The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-12-10


The Efforts being made by the postonics
department to improve the NAL delivery IN
Alaska. as outlined by Deputy Postmaster
Coikett. are deserving OK commendation'
but il seems evident sha, even Yet the
postmaster general does not realize how
rapidly the country is setting up. and how
necessary i, viii be for constant develop
ment even of the present plans
The St. Michael route viii only be OF adj
vantage for part Of the year. and tnen
only for the purpose Of reaching COM
parassvely limited area. The government
last summer did its best 10 improve the
postal facilities Of Alaska by sending
special inspector 10 report npoa the sitaa-
ton. The exigency suggested to the de-
partmenr 10 give him unusual powers He
had TO make journey Of several thousand
miles. and the arrangements were there
fore necessarily very hastily made. and FAR
from being as complete as could be desired
Transportation is being improved very rap
idly. and even centers Of population are
quickly formed. This will necessitate
equally prompt changes not only in the
location OF central offices, but in the means
adopted to insure the quickest delivery.
The plan at present is TO send most Of the
interior mail by way OF Dyea- This place
is a good Illustration OF the transforma-
tons which take place in very short time
In the new mining districts. year and
q few months ago Dysa consisted of an
Indian village and one store. For some
years before the only pass to the Yukon
interior was by way of Dyea over the Chill
koot pass. A new town has sprung up not
far from pyea even since that date. that
has the largest population OF any place
in Alaska, and whose postoffiee handies
probably more mail matter than all the
other postoffiees in Alaska put together.
Under the present arrangement every
steamer paid by the government to carry
mail north docks al Skagway, puts on the
mail there in a rowboat or on scow for
Dyea-according to official stipulations-
and nearly the whole of that mail has then
to be brought back from Dyea TO Skagway
postoffice. The Canadian government has
a postal station in Skagway and has 10
fetch its American mail for the klondike
over from Dyea to that point. 1t has now,
also. postal stations all the way from Skas-
way to Dawson, and a regular service, and
has offered to carry the American mail
along With its own on very easy terms to
the United States government.
Our government has. for some reason, not
taken advantage OF this. but has entered
into an expensive contract by which the
mail for Circle City has 10 be carried for
over seven hundred miles on exactly the
same footpath as that followed by the Do
n,inion letter carriers. 1t would seem as
II there were no reason why an arrange
ment with tile Dominion government to
carry our mails to Dawson could not be
readily made: thence sending them On to
Circle City and other postoffices in Ameri-
can territory by our own contractors The
Canadian government has its mounted po-
lice. and its stations every thirty miles to
properly rerfcrm this mail carrying. The
United States mail contractor has to carry
his tent and his supplies for the long jour
ney with him Moreover, according to his
stipulatons. he must carry them over the
Chilkoot pass, impossible, sometimes. for
a week or ten days at time, on account or
storms. There Is no reason why he should
not take the Skagway railroad over the
summit.
The passenger traffic into Alaska by way
of the Yukon has now subsidized INTO a nor
NAL condition. There is less Of the rush
and confusion which made ii 50 difficult TO
deliver letters last year: out. even now, the
quantity Of mail matter is very large. 1t Is
sure 10 grow. and the postoffice depart
men. should make provision SO that either
the postmaster at Seattle or special In
spectcr should have discretionary power 20
meet exceptional requirements.