Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-01-11
MAN WHO DELIVERS MAIL ON
RURAL ROUTES HAS BEEN
TNcoNvENlENcED"
CARRIER AND PATRON HAVE
SOME MUTUAL GRIEVANCES
Some of Those Who Aid in Breaking,
Roads Thru Drifts Are Not Always
compensated-corn in Fields at
Moving Time to Make Trouble-Wn-
sons Observations.
to Times Republican.

Garner, Jan. 11.-Along with the
numerous other classes of men who
have for many weeks experienced al
most continual difficulty and inconven-
and consequent effect on the public
roads are the rural mail carriers of
the state. 1t is no wonder that many
of them have resigned nor is it at all
remarkable that on many routes the
majority of the patrons would heartily
welcome the information that the car
rier had resigned, and of those cases
in which neither the carrier nor his
patrons have mutual grievances, both
parties are to be congratulated. II
remember" said an eX-carrier the
other day, "of two farmers on my
route who used to keep tab on my
movements by means of their tele-
phones in times of snow blockades and
each would drive toward me about a
mile, turning and driving back ahead
of me as we met, and thus breaking
the road that far. If all had followed
their example it would have been cas-
Ter for me but not everyone is suf-
ficently interested either in the welfare
of the carrier or in the regular daily
delivery of his mail to take the trouble
to do as these men did,
1t is not unfair to say, however, that
the farmer is not always to be CEN
sured for not getting out and break
ing the roads for the government
employe who brings his mall While
the majority of carriers are conscien-
tious in their work, traversng their
entire routes whenever possible, there
are cases in which it is different The
postoffice department has from time to
time published communications in
which attention is called to the re-
quirement that the roads be kept open
and in good condition or the route is
likely to be discontinued and some
carriers are inclined to make the most
of these statements so that they per-
haps make matters worse than they
would have been without the admon-
ition Of the department" Said one
man on a route of this kind, zone
morning after a heavy snowfall /
thought j would do little road break
ing for the mail carrier. I went to
considerable trouble to open the road
from my place to a, point several miles
farther on the route, but just before
| reaching me he took a short cut to an
other part Of the route, leaving six or
| eight miles of it without service that
day. That was the last time tried the
experiment and it wasn't this winter
either"
ON one point in the controversy of
| breaking roads for the mail carrier.
however, the farmer very frequently is
at fault. He is often heard to saw.
The carrier might have made his
route If he had been so inclined. I
went to town that day and got thru
all right" Now perhaps that farmer
drove big strong team that had
stood in the barn until it needed lust
such trip to keep it from tearing
down the building, and besides it is
one thing to break the road part way
to town and quite another to open up
| a tWenty-four mile stretch, especially
When it is taken into consideration
that when farmer goes to town he
takes the best road while the
carriers route takes him along
roads on which there is little travel
S~-S~ e.
OF course it would be the thing for
the carrier to own first class team
but that means about $500 these DAYS
when corn sells above half a dollar
and hay $40 to SIS per ton and a 5000
salary does not admit of such invest
ments in cases where there is a family
to support. 1t is not putting it any too
strong to say that it would require the
wisdom of Solomon to so adjust mat
tiers that everything would be mutually
satisfactory in the matter of rural mail
delivery with such weather and roads
as we have seen during the past six
weeks.
The other day a, farmer pointed out
an apparent defect in the road law
which works hardship where drain
age districts have been established. In
such places there is considerable eY-
pense occasioned by men thing across
the public roads, by small bridges to
cross the bitches and several other
sources of expense that accompanies
the drainage proposition All this ex-
pense under the law must be met by
payments from the road fund. already
too small to meet the demands that
would otherwise be made upon it. The
only remedy, he said, would be spe-
cial tax for the purpose as the regular
road tax levy is usually as high as
the law permits.
Unless the deep snow that now