The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1880-02-14
Daily Mail Service Defended.

was handled in mastery style.
Daily Mail Service Defended.
The Other Side of the Mail Questionable
| Shortcomings of the Former Service
| Observation-Disclosures and Crop
| Items-A Wedding, etc.
ASCENSION, February 8, 1880.
EDITOR CHIEF:
The daily mail route between Donald
sonville and mouth Of Red river appears
just now to be the chief topic of the day.
Any where and every where, in the
streets Of cities, Of towns, Of villages,
along the country public road aud in the
columns of almost every journal directly
Or indirectly interested, we hear and
find comments on THIS project OF course,
the delivery of mails is an important
matter, and deserves the earnest atten-
ton and consideration Of the public in
| general. The Post-Of1ice Department at
Washington has, during the past eigh-
teen months, been trying. to improve
the mail service on this route. It's aim
! is to have a daily instead of semi
weekly or tri-weekly delivery at each
and every post-office along the Missis-
sippi river between New Orleans and
Red River Landing, for which we, the
| public, tender our thanks to the depart
ment, though its efforts thus far have
proved but slightly beneficial to the
| community. The good will of the De-
| partmcnt and Of Postmaster General Key,
has been manifested, and we trust that
their aim to serve us with Il daily deliy-
cry OF mail may yet, ere many weeks
pass, be brought to the point Of pertec-
| ton.
| We admit that, since the 10th of JAN
nary, the mails have been delivered
rather tardily and irreg'llarly, but salts
factory causes for the failure have ex-
listed f; and the present determined efforts
OF the contractor, Mi. Brott, to remedy
the Deficiencies, plead that the tempo
rary disorder should be overlooked We
| admire the energy Of MI. Brott and the
good work he is engaged in Of trying to
improve the mail service on a route that
| should long ago have had more attention
paid to it. During the past week the
mails We're delivered quite regularly,
only having been somewhat detained on
two occasions by the inclemency Of the
weather; aud we now labor under the
impression that by next week contractor
Brott will have his boats in trim to make
the trips and connections on time He
has four boats plying in this service,
where two might do what is required,
which OF itself seems to promise sure
go and fultilment Of contract.
Every body has had enough of mail
delivery by the Bayou Sara semi-weekly
packets, Edw. J. Gay and John W. Can
non. These boats may do during the
summer months, when cotton bales,
hogsheads Of sugar and barrels Of molas-
ses don't crowd the river landings and
business ill general is easy, but when we
look back into the Fall and Winter
months, when business is brisk, we find
that there was neither a punctual or
| regular delivery of mail by these boats
On many occasions they were either
from eighteen to thirty two hours behind
time, or had too fine loads to make it
| worth their while to recognize a post
office landing along the route. The Gay
was particularly lax i'll this respect and
the only exchange Of mails that was in
any way regular was that made by the
Cannon, which amounted to semi
weekly mail only. Rather than have the
humbug of the Bayou Sara packet mail
delivery anew, we prefer to wait a little
longer on contractor Brott and have him
get matters straight, when all will feel
better satisfied.
III addition to other advantages, as
long as we have packets plying daily OH
this route, prices of passage will be
greatly reduced and give the poor man
as we'll as the rich an opportunity to
travel. When the Bayou Sara packets
monopolized this portion of the river
business, fare to New Orleans from this
point was four dollars, now it is two
dollars and fifty cents from one post
Office landing to another, from fifty cents
to one dollar has been the usual charge,
but now it is only twenty-five cents. Is
not this an item worthy of consideration,
when the question Of this mail route is
under discussion In conclusion. beg
to say that if the Iberville South, which
has 50 mnch to say against the daily
mail route, will give the matter d few
moments sensible consideration. it must
admit What has been stated herein, to be
true. and that the Bayou Sara mail boats