Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1892-02-27
THE srAR-RouTs SERVICE.

Prlvations Undcyeons by the Mounted Mall |
CnrpfSM ofthe Rural south.
THE starroute mail service of this |
country has made many men rich and
kept many men poor The mail carrier
who jogs along the muddy country
roads In this state, generally has not an
extra coat to his back and few extra
dollars in his pocket The big con.
tractor, on the other hand-the man
who buys up many routes from the gov
ernment-frequently has more money
than he knows what to do with. AT
least other persons, especially the hum
BILE mail carrier, sometimes thinks so.
However, the profit in this business is
not what it once was by a great deal.
for competition. that leveler OF incomes,
is now close.
On February the contracts for star
routes will be let for Kentucky, North
Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi, Ala
bama, Florida, Georgia and South Car.
olina- The proposals are now all in.
The contract lasts from July 1, 1892, to
June 80, 1906. Every route must be bid
for separately and separate bond given
for each. The government is very par
ticular in this respect The bids are
made according to the weight Of the
mail to be carried, the distance of the
route and the number of times per weeh
it has to be carried In few If any cases
does the man who makes the successful
bid carry the mail himself, for general
ly one man or one firm gets several hun
dred of the contracts. The contractor
then sublets the routes to men who
agree to carry it for SO much per year.
There is generally a vast difference be-
tween his idea Of what it costs to carry
the mail and the governments 1t is
said that some carriers who have to
work every day do not make fifty cents
per diem. Besides, they have to furnish
their own conveniencea 1t is generally
carried on horseback, though a buggy,
a bus or a stage may be used. This. in
fact, is the distinctive characteristic OF
star route as different from other
forms of mail service. The government
does not specify how it shall be carried.
The hardships of the street car driver
are nothing compared with the suffer.
| ing that some of the mail carriers in
this state have to undergo. In rain,
snow, sleet or hail they have to take
their long daily rides. The thermome-
ter may get so low that cattle freeze in
| the field, but the mail carrier is sup
| posed to be invulnerable for the pay OF
| City cents a day. He has to catch trains,
on pain of losing his contract and there.
by forfeiting his bond. when the roads are
little less than beds of quicksapd He
has to feed his horse, feed himself and
| family, not to mention clothing and the
expen of keeping his vehicle in order IL
he uses one, for fifty cents day. They
| must be wonders of economy, these
mail carriers In some portions of the
state, especially in the southeastern
part, the mail carrier has to go only
once week There are places not
fifty miles from Louisville where mail
is received only three times week. The
carrier, however, has one thing to COM
pensate for his small pay where mail is
| delivered only once a week He is q
very important personNge there, out
ranking the country squire except
when the examining trial of a murderer
is to be held. An eager crowd, who
have not heard from the outer world for
six days. await his arrival The first
| sight of him as his horse turns q bend
in the country road, is u village sensa
| ton, the greatest probably since he
made his last trip. In addition to the
mail he carries the gossip of othe.
neighborhoods and the news from the
entire outer world. When he alights
| from his horse and stretches his limbs
he is quickly the center of a crowd of
eager inquirers. Thus his small pay
and many privations are not without
their reward.-Louisville Courier-J our
| EaL