Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1911-01-27
have been able to accomplish.

horses have to be replaced every
three years at a cost Of $4,000, 1000.
To simplify matters let's put 1t this
way: Say that every year we buy
one-third of that number, which is
10000, at a cost of 100000. And
we don't buy a one from mail
order house, either; they all come
from the farms and the ranches, more
often from some patron Of our indi-
.idual route.
These horses require feed and in
order that they be kept in proper
condition to do this work 1t should
oe good feed; and good horse feed
surely costs money. We carriers in
Missouri are perhaps moro forum
ate in this respect than many other
carriers, because we live in the State
where the big corn grows.
But, even with this advantage, our
corn for the last five Or six years
has cost us from 40 to so cents per
bushel; oats from 80 to 60 cents,
and hay from So to SIG per ton. I
don't think l am far wrong in say
ing that if we properly feed our
horses it will cost us 800 year
FOR every horse we own. This means
that we pay out annually to the far
mers of this country 100000 for
horse feed. Now think Of that!
Nine million dollars for horse feed
and $3,OO0,000 for horses-$12, 600
900 in all, or one-third of the entire
amount we receive as our annual
compensation is paid out to the far
mers of this country for their pro
ducts.
How greatly the farmers have ben
Gifted by rural free delivery It has
not only benefited them greatly in an
educational and financial way; it has
not only given them an opportunity
of receiving and dispatching their
mail every day, but it has opened
up for them an entirely new market
for $12,O0O,O0O worth of their pro-
ducts annually.
Now this money is not boarded up
by the farmers, but is carried into
the towns and paid out again for
drygoods, clothing, farming imple-
ments, and for everything that Is
essential to the farmers welfare
1t goes back into the channels of
trade and everybody receives a ben
eft therefrom, with the possible ex-
ception of the rural mail carrier
himself. AS yet I have been unable
to figure out where he gets in on this
second distribution.
/ have estimated that we have in
vested in mail wagons, buggies, har-
ness, bicycles, motorcycles and an
occasional automobile, about 1926
vested in vehicles and harness 3d.
100000 more.
Our horses have to be shod; our We
hicles and harness have to be kept
in repair. These things come around
pretty often. Every five or six weeks
We take our horses to the blacksmith
shop to have new shoes put Oh them,
or the old ones reset, which costs
from $3.50 to So per team. Then we
occasionally meet with a mishap, a
breakdown, runaway, or something
gives way, and our vehicles and har-
ness are laid up for repairs. SO, if
we keep our horses properly shod
and our vehicles and harness in prop
er repair, it will cost us at least $50
year each--or $4,000 900 more.
Now, there are many things that we
as carriers are compelled to have
that are not essential to people who
are otherwise employed. Our work
makes it necessary for US to have
heavy laprobes and stOrmrobes, over
coats and raincoats, foot warmers
and variety of other things; and
if we keep ourselves well supplied
with this class of equipment it will
certainly cost US $25 a year each
which is 81 100000 more.
Now, if we spend $1,00O,000 for this
kind of equipment and 100000 for
horseshoeing and vehicle repairs, So
O000 900 for horses, and s9,000,000 for
horse feed, we pay out annually for
and upon our equipment $1S,000,000
We are compelled to spend this $18,
900, 900, for our equipment is just as
much a part of our work as we are
ourselves.
Deduct the amount we spend this
way from the amount we receive as
compensation, and it leaves $4,000,
900. That still looks pretty big; but
if you divide it by 10000, the number
of carriers in this country, it shows
that we have left for our annual com
pensation $3.50 Divide this by II
and we have left just $3.50 pei
month with which to keep house
And no one knows better than the