The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1908-02-06
INCREASE THE ROUTES
Annual Report Of Rural Mail Ser.
vice Shows Large Increase
in Number Of Routes
WISCONSIN is IN HIGH PLACE
Kenosha County Routes are Well Taken
Care Of Parcel Post Law Would
Benefit the Rural Carrier
Service.

sin has progressed so rapidly within
the past two years that now the state
ranks among the first seven states in
the union in the number of carriers.
With the beginning Of this year there
were 1886 country mail carriers, traver-
sing every one of the seventy-tW coun-
ties in the state, each one driving about
! twenty-five miles a day.
Seven men is the largest number Of
rural carriers going out Of any post
office in the United States, and Wis
consin has two Of these offices, Oshkosh
and Madison. Kenosha county there
are sixteen free delivery wagons car
rying the daily mail TO the farmers
who formerly were obliged to visit Ke-
nosha or small postofices in the county
for their mail.
All the rural carriers in Wisconsin
are paid their monthly wages from the
Milwaukee office, and each of the
checks is given the personal signature
Of Postmaster D. G. Owen. The annual
salary Of the carriers is lamentably
small, when the nature of their work
is taken into consideration. Under the
law 1920 is the limit a country mail
carrier receives, and out of that he
must provide himself with a suitable
rig and horse that can travel the re-
quired distance within certain speci-
fed time. Carriers are not permitted
to SLOUGH along their route and return
any old time They must report at
the distributing Office at certain hour
or else have good reasons for the de-
lay if they do not want their wages
locked
Regular carriers are allowed vaca-
ton of fifteen days each year with
pay. Each carrier must have a
deputy who when he is on duty
is paid the same money the reg
ular receives provided he supplies his
own conveyance. That phase of the
matter, however, is left to the carriers
to settle among themselves.
The wages of the rural carriers were
increased Is per cent in 1907. The to-
tai expenditures for salaries to regular
carriers last year in Wisconsin was ST,
| 229, 455.48 or $4,000 month. Sub
stitute carriers were paid $53, 1866
a total of $1,281,911.03 for the trans
portation Of mail into the country dis
tricts for one year.
The work of the rural carrier is not
hard, although it may be monotonous
He is not obliged to get out of his
buggy once during the entire day 4
drive and the patron on his routes who
refuses to provide a box will not share
in the generosity Of Uncle Sam. He
sells stamps and postal cards, but does
not have to wait anyone's pleasure and
the money for postage must Invariably
oe cash. An order was received from
Washington last week requiring all own
ers of rural mail boxes to place in il
small cup as receptacle for money
Formerly the money was put into the
large mail box and the carrier in winter
time with his hands heavily gloved hao
a difficult time to get hold Of the money
! MilWaukee's postmaster is an ardent
advocate of the parcels post bill pend
ing in congress and which has the
unqualified endorsement of his chief
Postmaster General Meyer. AS affect
ing the country merchant and patrons
on rural routes, this law is Of great
value. When it is in effect the rura.
carrier is permitted to carry pack
ages not exceeding eleven pounds The
postage charged for this Transports
ton is cents for the first pound and
cents for each additional pound
Under this law rural carriers coul6
deliver the groceries for MANY Of thei1
patrons, and, with the general use Of
the telephone in the country districts
the housewife, when she expects the
nelghbors in for dinner, and finds her
self short Of sugar Or ginger snaps
could telephone the grocer, he would
denver the parcel at the postofice fol
delivery that day, and neighborly hos
pltallty would not be Jared. No pro
nounced opposition has appeared agains1
the parcels post law and the advocates
are hopeful of having it placed on the
statute books before the present con
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