The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1909-06-03


the rural system as one of the greatest
of government institutions, of in.
estmable value to the farmer and the
rural carrier as man of integrity,
character and faithfulness. Mr..
Kress said that with 40, 500 rural
carriers employed, there was no record
of breach of trust and last year only
26 carriers had been removed from
service for cause. The rural carriers
travelled more than a million miles
and handled l25 million pieces of mail
last year and without the loss of one
letter or parcel he said 1.-The rural
service cannot he more highly praised
that the record of the men employed
in it, said the speaker who compli-
mented the Manltowoc force of carriers
by declaring that in the eleven years
the service has been in operation here,
there has been no cause of complaint
against any member Of the force. Mr..
Kress spoke briefly of discipline in the
service and the necessity for it and
closed with a word of welcome to the
convention.
Congressman J. II. Davidson, who
was on the program, was unable to
attend and expressed regrets in a
letter read to the convention. Mr..
Davidson spoke highly of the organ
ization and placed himself at the
service of the association and its
members. One of the happy incidents
of the convention was the presence of
S. "A. Cook, of Neenah, who gave a
talk that was much appreciated and in
which he laid down several rules of
living to reach the goal of success.
Mr. Cook believes the salary paid the
rural carrier inadequate and he also
said that the government was wrong
when it refused to permit the carriers
to petition congress for good of the
service and carrier. Mr.. Cook praised
Manitowoc as city Of beauty and for
the hospitality of its people and his
address was enthusiastically re-
ceived.
Rural carriers must show more
loyalty to state and national organ
izations if they expect 20 advance
their own interests and the fact that
the rurals are not we'll organized is a
reason why they have been unable to
secure the salary and benefits enjoyed
by city carriers declared.W. d. Brown
editor of the RED. News, the official
organ of the rural carriers, who
i9nrneyed from Washington, ID. c.,
sin, with 1000 rural carriers, only
about 400 are enrolled in the state as
sociation and the national organiza-
tion has only 20 per cent of the
strength of the service said the speak
er who declared that the rural carrier
was more entitled to better pay and
consideration from the government
than the city carrier because the rural
service is the harder, Mr.. Brown
advocated mutual insurance plan
for the association.
Greetings were received from Ma
tional President Lindsley in a letter
in which he declared that the national
association was at present doing the
best work in its history and urged
strong efforts for extension of the
organization in Wisconsin. The
morning session of the convention
closed with some discussion and with
an invitation rendered by John
Houghton, of the local arrangements
committee, to visitors to be guests at
trolley ride to Two Rivers in the
afternoon. The delegates were unable
to make the trip owing to business of
the convention.
Enlistment of the rural carriers for
support of legislation for state aid in
road building, now before the
Legislature, was the purpose of
w. G., Hotchkiss, of Madison who
gave one Of the two addresses on
the subject at the afternoon ses-
sion. Mr.. Hotchklss, who is as.
sociated with the state department
asked the support of the association
in campaign to educate the public
in favor of the bill proposed by the
state department which will place the
state aid plan in the hands of the
state geologist and other state author
tiles. The grave danger in the plan
is that it may fall under control of
politics and political bosses, said the
speaker, and he declared that the bill
which he advocated, would prevent
this. Mr.. Hotchkiss did not favor
referring the subject to a special
session of the legislature but as this
appeared likely, he urged the carriers
to aid in creating sentiment that
would secure the right kind of bill.
He explained the several plans of
state aid and said that the only sue
cessful plan would be one entirely
out OF politics. He also referred to
the bill passed by the present legis-
lature which gives town boards
authority to pay Il cents per yard for
road dragging, saying the measure
was one OF merit and should do much
for good roads. The rural carriers