Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1914-03-06
PARCELS POST
HITS CARRIERS

sGrangevllle Globe: Brown & Free
man, the Whitebird firm that has the
star route mail contract from Grange
Vile to New Meadows, distance Of 80
miles, sent in a telegram to Washing
ton, D. c., Tuesday from this place,
notifying the fourth assistant post
master general that unless they were
given immediate relief in the way Of
compensation commensurate with their
labors and expensejin carrying the mail
and parcel post matter over their route,
they would throw up their contract on
March LIST.
The expense Of this firm since the
Inauguration Of the parcels post system
and the increase Of package weights to
50 pounds, has been run up to $40 per
day, while their pay from the govern
ment is but e16.O4 per day. On account
qf the increased parcel post business
they have been compelled to reject
passenger and express business. there
fore their receipts are practically con-
fined to the $500 which they get from
the government. This is fair sample
Of the treatment that the star route
contractors over the entire western
country are receiving, and as Messrs.
Brown 4 Freeman say in their mes
sage to the department, it means bank
ruptcy for them, in fact most Of them
Ire now bankrupt
Z Last year after the eleven pounds
package order was begun, an increase
Of 81 per month was later made, and
has continued through the 20 pound
and 50 pound increase without dollar
Of additional pay. The business has
continued to increase and multiply un-
til It has excluded all other business IN
their line, and they have been COM
PEELED to continue to serve the govern
ment at loss Of double their income
for many months, until they can no
longer bear up under the burden, and
have been compelled to notify the de-
partment Of their intentions.
Recently when the big oat ship
ment was made from Ferdinand to
Joseph, Brown & Freeman had to pay
I'd. Price, Of the Boss livery $500 and
III expenses to take four horse team
and haul the oats to Whltebird, while
they had their teams occupied in trans
porting the rest Of the governments
'smail freight" The Joseph contractor
threw up his job and the greater part
Of the oats with other parcel post mat
ter are stacked high as the ceiling in
! the Whitebird office. No mail is being
carried to the three offices Joseph,
Boles and Garfield, upon the plains
above White Bird since the carrier
threw up the Job.
The substance Of the telegram sent
In to the fourth assistant postmaster
by Brown & Freeman firm Is As follows:
1--WE are bankrupt, and cannot longer
continue to carry the parcels post mat
ter over our line. Our daily expenses
are $1,000, while the government is
paying US s16.40 per day. Our passen-
enger and local express business has
had to be abandoned to meet the de-
mands Of the parcel post traffic. II not
relieved from this burden by March
LIT. we will throw up our contract"
A party in from Elk City says that
parcel post matter Is piled in sacks in
every shack and vacant building along
the Nate Pettybone route from Sites
to Elk City. Pettybone delivered a
four-horse load Of 400 pounds at Elk
City recently, all packed in mail sacks.
This is great state Of affairs to be
brought about through the neglect Of
the department to make adequate pro.
vision in the way Of additional appro-
priations at the time Of the enactment
Of the parcels post law. And such
provisions were not being made when
the recent appropriation bill was re-
ported to congress, by the postoffice
department, and Congressman Smith
introduced the amendment to assist
the rural carriers and star route con-
tractors out Of their dilema.
Chrisfian Church.