El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-07-04

any medical advice Tree. TIE SW
organized and have excellent machin-
I cry for making their opinions known
/ 70 the members of congress. They will
/ oppose the proposed contract system on
| several grounds They declare that
such a wholesale expansion of the star
J route system. which has been greatly
! diminished by the rise of the rural free
| delivery service would lead TO graft of
| enormous proportions In support of
| Frauds of 80 years ago and the vast
number of small instances of star route
grating or of star route failure to
| give good service.
Merchants Would Benefit.
+ They assert that a merchant in the
! town from which the rural routes radi-
ate will bid in the contract at a price
| too low to permit a diving wage, in
| order that he may send out clerk to
deliver mail and wares from his store,
| to collect letters and orders for grocer
| les on the same trip. The rural carriers
now are forbidden to solicit orders.
even for subscriptions to newspapers.
The carrier now devotes his whole time
and attention to the postal service,
then he would be first a solicitor for
a grocery store and second a servant
of the postoffice
The carriers declare that local par
cells post, such as is provided for by
several bills pending in congress. would
permit verybody to use the rural routes
for the delivery of small parcels of mer-
chandise at a reasonable charge TO the
individual and that this would result
in an enormous additional revenue to
the postoffice department. The objec-
tions to this parcels post, which is
limited to the carriage of packages
originating on the route, were based
on the theory that it would interfere
with the business of carrying letter and
paper mail. If the service ds placed
on the contract basis, say the carriers.
the parcel business Will be the chief
care of the carrier, while the service
would not be available to everybody,
nor the government derive any revenue
from ii a all
National Association Protests
The National association of Rural
Letter Carriers, at its forthcoming meet
ing in Little Rock, undoubtedly will
protest against the proposed change
The law strictly prohibits the carriers,
who are under the civil service regu-
lations, from taking active part in poll
tics, but nevertheless there are many
politicians who realize the force and
power of these carriers, who go about
through the country every day and
come in direct contact with the farmers.
II is more than probable that the ruraI
carriers will find ways and means to
extract pledges from congressional can
didates, binding them to vote against
the contract system. AT any rate. lead
ers among the carriers believe that such
a fight is necessary TO save the service
The rural free delivery mall service
is perhaps the most popular depart
ment of the government. 1t was estab-
lished in 1896, by an appropriation or
only $4,000 for experimental purposes
It grew rapidly from that time until
October, 1909, when the present post
office administration, in the interest of
economy, adopted a policy of restraint.
Since that time no new routes have
been established and the only extern
sions made have been additions to
routes already in existence, or by COM
bining star route and delivery service
when practicable
Rural Service Shows Loss.
The postmaster general in his report
urging economies in the postal service
declared that the rural service showed
a net loss of s2S,0O0,000 for the last
fiscal year. Friends of the service de-
clared that this was unjust, in that the
rural service was not credited with saw
ing the expenditures of about $4,000. 900
on star routes discontinued, nor of more
than 100000 for fourth-class post
offices discontinued Furthermore, it
was urged that the rural routes ought
to be credited with a large part of the
mail originating elsewhere but destined
for rural delivery, because of the fact
that the rural delivery has so greatly
stimulated the amount of mail matter
going into rural districts.
Farmers Make Saving.
In a monthly report of the fourth
assistant postmaster general, made soon
after congress had received the report
showing the alleged $28,000,000, loss,
this language was used: Through facil-
titles extended by rural delivery, reports
at the department show that
farmers save more than four hundred
millions of dollars annually, by being
relieved of the loss of time required of
men and teams which was necessary
prior to tn einstalatjon of the service
in making frequent trips to town or vii |
lage postoffices in their vicinity. The |
service has helped to advance farm |
prices at least s750.00O,OOO, or from 25 !
to 40 percent. More than 50 percent of |
the inhabitants Of continental United |
States dwell in the rural districts"
Even accepting the statement that the |
rural service costs SIS. 100000 more each !
year than it produces in direct revenue, /
II appears on the authority of the post /
office department that the service saves |
for more than half of the people of |
the country more than four hundred |
million dollars year in expenses, ana !
that 1t has added three fourths of a /
billion dollars to the wealth of this
same 50 percent of the people. On this |
showing the rural mail service is en- 1
titled to some consideration.
Service Helps Road Building.
No other great agency has done so
much for the cause of GOOD Roads as
has the rural free delivery mail service.
The people wanted the service. they
we're compelled to make their roads
oassable to get it. and they must fur
her Improve their roads to keep It.
Then too, the carrier, who must fur
lish horses and vehicles at his own ex- ,
,ense has a powerful incentive to
preach the doctrine of good roads. He
loes it. The national association of !
'ural carriers is now engaged in an
Effort to organize a good roads society
n every township and county in the |
The "R. F. D. News" is the official
organ of the letter carriers, and
through its columns the carriers ana
heir patrons along the routes are kent