The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1905-11-30
NEED MONEY TO
CONTINUE SERVICE

u now snail Wo get our mall service
continued for another year On route
No. | is again before the public and
perhaps a discussion of the subject
through your columns will not be out
of order.
Our present carrier, Mr.. A. j.
FrIedley nas just completed a year
of faithful service, but declines to 90
on with the work without continua-
tlon Of the assistance that has been
accorded by the patrons for several
years past.
lhe soliciting committee for last
year of which the Undersigned was a
member met at Butler Il Co. g Bank
last Saturday and went over last
years accounts. On each division of
the loute il was found that a num-
Der had neglected to pay their sub
scriptions and in some instances the
Subscribers had moved away.
1t is hoped that those who are de-
linquent will pay up at once and even
linen 1t is doubtful whether final
accounting will produce enough funds
to make complete the amount proniis-
ed Mr.. Friedley when he took up the
work year ago.
For the coming year Mr. Friedley
asks that the patrons contribute the
sum of Sl66. This will laise his salary
TO $500 for the year and out OF this he
VIII keep up the old rig or purchase a
new one If necessary. There are 30
mail boxes and more than that num-
Ger OF patrons ON the route 80 it
should be an easy matter to raise the
required amount.
lt would seem unnecessary at this
time to have to offer any arguments
why the government wages are unsufh
cient to the needs of our carrier be-
cause the facts in the case are open
to every one, but occasionally person
IS met who objects to contributing
his mite, for one reason or another,
and for the benefit of these a portion
OF the "old straw will be here re-
threshed.
The present annual salary now paid
our carrier is 1854, which gives him
an average daily wage of 1925. To
this through the package business
Mr.. Friedley assures me an average
of little less THAI 20 cents per day is
added making his daily wages about
81. A.. Out of this if no assistance
were given him he would have to sup
port both himself and team and
would also have TO keep his mail
wagon repaired. This wagon is so
near ready for the bono yard that a
new one will be necessity within an
other year. Surely no right thinking
person will say that S2.4 per day is
enough.
Then there are those who will admit
that the salary is too low but argue
that the government ought to increase
it without asking aid of the patrons.
This is very true and the writer in
dorses every word of it, but what are
you going t. do about it?
The salary for all rural carriers is
bat salary and in many instances
level roads, cheap feed and other fav
orable circumstances make the wages
quite satisfactory to the carriers, but
all who know the country here must
admit that such favorable conditions
do not rule in this locality. As long
as the majority of carriers are willing
to do the work at the 'ixed price it is
useless to think that the "powers that
be" will lose any sleep worrying over
the mail routes in Hood River valley.
There are IN ore forces at work at ev
eIy session of Congress trying to tear
down the whole r. f. d. system than
are engaged in trying to increase its
efficiency and If the farmers of our
valley routes are donkeys enough to
let our service go down in order to
save 5l,00 apiece these same forces
would laugh in their sleeves. Only
last Congress an attempt, which came
very near being successful, was made
to prevent carriers from delivering
parcels TO the farmers on their route
and while We are haggling over tax
few cents each per annum we may
expect to hear of this or sonnet hing
worse coming to pass.
The fact also that the patrons on
some routes are obliged to raise funds
each year tor the carriers is the best
argument we can offer that the pres
ent method of paying carriers needs
a readjustment.
Let each one remember, too, when
he begins to put on long face about
the matter that the sum raised each
year for the carrier really amounts to
less than we would average for the
rental of boxes in the postolfice with
the privilege thrown in of travelling
miles after our mail and OF hailing
every pagser5J aud asking him 10 Gin
quire tur Us at the postotiice. " One
fact to which we can hardly fail to
give pride to us all is the fact that
this some Route No. /, Hood River
valley, ranks second in the number of
patrons and quantity of business done
in the United States This statement
was made by the inspector on his last
call here. At the rate the country is
developing, be will not call many
more times until our route ranks first.
1t may not also he generally known
that every carrier is expressly prohib
tied from asking Tor contributions. A
little thought viii show that this rul-
ing is proper Que Ia making col
lect ons for the coming year the com
mittee wishes tC urge each citizen to
make himself c. tmmittee OF one 10
assist IL simplifying the work. This
IL every body's business Just as much
hs IL - Aihb tI q t6N II ~ tuGdlS.
A subscI iption paper il no at But
Ter Il Co.'S bank, aud each one is re
specially requested to go there at
once aud sign his name and ieaye his
contribution. After TesboGalle
length Of time has elapsed, new ctl
lectors, v ith the undersigned not in
cluded this year other as colieLtor or
trustee of fluids, will be sent oct To
interview the el!nqDents these cCl-
lectors win be selected both for their
qualifications in elequence and their
Skill as spIinters They will he happy
to crawl through barb wine fences aud
chase nimbly all over your ranches
search of you, and unto each one viii
be given the power to compel the sun
and the moon to stand still vhile he
argues the subject v it'll you hour ait
er hour. His coat aud bis trousers
will also be made of barrel stavos so
that barb wire won't phase him. By
these embl ms We shall know him.
K. +. HARRISON
Lost Apples BY Bad Spray.