The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-12-12
PARCELS POST
 CARTlNC JOBS
 CAUSE WORRY
Contractors in Dark As to Work That May be Required and
 Are Afraid to Eid
Details of Installation of New Mail Service Lacking and
 Officials Are 'Stumped"

In less than four weeks Uncle Sam will be doing an express business, a consequence of the new Parcels Post law effective January 1. So far, Post master W. H. Marigo1d or any of at tachees of the local postoffice cannot tell what the new development will amount to. The one thing that the folks do know is that the express companies do large business and that if Uncle Sam gets a quarter of it in the first three months that it is going to see a big increase in the pos tai force, and undoubtedly the intro duction of vehicles In the delivery of mail
 Congress has appropriated $3OO,OO0 for the introduction of ttre parcels post but this money seems So have been distributed among the larger of fees. Chicago got S15,o00 and New York, Philadelphia, Brooklyn, HCleve- land and few other larger centers were each allowed $10,0OO for the in service.
 Postmaster Marigold said this
 morning that so far nothing had been heard by him as to the amount that would be sent to this city to start the ! work.
 It is evident that there is no great space to spare at the main postoffice. Considering the space used by the Adams express com pany at the rail- road station and in John street, it will undoubtedly be but a short time when the government will be obliged to avail itself of the additional ground that it owns in Cannon street for an addition. The one house at the west end of the long block of Can non street houses. once known as St. J ohn's Place, was acquired by the government several years ago.
 The Adams Express company has the monopoly of the express business in this city for distances beyond the reach of the trolley express, and it employs large force of men, horses government has not yet secured any | additional space, men or other facili- ties.
 The only hint that the postoffice de- partment has given that there might be an increase in the amount of bus mess here is found in the prepared order of the department specifying 1 the mail carrying contract from the l railroad station to the three local postoffices where it states that the contractor should be prepared to pro- vide extra wagons and horses to take care of increased business that might come through the addition of the 1 parcels post --7 One contractor who has been con plating putting in bid for the work
 of carting the mail said this morn | ing: gThe blind al1usion to possible ing what will be required is an un- usual proposition. It says that the 1 teaming contractor must be ready to take care of the parcels post matter, but it does not say how he should | be ready for the nature of the work | that it shall be necessary for him to perform.
 t'The contract for carrying the mail has been a cut-throat game in this
 city for a number of years. Every l contractor who has tackled it for sew era1 years. with one exception, has gone broke The last man who took l the ordinary job of carrying the pouches from the railroad station to | the postoffice had to furnish four wagons, horses and drivers for the same. He bid $3,96Oaa year for the l job Several months ago the con- i the job because he had bid too low
 His bondsInan VITO put up 1000 to do the job is now running the job to save his bond. This man is working | himself for nothing and losing money every day, and July 1, 1913 when the contract expires, will be the happiest | day that he has seen for a number of years.
 "A few years ago another low priced contractor got the job and after. he 1 had operated a short time his bonds
 men, two well known business men, had to take over the job and it costs | them each $50 a week for nearly two years to carry Uncle Sam's mail
 Both of these contractors whose bon dsmen had to make good knew nothing about carting but the govern
 ment accepted their bids, just the same. The cheapest kind of help has to be employed for the work under order to give good service should fix a minimum wage that could be paid to drivers and a minimum charge for