The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-06-05

route as II was. Tho post Office on
clals have made thor schedules to ~
train No. D. as 1t has been run from
Richmond westward for SO many years.
Now that the Chesapeake and Ohio
Company for some reason yet unex.
planned has seen proper to start No. q
from Richmond at HAS, Just one hour
and three-quarters later (and, OF
course. 1t reaches these rural mail dis
tributing points that much later) for
reasons that have already been set
forth, in a majority OF tho cases the
horse mail distributors wait for It.
A Dead Sure Cut-Off.
The result Is that Richmond Is prac-
tically cut off from business COM
munication with the important terri
tory on both sides Of the river which
havo outlined above, and their here
tofore large business with many pros
porous country merchants and Indus
trial establishments throughout that
territory Is likely to be lost by Rich
mond jobbers and commission mer-
chants.
To illustrate. the Richmond business
mail that tho Chesapeake and Ohio
train No. 0 takes out from here at
or Scottsville. or Dillwyn or Esmont,
reaches the country merchant at Kents
Store or Holmhead or Lantana, or
Caledonia and other points when 1t Is
fully thirty-six hours late.
Mail that Is to be taken out by the
rural carriers from Columbia or any
other of these star route stations gets
to the post office at such stations from
one to two hours after the rural reuter-
has left on his unavoidable schedule.
and as q matter of course lies In such
station offices without moving an inch
exactly twenty three hours.
a Case in Sight.
To make 1t palmer: A Cary Street
malls to my friend, Joseph Webb, at
Caledonia, in Goochand county. his
market quotations for Monday. This
business letter goes in the Richmond
post Office Monday night 1t leaves
here Tuesday morning at 11:45, reaches
Columbia at about o'clock, an hour
after the Caledonia mall carried has
left. Tho letter lies in tho post -office
at Columbia until l:15 o'clock We'd
nesday. and Webb gets 1t about $780,
1t Is then valueless to him, for every
item on the quo tation list may have
changed since Monday afternoon. But
suppose he does act on the informa-
ton. although 1t be so far behind. acts
either as seller or buyer. 1t takes an
other thirty-si1 hours to get IN touch
with the Richmond merchant by mail
as It now gets over tho James River
Division OF the Chesapeake and Ohio
Railway.
Clamor OF the People.
The people in the regions / have
spoken of are just up In arms about
this new schedule. and they are talk
ing right out In meeting" They want
to trade with Richmond, but they say
this new arrangement so completely
cuts them off from information as
to what Richmond Is doing or proposes
to do. they will Just have to try an
other market.
was up the road few days ago,
and the new schedule was all the
talk. and surely the ears of the Ches-
apeake and Ohio officials who decreed
this change must have burned to an
all consuming extent.
At Columbia l met number OF
men who are Interested in this matter
and talked with others over the phone.
In every case 1 found them dead
agin'" the new schedule. I also talked
with quite number of Richmond
travelling men who had been mingling
during the week with country mer-
chants. and they all say this new
schedule is a serious blow to Richmond
business in the counties along the
upper James.
From Columbia there goes out a
rural free delivery route which crosses
the river and serves sixty eight boxes
in Cumberland county. From these
boxes 1876 families gather their mail.
Included in these are some of the most
prosperous and active among the
country merchants OF the county. The
carrier who serves these boxes has to
drive twenty-five miles, and he must
needs leave Columbia at / o'clock each
day in order to make the round trip
before nightfall.
Star Routes Troubles.
Then going out from Columbia there
are two sta rroutes which carry mall
to Holmhead. In Fluvanna; Tabscott,
in Goochland Caledonia and Lantana,
and must leave Columbia at 1:l5 P. NJ.
in order to make the trip
Another star router who must leave
Columbia at 1880 serves Kent's Store,
Wilmington. Stage Junction and other
Offices in F7uvanna. No. 9 gets to
Columbia at about o'clock. after the
rural reuters and star reuters have
left on a schedule which, because of
limited hours. cannot be changed to
meet the unnecessary whims Of the
Chesapeake and Ohio people.
The result is that the important
Richmond mail for this splendid terri
tory in two or three counties lies dead
in the Columbia post-office twenty
three hours. and when the people to
whom the mail is directed finally get
1t. 1t is stale anu aged,
A Real Outrage.
The fact is this train No. Q ought
to leave Richmond to serve the people
dependent upon it much earlier In the
morning than It has left, but making
1t an hour and three-quarters later
than 1t used to be Is looked upon by
the patrons Of the road as real out
rage.
/ have talked with people along the
line and know this to be true
talked with some OF them face ia
face and to others over the telephone
and know whereof I speak. These peo-
Pile spoke right from the shoulder
and so far as know they have nc
objection to being heard Among the
CHECKERS" I feel no hesitation In men
tioning C. NJ. Ashland. James Pace. J.
w. Sietrled and c. C. Perkins, OF Holm
head; L. " Jordan. of Tabscott, Dick
erson & Marshall, and Webb & Brown,
of Caledonia: s. NJ. Mealy and the
Scotia Gold Mining Company, OF