The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1910-11-04
Change In Mail Route
Very Unsatisfactory


| Very Unsatisfactory
Hon. F. C. Harper, collector Of
customs for the Puget Sound dis
trict in an interview at Seattle q
few days ago regarding the change
in the Island mail route said:
1T is necessary that the customs
department be in as close commu-
nication as possible with it's sub
ports, hence we most emphatically
are opposed to the change in the
railway mail service route to the San
Juan Islands, by which the base Of
supply was moved from Seattle to
knacortes and Bellingham." "Un-
der the new system. " he continued,
'if we wish to send letter from
the district headquarters to one Of
the supports in the islands, it has
to travel a distance of nearly 200
miles before reaching its destination.
Though the islands are only thirty
five to forty miles from Port Towns
end, the letter now is sent south to
Seattle, is sent from there to Bell
ingham on the night train. and
thence to the SUPPORT to which it is
addressed.
Under the old system, when Sc
attic was the base of supplies, the
letter had to travel only the thirty
five to forty miles between Port
Townsend and the islands. They
picked it up at Port Townsend on
the way to the supports referred to
and there was no loss of time. For
this reason the customs department
is strongly in favor of the restora-
tion Of the old route.
The circuitous route by which
our mail to the islands is now de-
livered is ridiculous OH the face Of
it, and already has resulted in great
Inconvenience to the customs SER
vice. After possessing direct mail
communication with the islands for
thirty years, Port Townsend now
finds itself cut off from the San Juan.
group by an unfair and absurdly
[round-aDUut ruutr. he change.
made in the system is backward
step not justified by conditions. It
is detrimental to the commercial in
terests of Port Townsend and Jeffer-
son County and San Juan County.
'There is no desire on the west
side of the Sound to detract from
the importance of Bellingham and
Anacortes, but we can see no good
reason why we should be placed un-
der such handicap. We need a
mail boat running from Seattle to
the San Juan group and thence to
Bellingham and on the return from
Bellingham to the islands and thence
to Seattle.
aside from the commercial as
poets of the case, the restoration
Of the old route, as have indicated
before. is required by the needs of
the customs service of this district"
The Seattle Chamber of Conn
merce has.taken up the matter and
has appointed a committee to inves-
tigate and report as to the effect on
Seattle of this change Of mail routes.
The principal danger to Seattle is
that the Puget Sound Navigation
Company might at any time stop its
service to the San Juan islands, and
then Seattle and the islands would
have no direct communication what
ever. During the winter months
there is little traffic and it might be
improbable to operate the Rosalie-
A. E. Black, president Of the San
Juan Navigation Company recently
made statement in Seattle that in
case the Puget Sound Navigation
Company ceased to operate the
steamer Rosalie or some other ade-
uuate boat from Seattle direct to
San Juan island ports at least three
times week, the San Juan Naviga-
ton Company would operate boat
from Seattle, giving service equal
to that now offered by the Puget
Sound Navigation Company.
AS for the contention that Sc
attle merchants will be under 2
said Mr.. Black, "the pre-
sent system will give Seattle quick