Omaha daily bee., 1910-07-03

from which the rural routes radiate will
bid IN the contract at price too low to
permit Of a living wage in order that he
may send out clerk to deliver mail and
wares from his store. 20 collect letters and
orders for groceries on the same trip. The
rural carriers now are forbidden to solicit
orders, even for subscriptions to news
pa pors. The carrier now devotes his whole
time and attention to the postal service.
then ne would be first a solicitor for a
grocery store and second a servant Of the
pnstoffice
The carriers declare that ioos parcels
post such as is provided for by several
bills peading In congress, would permit
everybody to use the rural routes for the
delivery Of small parcels Of merchandise
at a reasonable charge to the individual,
and that this would result in an enormous
additional revenue to the Postoffice de-
partnent. The objections TO this parcels
post. Whicn Is limited 60 the carriage Of
packages originating on the route, we're
based On the theory that IL would interfere
with the business OF carrying letter and
paper mail. II the service is placed on the
contract basis. say the carriers, the parcel
business Will be the chief care OF the car
riers, while the service would not be avail
able u everybody, nor would the govern
meut derive any revenue from st at all,
Tie National Association Of Rural Letter
Carriers, at its forthcoming meeting in Lit
tie Rock, undoubtedly will protest against
the proposed change. The law strictly pro-
hibus the carriers, who are under civil
service regulations. from taking active part
in politics. but nevertheless there are many
politicians who realize the force and power
Of these carriers, who so about through the
country every day and come in direct con-
tact with the farmers. II Is more thau
propable that the rural carriers will find
ways and means to extract pledges from
congressional candidates, binding them to
vote against the contract system. At any
rate, leaders among the carriers believe
that such fight is necessary to save the
service.
The rural free delivery mail service il
perhaps the most popular department OF
the government. It was established in 1896
by an appropriation Of only $1,000 for ex.
perimental purposes IL grew rapidly from
that time until October. 1909. when tn,
present postoffice administration in thu
interest of economy. adopted a policy OF
restraint. Since that time no new route:
! have been established, and the only extern
sions made have been additions TO route:
/ already in existence, or by combining stal
route and delivery service when practic
/ able.
! The pc sunaSter general in his report urg
ing economies in the postal service declared
! that the rural service showed a net loss o
| s2S,Oo00O0 for the last fiscal year. FTiend
OF the service declared that this was I'm
just. in that the rural service was no
credited with saving tie Expenditure o
about S40e0,ee0 on star routes discontinued
Or OF more than 100000 for the fourtl
class postoffices discontinued. Further
more, It was urged that the rural route
ought 20 he credited with large part o
the mail originating elsewhere. but destne
for rural delivery. because of the fact tina
the rural delivery has SO greatly stimulate
the amount of mail matter going into rurs
districts
p, In q monthly report OF the fourth as
sistant postmaster general, made 500
after congress had received the repor