Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1905-12-29

character who will take dictation
| rather than makes enemies.
The Postal Deficiency.
Editor Leader:--In further support
Of the claim that practical farmers,
not merely theorists, are needed In
congress, let me call your attention
TO a proposition 10Y pending.
The report from the Postotfice De-
partment shows a deficiency OF
nearly sl4,0OO,OOO a year for the
last two years business. The main
cause for this large deficit Is claimed
and very likely correctly so-to
support the now widely extended
rural delivery service. TO overcome
this underbalance and to place the
post service on q paying basis, Con
gresham Henry of Connecticut, in
PRODUCED a bill in the house of Rep.
re~sentatiyes about a year ago provid-
ing for the rural post wagon to col
lect and deliver parcels within the
limits Of the rural route.
In connection 1t is claimed that
the average farm post wagon is col.
lecting and delivering less than q
pounds of mail matter per day and
bringing into the postofice less than
40 cents per day. The net loss on
the average wagon is claimed to be
about one dollar per day.
Your correspondent must admit
that he cannot reconcile these fig.
ures. AS 1t Is understood the salary
OF the rural mail carrier Is now in
creased to $3.50 a year which would
amount to about S2.45 q day, then, If
his service brings into the postofiice
less than 40 cents per day, 1t would
be over s2 per day, for which amount
1t would be necessary to provide.
The proposition for the parcel
business is to enable the farm post
wagon to carry parcels from the vii
lage store or from the railroad sta
tion and to take to market butter,
eggs and other produce farmers have
to sell. For this purpose the bill
places In one class all parcels from a
pint to a barrel In dimensions and
from a half pound to 200 hundred
pounds in weight, with rates of one
cent on parcels up to eight ounces,
two cents on parcels w eight
ounces to one pound, five cents on
parcels from n pound to two
pounds, etc., UP to % cents Oil ii
barrel.
Not having seen the bill we al only
speak Of its reported features and it
seems there may be a mistake-per-
haps q mispfilt In the rate figures.
Five cents on parcels from one pound
to two pounds, for, obviously, such a
rate Is entirely out Of proportion to
the rest. But a glance at these fig
ures would convince the most OF
us that even a two cents per pound
rate will practically prohibit any
traffic OF the kind from leading up to
an adequate amount Of business.
Most articles OF farm produce will
not bear that charge. Even butter,
one OF the most condensed articles Of
the farm, will not stand u charge
OF two cents q pound for carrying
from the farm to the local market,
and the price for the service is too
high. II all the factors going into
the production Of a pound of butter
should be paid at that rate the price
Of butter would shoot away up, even
above the present highwater mark.
While IL ii true that in theNcream-
cry business the collecting Of cream
Is paid for at that rate, this cream
collecting and the pay for it is a con-
slant dissatisfaction both to the
farmer, to the cream collector and
to the creamery, and here, in this