The Parma herald. (Parma, Idaho) 1903-1917, 1914-03-19
Parcel Post Is
Heavy Burden

Al iIu4tIu<ioh Oh uoW the PnttFi pm
Il bankruptine the star route carriers Is
furnished in the case Of Robert Morri-
son. who has four-yesr contract Tor
carrying the mails from Mountainous
10 Rocky Bar and Atlanta, Idaho. Mr..
Morfison and his bondsmen havs APP
pesled 70 Representatives Smith 10 xs-
cure reAdjnstment Of this contract by
the possofties department, but up 70 the
present time no relief has been granted
Mr.. Morfison's contract expires on
Jnne 40 next. When he took this con-
tract four yssr1 ago he owned IN outfit,
Including hoske>. stage ccaci,es, harness.
esc.. worth " zoo Because u the bur-
den imposed upon him bv The parcel
pot h~ has lost his outfit. and further
more has been obliged 70 sink tlb0o adj
d,tlouak which he secured as loSn
from Mn Esbcoek snd = r Wilson,
II ChxIlis. his oondsnsn
The fouts covered by fls. Morrison is
Ia mountainous co'intry, where roads
hare been bad. and II bns b~ei impos-
sibIe to maintain the regular rche Jules.
Fof this failure Mr.. Morrison will b.
subjected to = further penalty 'in'ess
Representative Smith Il able 10 convince
the department that thu government
| has been imposing upon the carrier.
Mr.. Morrison explain. that he would
| have been able 10 handle the ulsils un-
| der his contract but Tor the parcel post,
| but since The government baa raised the
weight limit on parcel post matter to 80
pounds, people living along the Noun
tsin.,one-Atnnta route have been get
ting most OF their supplies, such az
-four, meat, etc, BY parcel post from
Boise, and the local merchants have
been linabIe to compete with Boise
prices. This increase In the mails com
PEELED the contractor TO employ extrs
men ard horses to handle the mail. and
the postofiiee department has refused e
grant him any extrs allowance for thu
additional service rendered
| Representative smith, before takini
up this case with the postoilice depart
lneni. received letter from Morrison''
boz dsmen u, which they SAID:
Last September We receieed NOTES
from MIR. Morrison that he WIS fla
broke, his outfit mortgaged for ever
cent IL WAS worth. and that he was un
able TO complete the contract withou
help. and advising us that he was IN ia
yor Of throwing it up, and letting ia
government sue on IL.
l "As Mr.. Morrison is one Of the bes
> OF the old.time stage coach men In tn
, west, hard working. sober, homes
= | aud conscientious man, We made a tri
\ TO Mountainous the lattcr part
september. 1913. To Investigate for on
selves, aud in view OF the fact that Il
: postal department was intending
a weigh during the months Of October al
- November, we advised him to oonsinu
], and at that time we put up $1,000, nj
AS he has received no allowance on la
ialis weighing, touay We are eehui'
}, him 5000 more.
Y "One might say, well he should ha
!, looked out Tor the additional weight u
!. der the new parcel poet True enous
out we did not expect II TO be rails
TO atty pounds, and that Hot
E. hams, bacon. aud in fact almost ever
~ thing but heavy iarn machinery wo,
~ he going through 10y mail. Mr.. Nor
son il nov a man past DO years a
broke, after putting life of hard We
into the service, aud we are writing
see II you cannot take this matter up
congress, and see II something cant
be done to reimburse him In 50
e- measure"