The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1906-01-11
Inspectors Sent Around TO Prune
the Routes.
Some States Are Overrun With Them
-kentucky is Not Likely to
- BE Affected.
A NEW RURAL CARRIER RULE

million dollars last year on rura
free delivery, and is now trying tC
devise means of reducing the ex
pense. Inspectors have struck states
about Kentucky, and may come tc
this section. but 1t is not believed
that they will find any superfluous
expense down here. IL is thought
that Kentucky has only what is alb
solutely needed, and a great deal
more rural routes could be operated
with benefit to the people.
Annual deficits in the postoffice de-
partment are getting to be expected,
but nevertheless they are causing
the officials at Washington some con-
Germ, hence the move toward re-
trenchment. The point where most
of the expenditure which caused the
deficit of more than s14 900. 900 dur
ing the past year went, is thought to
be the rural free delivery routes,
which in some states have literally
run riot. Inspectors have been sent
out for the purpose of investigation
According to the inspectors in
other states some of the routes run
through ponds and quagmires, roads
impossible and districts almost with
out inhabitants. where the routes
are not only not used but not want
ed. Many of the boxes are not pat
ronized, and II is almost certain that
the inspectors will recommend that
they be cut Off, and that these rec
concentrations will be followed.
II is not thought that Kentucky
has any too many routes, as no in
spectors, as far as is known, have
been assigned TO investigate them
Louisville. Lexington and George
town are the only cities in the state
from which very many routes run,
and all of these are over good roadt
and through thickly settled portions
of the country.
Asked what he thought would be
the best method of decreasing the
deficit a postoffice official said: "The
rural routes are the largest source
of expense. and the limiting of these
would help in that direction. 1t APP
pears that during the past year the
expense of the department was in
creased $40. 900 by them. Car
rying papers which are not really en-
titled To the rate at one cent
pound, is also a large cause of ex-
pense. though this has recently been
to a large extent"
The deficit has caused discussion
as to the ACCESSIBILITY of recreating
the old department stamp. which was
used for official purposes just after
the civil war. II all the departments
used stamps and a record were kept
as TO the amount of each, thus trans
forring the account from that of the
postoffice department to that of the
department using the frank, the re-
sponsibility for the expense could be
fixed and it might tend to make them
more careful. This idea is not con-
sidered favorably by many, however,
as they do not believe that the actu-
al expense would be cut down by this
process.
A number Of changes in the rules
Of rural delivery are being made, the
latest being a revocation of the reg
ulation requiring the rural carriers
to count and record each piece han
died In this way it was easy to de
termine at the end of a month just
how many letters, papers, packages,
etc., a carrier had handled. This rule
Is now abolished and the carriers
handle their mail just as carriers in
the city.