The Topeka state journal., 1909-02-23
Fourth Assistant Postmaster
General Sends "Spy."
Rural Route Inspector Will
Come to Kansas.
CONDEMN THE ROUTES
Those Covering Bad Roads Will
BE Discontinued.
But Little Time Remains to
ba Make Promised Repairs.

This can either be taken as a gem
tie hint or timely warming: In a few
weeks a rural route inspector from
the United States postoffice depart
ment at Washington will cross the
state line of Kansas and commencing
in the eastern counties he will work
as fast as possible his official hand
making a clean sweep over the state,
cutting down the rural routes with re-
lentless energy from the standpoint of
cold blooded official who is working
under orders and who has little use
Tor pleas or promises. In other
WordS-a rural route inspector is
coming to Kansas and his duty will be
to look over all of the rural routes in
the state. Those routes that are him
dered by bad roads will be scratched
off the map and the customers will
nave to resort to the old time prac-
tfce of coming to town for their mail.
No excuses viii go.
This new order was issued not long
ago and has been handed to Postmas-
ter A. K. Rodgers of Topeka, who is
at the head of all the rural routes of
the state of Kansas. He told a State
Journal reporter this morning that
the fourth assistant postmaster gener-
al was responsible for the new ruling
and he would be powerIess to protect
the ruralists in any manner. But Mr..
Rodgers has done this much-he has
dAlCMSQ HIMSELF 10 De interviewed ana
the result of this interview should be
enough to awaken the road overseers
and county commissioners of the
many counties in this state. The post
office inspector will pay little attention
TO what has been done or what is go
ing to be done-he will look at the
roads as they are now and combining
their condition with the agreement en-
tered into by the county officials he
will allow his rake to drop and the
brush will go.
There are 170S rural routes in Kan
sas. Every route averages about 25
n1iles-therefore there are about 49,
700 miles traversed every day by the
carriers of this state-in other words
the mail carriers in the rural districts
of Kansas go almost twice around the
a week. This will give an idea
of the enormous amount of territory
covered by these little covered wagons
and sometimes automobiles.
Must Have Good Roads.
When district wishes a rural route
usual way, but one of the main feat
ures of their application is the condi-
ton of the roads. The road oVerSeerS
of the township or the county com
miSsiOnerS have to agree to keep these
roads in good first class con dition the
year around or the postoffice depart
ment has little use for the application
This has been done-that is, the
last few years the complaints from the
rural carriers have grown from a few
struggling grumbles to an uproar of
growls and a few days ago the fourth
assistant postmaster general at Wash
fngtOn took the matter in hand. He
notified Postmaster Rodgers of the
conditions and said that the inspector
would be here within a few days and
commence on his travels throughout
the state.
As whole the roads of Kansas are in |
fair condition. But nothing more than
fair could be said of them. The natural !
roads are much better than in other
states-Kansas is we'll adapted for |
natural roads The worst roads in the |
state are near the rivers-in the lower |
portions and along the rivers This is |
especially true along the Republican |
Smoky Hill and Kansas rivers But like |
all other states-the county officials |
have agreed to keep the roads up and
to improve them and when the rural |
route was established they forgot about
their promises thinking that the poor
mail carrier and his poorer horse could |
plod along through deep mud and over
crevtceS without the government know
ing thing about it. But the mail car
riers have not been enduring their
hardshipS in Silence-their unnecessary
hardships. They have first warned the
road oyerseers and finding no help there
they have appealed to the authorities.
Around Topeka the roads are better
than the average in the state-with the
l.
Rodgers has no authority to publicly |
implicate any certain road but he says
that this is unnecessary-the people
themselves know as well as Mr. |
Rodgers just what roads these are
and such are the conditions all over
the state today. The roads around To-
pe<a have been kept in good condition
on account of the immense amount of
travel that naturally befalls them and
they are also serving a S testing grounds |
for many Of the good roads "cranks''
who come to Topeka to push through
their legislation. But there is plenty
6f room for improvement and the road
overseers can either take this to heart
or the people who reside on the roads
can make their just demands.
Inspector Comes at Bad Time.
There is another reason why the
roads should be fixed at once-spring is
coming. Springtime - the worst time
of the seasons for roads. Wet weather
and heavy travel combined cut out the
good places and reveal the bad places
The large number of freshets are con-
tinually wearing away roads that are
not built properly-and whether any
one wishes to travel or not the mail
carrier has to go ever the roads every
day and contribute his portion toward
the encircle-the-gIobe tours. The rural
route inspector is coming just at the
time of year when the roads are sup
DoSed to be at their beSt-When thew