Committee on Railway Mail Pay

Created by the United States Congress in 1912, the Committee on Postage on Second-Class Mail Matter and Compensation for Transportation of Mail studied two big questions: postage on second-class mail and how much railroads should be paid for carrying mail. It served during the 62nd and 63rd Congresses and remained active until 1915.

The committee was made up of three senators and three representatives, drawing members from the Senate and House postal committees. It was chaired by Senator Jonathan Bourne Jr. of Oregon, and its work included hearings, investigation, and progress reports as Congress repeatedly extended its deadline so the study could be finished.

Because this was a government committee rather than a single personal author, there is no individual author biography to give here. The value of the work comes from its official, documentary view of postal and railway policy during a period of major change in American communications and transportation.