The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-05-18
BRISTOW is HERE.
Refuses to Have Word to Say
About Politics.
Talks Interestingly About the
Rural Delivery.
WILL MAKE 1T BETTER
The Pay of Carriers Is to Be
Raised.
Finds That System Is Popular
With Farmers.

Joseph L. Bristow, fourth assistant
postmaster general, reached Topeka
this morning from Salina- He Will
remain here until tomorrow evening,
when he will leave for Texas to con-
tinue his Investigations of the work
ings of the rural free delivery system
and the problems in connection
with it.
The placing of the rural delivery
service under the Supervision of the
fourth assistant postmaster general
adds largely to the duties and re-
sponsibility of that Office. Not op.y
does the fourth assistant have charge
of all inspection work, which has been
very great in the past year. but he
also has the appointment of all fourth
class postmasters in the country. num-
bering upwards of 10000 In addi-
ton to that the rural delivery service
is now placed under his direction, CIV
ing him not only the oversight OF
$4,000 rural carriers, but also the re-
sponsibility of building up the rural
delivery service on a sound basis In a
way that will give the maximum ser
vice with the minimum expense
That is why Mr.. BristOW is now
away from Washington. He is max
ing a personal investigation OF the
rural delivery business by going over
some of the routes in person IN dlHer-
ent parts of the country. He went
over a number of routes in Missouri
and he has gone over one route IN
Franklin county and another out of
SaIina since reaching Kansas He is
pretty well acquainted with conditions
lout here however, and will put in
more time in those regions which Of
fer greater contrasts and where ne Is
not so well acquainted.
Mr. BristoW says there is no po-
litical significance in his present visit
to Kansas. He is not even talking
Ii "a
livery service and his present mission
Rural free delivery is now in an
important stage of development, and
it is important that it should be de-
veloped right The appropriation Tor
the service the coming year is over
twenty million dollars. Beginning
with July / there Will have TO be a
new adjustment of carriers salaries,
for which nearly all of this amount
will be used. The maximum salary to
be paid carriers after July 1 will be
S72O a year, as against $500 now To
get an equitable basis for fixing these
salaries is a question of great impor-
tance, in which the conditions of the
roads, the density of the populat ton
and the length of the route must en-
ter. In establishing rural service it
is necessary to make the routes of
different lengths on account of the
: density of the population and the
topography of the country Some
routes may be only fifteen miles long.
while others may be twenty-five or
thirty.
'"The postmaster general thought
, that 1 might be able to get valuable
information which will aid in fixing
this basis by going into different
, parts of the country and investigating
| conditions personally, and that
could also secure information which
will be of great benefit in settling
matters which are constantly coming
before the department relating to the
| duties of carriers and, privileges
{ which may be allowed them, and that
; is why I am out on this trip.
What consideration should be given
: to the character of the roads in the
= installation of rural service, is another
important question In some regions
= the roads are necessarily poor, While
E in others they are generally good. For
5 instance, if we should require the same
: standard of roads in the mountainous
or hilly regions of Kentucky and Mis-
= souri, hat we do in a prairie country like
! Kansas, or in Ohio where large num-
2 Der of the roads are macadamized, you
= can readily see that the hilly regions
, would not get many rural routes, so
t tnat the same standards cannot be
Z maintained in justice to the people OF
t all sections.
another important question is how
: far carriers may be permitted to do a
package delivery business without in
terfering with the prompt delivery of
l the mails. Congress has passed a law
putting a stop to carriers acting as
agents
r on commission. but they are still per
5 mitted to carry packages at the re-
{ quest of the patrons of the routes
= TIeret ofore carriers have been permit
ted to act as agents for newspapers,
receiving a commission on all subserip-
tions and they have also acted as
} / sales agents for mail order houses or
local merchants. In the east the local
7 merchants have frequently employed
= them to secure orders for goods and in
the west they frequently do the same
? thing for the big mail order houses,
= getting a commission on all goods sold
? This is now forbidden by a law passed
bv congress, but carriers can still do
errarads for patrons along their routes
and receive pay for it if they wish For
= instance. if q farmer asks a carrier 10
bring him out dollars worth of sugar
from town the carrier can do it and
charge Whatever fee he and the farmer
NAV agree upon. But it must be AT
the request of and for the accommo-
idation of the patrons Of the route and
; not on a commission paid by the mer-
chant who gets the trade. Nor must
il in any way interfere with the prompt
dispatch of the mails.
Il find that rural free delivery is very
Dopular with the farmers. 1t has re-
suIted in a great increase in the cir-
cuIation of daily newspapers 1t makes
a lively interest in the country in cur
rent affairs. The boy who is not big
enough to work is generally standing
at the mail box waiting for the carrier
and if the carrier is late he is just as
disappointed as town folks are when
= the train is late I was talking to a
man a day or two ago about it and he
said it is impossible to realize the
, | blessings of rural delivery unless one
has tried both systems The farmer gets
his daily paper from town every day,
he knows everything that is going on