The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-06-19
POSTAL BANK IS
GIVEN BIG BOOST
Postmasters in the Convention
Favor Idea and Parcels
Post Also.
Want a Dead Letter Office in the
Northwest; the Matter of
Surety Bond.


L
Paper Before The State
Association.
From Thursdays Daily.
| Postal savings banks, parcels post on
rural routes and a branch dead letter
office in the northwest were some of
the important measures upon which
legislation is recommended in the reso-
luton adopted yesterday at the Cos.
ing session of the convention of the
Minnesota Postmasters' association
which has been meeting in the post
office building.
The following resolutions were
adopted; that postal savings bank
system be established; that postmas-
tiers be permitted to furnish surety
company bonds for 90 per cent of their
bonds; that branch dead letter Of
flee be established in the northwest
that the promiscuous sale of stamps
in amounts of 81 or more be stopped
that the use of sde-opening envelopes
be abolished and the end-opening en-
velops be established; that allow
ances for clerk hire in third class Of
fees be regulated, and that a special
parcels post be established on rural
!, routes.
| The Officers Chosen.
The following officers were elected:
I III ~
vice president, w. T. Callihan, Long
/ Prairie; secretary and treasurer, c. A.
Rasmussen, Red Wing. The executive
! committee will consist of the follows
: ING members: First district, G.. F. CAL
! Imam, Rochester, Second, p. NJ. Lyons,
! Madison Lake; Third, William Kaiser,
Faribault; Fourth, T. C. Johnson, Rush
City; Fifth, W. D. Hale, Minneapolis;
! Sixth, w. T. Callihan, Long Prairie;
/ Seventh, William Peterson, Atwater;
] Eighth. w. j. AmHlon, Anoka; Ninth,
E. Mattson, Breckenridge.
! The meeting next year will be held
in st. Paul, at the call OF the presi-
dent. The visiting lostmasters were
entertained at the Commercial club
last evening.
! During the forenoon addresses were
made by Senator Moses f. Clapp, Sec
on Assistant Postmaster General
James T. McCIeary df Mankato and
Postmaster Edward Vanish of st. Paul.
Talk on Parcels Post.
Mr.. Vanish spoke on the parcels
post. He said the postage upon pack
ages of the fourth class should be re-
duced from l6 to II cents pound,
and the maximum weight of packages
be increased from bur to eleven
| pounds, and that spe:ial parcels post
be established on rural routes for
! packages originating On rural routes
or at the distributing pstoffice for de-
livery by rural carriers to patrons at
rate of cents for he first pounds
and 2 cents for each additional pound
or fraction part Thereof up to eleven
pounds. !"
Mr.. McCIeary did no. favor an un-
limited parcels post, because it was
not the function of the mails to carry
merchandise. He believed the estab
lishment of postal banks would help
to prevent panics.
Senator Clapp spoke briefly upon the
value of meetings suci as this one,
where questions of natDnal Importance
could be discussed.
In the afternoon A. J. Vergel of
Mankato read paper in which he
advocated allowing postnasters to fur
nish 90 per cent of their bond in a sur
ETY. company bond. Few appointments
he said, are made where men are not
competent and reliable.
Suggest Good Roads.
P. A. Peterson of Cannon Falls gave
some excellent SUGGESTIONS for the i'm
provement of roads, on rural routes.
At present, he said. there is a great
deal of time and money wasted by
farmers, VINO loaf during the greater
part of the time put in on the road.
He advocated cooperation of the coun-
ty superintendent of roads with the
chairmen of the town boards in
campaign for road improvement and
the adoption of the contract system
for this work.
w. T. Sallahan of Long Prairie adj
vocated action to regulate the allow
ances given to postmasters of third
class offices for the payment of clerks.
He gave figures collected from twenty
postmasters, showing that the pay
ments to clerks far exceeded the al
lowances by the government for that
purpose. Thus the postmasters' sala-
ries supposed to range from $1,000 to
$1,000 are cut down several hundred
dollars.
The promiscuous sale of postage
stamps was heartily condemned by
Assistant Postmaster P. O'Brien of
this city.
John Sheehy postmaster at Mont
gomery, and who is attending the con-
vention has the dictinction of having
received the first postmastership plum
in Minnesota under the Cleveland adj
ministration, in 1885.