The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1878-08-29

Official Press of King County.
Thursday, August 80, 1878.
POSTAL SERVICE.

the isolation of Western pioneer lite,
or contemplated the lonely condition
of the resolute few who have bravely
allotted to themselves the task OF lead.
ing the van of progress and civilization
into the forests and unsettled valleys
of a new country like ours, can scarcely
realize how highly they esteem the ad-
vantages of we'll regulated postal
service, and to how great an annoyance
they may be- subj ected by any interior
ence with the proper regulation of this
privilege. 1t is the connecting link
which binds them 10 the outside world
and associations Of the past. OF noces-
sity the service is generally limited to
one mail week, and it is q matter of
the greatest importance to them that
this service should be 80 regulated az to
meet their requirements. Too fire.
quently. however, the wishes of those
in whose interest the service is suppOs-
ed to be conducted are totally disre-
garded by the contractor. who manages
to run it upon a schedule to suit his
own personal convenience rather than
the requirements of the people. If
this is TO be the rule in such case; If the
postal service. SO far as applied to the
moro sparsely settled portions of our
country, is to be run solely in the i'll
terest of few individuals who have
managed to gobble up the contracts.
instead of being regulated according
to the requirements of tho districts
into which it is conducted, it i, best to
know it and then our people will know
what to expect.
Lately. numerous complaints have
come to US from the Squak Valley,
Fall City and Snoqualmie settlements,
where recent changes in tho
regulations of their weekly mail
service has put the people
to great Inconvenience. A petition was
some time ago forwarded to the De-
partment and the service so regulated
AS to meet the requirements of the
settlers exactly. BY this arrangement
the mail carrier left Snoqualmie every
Friday morning for Seattle with the
outgoing mail, arriving here on the
evening of that day; he started out on
his return trip again on Saturday
morning. BY this arrangement
the settlers along the route re-
ceived the Seattle, Portland and
other papers fresh from the press.
Moreover many Of them have various
little errands to town once o week
which the carrier. who came in one
day and returned tho next. could easily
perform for them, and this alone WAS
great accommodation. A new carrier
took the route; petition was gotten
up. we understand. for changing the
schedule and circulated here in town
where the people know nothing of the
merits of the case. and of course suffi
cient number of signatures were obtain
eel. The arrangements of the service
were then changed 50 that now the
Seattle mail instead of leaving here on
Saturday, as heretofore. goes out on
Friday morning, consequently the set
tiers who have been therefore, been ac
oustomed to receive their papers timely
and fresh do not get them until they
become week old. Furthermore, the
bulk of the Eastern reaches here on
Friday evening, aud consequently that
portion of it directed to the section in
question must needs lay over here q
whole week.
This route. from Seattle to Snoqual-
mie, is about forty miles in length but
twenty miles of the distance is now
traversed by the Seattle and walla
Walla Railroad and the Newcastle
extension, terminating at the latter
place. to which point daily mail SER
vice from Seattle has recently been ex-
tended. The proper thing to be done
then Is 20 readjust the Suoqualmie
route to the new postal regulations, and
have 1t terminate at Newcastle instead
of Seattle. then the service could be
performed from Newcastle on SATURDAY.
rs it has heretofore been from Seattle.
besides it could be obtained through
private carriers much oftener. We
We would suggest that the settlers of
the several districts in question make q
move in this direction. and immediately
send strong petition to that end.
Possibly tri-weekly service might be
secured in this way at no additional
expense. At least the Inconvenience of
which they now complain might be
easily done away with.
NEGoT1 ATOMS pRxnrSo ii Ia ra