Show VILAS a i < The PostinasteKOJeneral and tkePMSS Go > r JUWSFIR3IAND DETERMINED 1 Washington Tfotes Turf f Talk Iicse isibses Burial Uall Gnines Sir MbseS n Sold OutEtc Etc 4 J Yllas vs Steamers WASHINGTON July 3l Five Aufcri can steamship companies the Paclnc Mail San Fxancisco to Australia the RedandNew York to Venezuelathe Clyde New York to TurksIsland the New York Havana and Mexico and the New York and Cuba line have declined de-clined United States emails after today to-day Commenting upon thi action Postmaster Geaeral Vilas today said Certain American steamship lines probab y under the leal of the IPucific Mail Steamship Company have entered into combination apparently with the purpose of forcing distribution am < jng them of 1000 JO appropriate by Congress Con-gress for mileage compensation for carrying the mails Some 01 them wrote to the postoffice Department desiring to know what terms would lie eiven I proposed to each of the companies to go to the fall limit the law would allow and aWard them both the sea and inland postage This is about three times what they had been receiving for the same service during the past twelve years It is three times what is paid for carrying across the Atlantic At-lantic and probubly in most cases all that should be paid for carrying I the mails The companies were still acting in concert and in consequence conse-quence of their combination refused to accept these terms which were so liberal compared with tnose they had received They felt I suppose they could drive the government out of the position posi-tion it had taken in refusing to cacry for the compensation offered The companies com-panies seemed to think that if they refused re-fused to carry the mail there would be no other course left to the government govern-ment but to make contracts with them and distribute the 100000 accordingly A complete schedule for the transportation of mails will be nrranced and they will go with very little lit-tle difference in the point of time to their destination The statement has been made in newspapers to the effect that the United States government is ttat lt 3 tt not as liberal as Great Britain mf the compensation of steamship lines TIme fact is the rate which has been offered ourjmes very much exceeds the rate paid by Great Britain The rate we offer of-fer is about 63 per cent more than the British lines receive from their government It was a rate unjustifiably unjustifi-ably large more than ought to be paid but the eivernment deemed it fair to go to the utmost length of what law and reason allowed in order to avoid any difference with the American steamship steam-ship companies until Congress should meet The Department has made such arrangements that the public will suffer no inconvenience worthy of mention in respect to the carrying of mails and in some cases notably the Cuban service the mails will be expedited ex-pedited The superintendent of foreign mails said the American companies had refused re-fused an ofier of 160 per pound for carrying car-rying the mails This is what is known as combined sea and inland postage and is equivalent to 3200j per ton They receive at present the international inter-national rate of 41 cents per pound |