act Now, that provision originally
Civil Service Committee after hearings The railroads brought
trt 10 % ptff naft % was nrasened bv Uiv two W
The railroads managed to win delay to permit fur
study" paying twice for moving
the mail
Office General Services Ad
all elimination of the round tri"
And with these findings butressng his Humph
rep introduced S. 1896.
The Postmaster in the first such study 20 points
that the tremendous abuses possible under the
Chat is impossible to administer and that
close 20 percent of the claims filed by the railroads in
correct.
original excuse, 1916 for round trip provision.
that mail could not be by the railroads for
purpose of the mail changed
mendous Today almost rs of the mail parcel post
which transported in baggage
milk refrigerator converted freight coaches
In short, in that be used for other purposes
Lindsay c. Warren, us Comptroller General, calls the
economically unsound enthusiastically impractical
plainly nequable to the He describes the
alarming" The exhibits reports show
shippers considerably
rate with the roads entirely responsible for
the return of the evident that the greater
profitable for the railroads to return empty which
used for mail transportation rather than returning
them with a pay load of private shippers goods"
shows other interesting angles. Gears
yng full loads out do not promptly but often
carriers convenience substi
returned making possible for the railroads
realize income Many substitute returned in
freight trains and the trip paid for at rates.
The Secretary of Commerce. in special report to the
place the Post Office Department bunessike
accorded other shippers rail- North Of the border
the Canadian for transporting mail
way basis mile Uncle Sam pays 50.62 cents
another mile trip empy)
Postmaster General filed comprehensive PLAN for
revision with the Interstate Commerce Commission July
1948 the ICC didn't regulations out the
revisions and March 30 1885, ordered hearings instead
used in transportation of the mails the railroads
allowed to substitute other the deadhead return
This for the convenience of the railroads
other specific
point of mail destination, such
substituted for the trip" Warren.
study that the to the of unused
in and out of Los Angeles during April 948 $4O
900, rate of $480OO0 yearly.
mail illustrates railroads taking Uncle
Sam Carloads of milk moving trains require