The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1914-02-26
WILL THROW UP
MAIL CONTRACT
Brown & Freeman Notify De-
partment of Intention Un-
less Relief Comes.

Brown & Freeman, the Whitebird
firm that has the star route mail con-
tract from Grangeville to New Mead
ows, distance of 92 miles, sent In
a telegram to Washington, d. G.
Tuesday from this place. notifying
the fourth assistant postmaster gen.
eral that unless they were given i'm
mediate relief in the way of compens-
alton commensurate with their labors
and expense In carrying the mail and
parcel post matter over their route,
they would throw up the contract on
March 1st
The expence of this firm since the
inauguration of the parcels post sys
tenn and the increase of package
weights to 80 pounds, has been run
up to $40 per day, while their pay
from the government Is but $16.04
per day. On account of the increas-
ed parcel post business they have
been compelled to reject passenger
and express business, therefore their
daily receipts are practically confined
to the $16.04 which they get from the
government. This is fair sample of
the treatment that the star rout~
contractors over this entire western
country are receiving, and as Messrs.
Brown & Freeman say In their mes
sage to the department, II means
bankruptcy for them, in fact most Of
them are now bankrupt.
Last year after the eleven pound
package order was begun, an increase
of $57 per month was later made,
and has continued through the 20
pound and so pound increase without
a dollar of additional pay. The busi-
ness had continued to increase and
multiply until it has excluded all 9th.
er busiess in their line, and they have
been compelled to continue to serve
the government 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 department of their in
tentions.
Recently when the big oats ship
ment was made from Ferdinand to
Joseph, Brown & Freeman had to pay
Ed. Price, of the Boss livery $500
and all expenses to take four horse
team and haul the oats to White
bird, while they had their teams oc-
cupied in transporting the rest of the
governments mail freight The
Joseph contractor threw up his job
and the greater part of the oats with
other parcel post matter are stacked
high as the ceiling in the Whitebird
office. No mail is being carried to
the three offices of 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 the Brown & Freeman firm is as
follows: 1--WE are bankrupt, and
cannot longer continue to carry the
parcels post matter over our line.
Our daily expenses are $4,000, while
the government is paying us $16.04
per day. Our passenger and local
express business has had to be aban-
doned to meet the demands of the
parcel post traffic. If not relieved
from this burden by March 1st
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 Pettibone route from
Sites to Elk City. Pettibone delivered
a four horse load of 400 pounds at
Elk City recently all packed in mail
sacks
This Is a great state of affairs to
be brought about through the neglect
of the department to make adequate
provision in the way of additional ap-
preparations at the time of the en-
actment of the parcelspost law. And
such provisions were not being made
when the recent appropriation bill
was reported to congress, by the post
office department, and Congressman
Smith introduced an amendment to
assist the rural carriers and star rout5
contractor out of their dilema.