The following pages are based upon answers to the interrogatories of the Post Office Department and contain a statement of the mail service performed by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Company, a system extending westward from Chicago into eleven different States and embracing approximately ten thousand miles of main and branch lines. The two principal tables of interrogatories were sent out under date of September 28, 1909, by the Post Office Department as the basis for this investigation. These tables indicate the minute and thorough manner which the Department employed in making this inquiry. Some questions having arisen regarding the meaning and scope of the word "authorized" in connection with the returns of space occupied and used for the mails in Post Office cars and apartment cars, and in certain other features, the Department, under date October 23, 1909, issued an important supplementary letter of instructions. Pursuant to these interrogatories, instructions and requests the Burlington Company has filed with the Department the exact and detailed statements, train by train and car by car, of the mail service upon each of the one hundred and two mail routes on its system, large and small, for the month of November, 1909, which were thus called for. These answers state the facts and state them in the manner prescribed wherever possible. Every inch of space on passenger trains and cars which in these tables is shown to be occupied or used for mail or express or for passengers is set down from actual measurements made, car by car, and not upon any "estimate" or "consist" basis. In the appendix will be found four tables prepared under the direction and supervision of Mr. DeWitt which contain the results of this investigation into the mail service upon the Burlington, as disclosed in these statements. Exhibit A is a statement of the car facilities or space used in every car in service on the road during the month of November for mail, and for express or occupied by passengers based upon replies to questions prescribed in Form 2601. Exhibit B is a statement of the station facilities, furnished for the mail, prepared on Form 2602. Exhibit C is a statement of Revenues and Expenses and of train and car mileage, prepared on Form 2603. Exhibit D is a statement of the number, and cost, and present value of Post Office cars and Apartment cars, prepared on Form 2605. THE INTEGRITY OF THE RETURNS. In November, 1909, all the service rendered in all passenger trains and cars of the Burlington system, reduced to a common basis of car foot miles (that is, each foot of linear space that was carried one mile), amounted to 529,936,590 car foot miles, divided as follows: In Passenger Service. Mails. Express. 428,164,920 62,246,130 39,525,540 (80.8%) (11.75%) (7.45%)