The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-11-27
A Stupid Postal Law

Writing on "A General Transport Serv-
ice on the Rural Post Route" in Golfers
for Nov. .. Mr.. James l.. Cowles says;
'On every week day over 59,oO0 post
wagons traverse the rural post routes OF
the United States carrying 20 the homes
Of the 10 American citizen kings on the
average route upward of 100000 in all,
and representing population OF some
D.ee00jo) the letters, magazines and news
papers which, among other things keep
them informed as To the plans and move
ments OF their public servants at the
centers OF public business. and which also
advertise TO them that most important
Intelligence 10 the modern man-namely,
intelligence as 10 where TO satisfy MS
wants and dispose of his wares Strange
~ enough. however. while his public
servants have provided the rural Amer
lean citizen king with public vehicle
for the transportation OF intelligence,
they have excluded him from its use
either for his own transportation or for
that Of his supplies or of his produce. The
uneOnscionable taN-l6 cents a pound on
merchandise limited TO four-pound par
cels-is practically prohibiuye-
ION the first establishment OF the seFy-
ice many of the owners of the rural post
wagons, believing themselves entitled I'M
der the law to the rights of the Old post
chaise. added to the transport of the
ing at their own risk and at their own
rates passengers, baggage, large parcels
of merchandise. anything that was Of
tsred up TO the limits or their vehicles
profit both to the carrier and TO the dis
trict which he served.
Suddenly. however in 1864. this general
transport business of the rural post coach
was abolished. A provision In the postal
appropriation bill of 1894 cut down the
rural wagon service 10 that OF the city
foot post. Since then carrier who has
dared 10 transport passenger or u par
eel over four pounds IN weight on his We
hicle has done so at his peril.
Mr.. Cowles then shows what ignorant
81 lon nrn a.
TO submit 10 AZ the hands of our cum
gressmen and senator's lie says:
This reduction i'm the business OF the
rural post wagon outside its regular mail
service necessitated. of course, an in
crease in the carriers salaries, and today
salaries varying from S452 for an eight
mile route 10 $40 for a twenty-fOuF- mile
route are paid for the service Of man
with horse and wagon. transporting on
the average route quantities or mail mat
ter weighing in the aggregate-nastter
collected and delivered per day-less than
twenty pounds and IN dimensions less
than bushel. while the income received
from the less than two pounds or mall
matter originating on the average daily
route is not over IL cents per day-this
against an average cost of over s. per
day.
''The fault. however. is not in the sala-
~ II the rural carrier His salary would
be low enough. in all conscience. If he
were obliged to make his four to eight
hour daily trip with a wagon altogether
empty. The evil Of the situation lies in
the fact that public servants at Wash
ington deny TO the rural public reason
able use of the public vehicle that passes
their doors. The American public IS very
much In the condition Of Il farmer to
whom his employee denies the use Of his
own horse and wagon. Think OF your
emplOye informing you that not only
should you not ride in Your own wagon,
you should not transport anything in it
except a few letters, magazines, news
papers, books and four pound parcels Of
Merchandise. And yet this is Just what
the servants of the American people
United States senator's and representa-
tives-are doing today. Their restriction
of the rural post wagon service depriVes
the people of its reasonable use. cuts
down its earnings, retards the develop
ment of the country, and causes a def
cheney in the postal revenues which. for
the year ending June 80. 1905, exceeded
| $1i, 000,