The Whitefish pilot. [volume] (Whitefish, Mont.) 1904-current, 1911-02-02
RURAL FREE DELIVERY.
Proposal to Change From Government
to Private Control Would Be
Step Backward,

During the past month we have
heard a great deal of discussion per-
tanning to the governments super
vision of the rural free delivery serv-
Ice. There has been some talk of
turning this supervision over to pri.
yate contractors. To us this seems
! to be backward step. It is a we'll
known fact that under government SUI
pervision the f,1lal free delivery serv.
Ice has made rapid strides. In i'm
proving farm life and in bringing the
farmer into closer touch with the city
man and the city markets it has come
to be prime factor. That the serv-
ice should be continued and perfected
rather than to experiment with pri-
vate parties which might deteriorate
its usefulness is highly essential Nine
hundred dollars per year is the aver
age cost of each route Some private
contractors have voiced the opinion
that they can do this same work 500
per year cheaper. In the United
States We have something like $4,000
standard rural routes. This would
mean a saving to the government of
S4,2OO,O0O per year. This to us seems
to be very large sum and to a great
many this would mean a great change
if private parties could get control OF
this service. However, this is only a
small sum in proportion to the postal
deficit. Even were the government to
save this amount the deficit would
still be very large. Then again. there
is considerable question whether the
detriment to the service would more
than Offset this saving.
We can readily see that it would be
saving as far as money is concerned,
but 1t would not be saving as far as
the saving to the farmer is concerned.
Unless the rural free delivery is run,
and run properly, it is not worth mon.
keying with. At the present time we
know that our present delivery is Civ.
ing very excellent service At the
present time the government requires
that the carrier shall be man of good
moral character and standing in the
community and that he shall be able
to read and write and have at least a
common school education 1t is not
possible to cut off 500 annually from
the wages of these mail carriers with
out cutting off from their equipment.
OF course 1t would be possible for a
private firm to hire men at a salary
OF $500 per year. but it would not be
possible 10 hire men who would de-
liver the mail in the way that it is
being delivered at the present time.
1t Is more important that mail should
be delivered by $500 men who will at
tend to their business right, make no
mistakes and keep up the service to
high plane, than that it should be-
delivered by $500 men who woulc
make great many mistakes and 81.
allow the service to run down.
We have no fear but that this ques
ton will be properly settled were it
left to the farmers themselves and it
Is the farmers who receive the direct
benefit from the rural free delivery.
No doubt in many instances the farm
ers would be willing to put up the ex-
ira 800 themselves rather than be
bothered by mail carrier who was
not properly equipped for his position.
So again We say that each and every
one of US should do all in our power
to do away with this idea that seems
to be held by some of our prominent
men.-H. F. Patterson. Montana Agri.
cultural College.