The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-07-30
PARCELS POST FOR FARMER-By FrankG Carpenter
A Talk With Gen. P. V. De Graw

the length of the routes all told is just about 1,O0000O miles,
 A Talk With Gen. P. V. De Graw
 During the past week l have had a long chat with the fourth assistant postmaster general Mir P. Y. De Graw. concerning the new plans for the ex- tension of the service. He tells me that the applications for new routes have been largely compiled with and that within a few weeks the department will be up to date. The service has now been extended to every part of the United States. although there are scat tering sections where 1t has not yet been introduced. over 300 routes were provided for last year. During the coming year the new salaries will come into effect and rom now on the car riers who have to cover distances of 34 annum, ranging down from there to $4O0 or $500, which is the pay fo" those who cover from six to 10 miles.
 In my talk with the fourth assistant postmaster general I asked him if he did not think 5000 a rather high wa ge for a man whose work was altogether outside the city, where board is chea D
  He replied:
 Tt is not high rate of pay for the service required and a man could not well do it for less 1t is a lower rate comparatively than that of the postmen of the cities, who get from $500 to 5000 year, according to the size of the town and the length of their serv- lee They receive this without having to make any investment or to incur | any extra expense for their work The | rural free delivery man, who makes | 2f miles day for six days of the week, needs at least two horses. and on some | of the routes three horses are neces- sary to render regular service during | bad weather. These have to be furn- 1 ished out of the pocket of the man him. | salf, and he must in addition nay for l his vehicles. The estimated aVera gp | cost of maintaining such an outfit is $250 per annum, and the original cost 1 of the horses and vehicles is S2Tl or i more.
 The average annual cost of the car | rier's outfit in fact is from $500 to s350 and even at the best he has only s60t or S700 left for his wages.
 | Moreover" continued Mir. De Graw | "it is found that with the daily weai and tear to which carriers equipmen | Is subjected that the life of both horses l and vehicles ranges from three to fiv, years 80 you see ne mas not such soft snap after all. In cases where h. | travels less than 24 miles he gets les money. l am not in favor of too loy | wages in the postoffice department l My idea is the same as that held b, 1 former President Roosevelt. This is tha the national government should be model employer; that it should deman, the highest quality of service from it | employees and should care for then properly in return
 The Parcels Post and the Rura
 Delivery
 | What do you think of the parcels pos l in connection with the rural delivery l Will it come?'
 'Yes, in time, although Congress ha not given us an appropriation to expert ment with as yet The postoffice depart ment would like to see it tested. It woul, certainly increase the usefulness of tn, postal service, and a system might b. established for the carriage of merchan disc at such rates as would be a fair com pensation for the service performed an, would materially increase our revenues The people want to seRd small packages