The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-03-09

maintain and propose to prove Il HCCle
further on in my remarks that we are not
doing it.
l understand that the deficiency Of
something like 50, ZOO, 900 in the postal
service is charged up largely to the rural
free delivery. l would like to know by
what process this conclusion is reached.
Is it not Just possible that lax manage
ment by the Post-Ofice Department,
rather than the rural service or the rate
on second-claSs matter, is accountable for
the postal deficiency? The President
states that it costs the Government Scents
per pound to carry second-class matter.
The express companies as well as the
Government are in the carrying business,
doing business on the same trains all over
this country. The express companies
charge on second-class mail matter from
Washington to Chicago. q distance OF
1000 miles, 2 10 cents per pound on 80
pound quantities or more. For shorter
distances the price is about half as much,
and for a~crOSS-cOntlnent transportation
about twice as much. In the longest haul
that an express company can possibly
make it does not charge exceeding 6 cents
per pound for seCond-class matter. This
is based on the express company's general
schedule of rates, while it is compared
with the lowest article on the govern
ment rate. Does anybody believe that
the express companies are operating at q
loss? One of them only recently distribu-
ted SIT, 100000 in dividends to its stock
holders. They have made no concessions
to newspaper or periodical men. they
have simply!used business methods in
making their schedules, and it is hard to
conceive of a more profitable business
than they are conducting.
Here is a specimen of the governments
lack OF business methods: The Govern
ment is paying an annual rental Of So, 1000
each per year for the use OF postal cars
which cost the railroads. less than $1,000
each to buy. If the Government is to be
held up in this way by the railroads, had
it not better suspend building battle ships
for a while and devote it's attention to the
building Of postal cars?
If the Post-Oflce Department does not
pay, neither does the War Department
nor 1.-THE Navy Department, measured in
dollars and cents. If it is important to
protect our country from the invader,
without reference to the hundreds of
millions expended in the sinews OF war,
and despite the fact that we are enjoying
profound peace with the world, surely a
small deficit charged to the postal service
its agency for the enlightment and eleva-
ton Of it's citizenship, is not m~isappropri-
ated. But I verify believe that if business
methods are substituted by the Govern
ment for political preferment all shortages
in the Post-Ofice Department will be
wiped out.
While have not the figures at hand, II
know as u fact that the rural service has
stimulated correspondence by rural resi-
dents until lit has more than doubled in
the last decade. 1t has abolished thou
sands of small post-oflices with the sala-
rieS on cancellations allowed the poStmaS-
.ters. 1t has driven out the equally ex-
pensive and unsatisfactory s~tar-route
system. When the service is credited
with the stimulated correspondence and
the pay of pOstmaSters ard star-route
carriers, | believe that the account with
the Government would be balanced. But
its greatest value as Il revenue producer
is in one of these, and for this the system
receives not one cent OF credit. The larg-
est revenue derived from the rural system
is from response to rural correspondence,
There is the letter advertising goods, then
the letter acknowledging receipt Of or
Iers, then the. letter making prices on
specific articles, then the letter notifying
that the article has been sent, and finally
if the package is one that can be carried
in the mail, the article itself is so sent.
All of this has been stimulated more than
d. hundred per cent, and yet the Rural
Delivery Service is not credited with one
cent on account Of it. 1t ls reflected IN
the larger poSt-ofliceS, and there, too, the
credit goes. Post-OfliceS are rapidly ad-
vanced to third and second class offices
and ~postmasters' salaries are increased
accordingly, but no thought is given to the
humble carrier, who through the SHOWS OF
winter and the Scorching heat or summer
has made his ceaSeleSS rounds, building up
the revenue of the service.
l have said that the rural carriers are
poorly paid. Let us see if the facts do not
bear out this assertion. In many in
stances they are forced to keep two
horses, but | have not singled out such
for the purpose Of my argument. | have
received from many of the carriers OF my
district their actual expense account Tor
six months, covering the following items:
Horse feed, blacksmithing, vetinary, re-
pairs to vehicles, repairs to harness, dep
recitation of vehicles and harness, depreca.
ton and death of horses, blankets and
robes, and interest on outlay at q per cent
For convenience | have taken at random
the accounts Of nine carriers or my dis
trict, with this result: The mime carriers
received us pay for six months Stub, and
they incurred expenses aSgregaClnS
81, 9l5.2 5. This means that these men,
whose work is more trying than that OF
any official in the government service,
received pay which averaged S!92:l9 for
SIX nlOIllllS StINIte. 1 may duu Oiioo III
looking over the expense account L noted
no dead horses and no extraordinary or
large item entering into it, Take out OF
this pitiful sum of $192, 10 the scanty sup
port of the carrier, and perhaps Of Il fam
lily, and, think what his plight must he ut
the end Of six MONTHS. Now, these are
h0meIy facts that l am bringing to your
attention.; but since they are facts they
must appeal to every conscientious Repre-
sentative on the floor of this House.
Conditions in the district that l have the
honor to represent are not different from
those prevailing over the entire country.
A statement covering AZ States and prac-
tically every district in which the rural
service is in operation, shows that the
average net earnings of the thousands OF
carriers employed for six months, closing
| December 81, 1909, after deducting muln=
tenance of equipment, was $3.50. Live
stock has advanced fully SO per cent;
harness and equipment have advanced
fully 50 per cent; horse feed, especially
corn and oats, has advanced 100 per cent;
| provisions have advanced in many artl.
cles-meat, for inStance--3OO per cent; and
| yet the carrier is expected to support him.
Self and family out of the small sum OF
$3.50 for six months. Such parsimopy is
unworthy Of a Government that looks, or
should look, first to efficiency.