The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1915-11-25

Nv uluSo " q pStu hlluClSu ~
some extent by the fact that the food
and drug laboratories and the food and
drug inspectors were acting independ,
emily of each other in the same terri
tory. With two sets of absolutely indie
pendent officials in the same territory
each reporting directly to Washington,
there could be little coordination"
Regarding the tendency of the Agri-
cultural Department to develop highly
specialized groups because Of the
varied nature Of the work, it is pointed
out that there has grown UP "a Ger,
tain amount of jealousy and assumed
conflict of interest and lost motion,
leading eventually to stagnation. In
the department it has become evident
that existing divisional lines are be-
ginning to initiate against a desirable
fiexibility, and have in some cases al
lowed too little latitude in carrying
out important projects"
Mixed responsibility in government
often results in complications, as is
shown by a statement of the Secretary
of the Interior, who relates that a citi-
zen Of Alaska desiring to lease an Is
land for fox farming carried on a cor
re~spondence with three different de-
partments for several years in an
effort to learn which had jurisdiction
and authority TO make the lease. In
the end it was finally decided that
none of them possessed the authority.
At the head of Pennsylvania Ave
nue. stands the great Peace Monument,
and when it was built a fountain was
provided. For several years there was
no water in the fountain, and some
persistent individuals became curious
to know the reason why. The ques-
ton was carried from one set of
officials to another, and they all aver
red that the dry fountain was none of
their business. Finally an enterpris-
ing official was found who arbitrarily
assumed the responsibility of turning
on the water.
A settler in Alaska in sending forth
a letter, expressed the hope that it
will reach you before the close Of same
season"
81 have been in Alaska for seven
! teen years." said the settler, twelve
of which | have put in the Koyukuk.
During this time l think l have had
about twelve letters through the mail
that were less than six months old
when | got them, and some of them
as long as eighteen months" After
reciting the fact that there is practic-
| ally no mail service, this citizen of the
United States declares that "a govern
ment as rich as the United States
ought to be able to compete with Can
ada in roads and mail service. Canada
has good roads and mail service all
over the Yukon and the Northwest ter
ritories. We have no good roads that
we can get into this country from the
Yukon except a kind Of mail train
which crosses from Tanaha to the
Department which is most likely to tell
| you when you lose a letter that it can
not help it," fails to provide any means
whatever by which certain citizens on
the United States living in outlying
territory can expect to receive their
mail short of six months.
The Postof1ice Department admits
that although second-class mail matter
constitutes approximately sixty-two
per cent of the aggregate Of the aver
age revenue producing mail, it provides
less than five per cent of the revenue
derived from such mail. And although
the difference between receipts from
second-class mail and the expenditures
c~hargeable thereto is not %disprOpor-
t%ionate, yet it is so great as to de-
serve a most careful consideration"
says the department, with a view to
fixing more equitable postage rates,
on the several classes of mail, 50 that
the revenue from each may more near
ly commensurate with the cost"
Postmaster-General BurlesOn, when
a member of congress, made liberal
use of his franking privileges. In an
official report he declares that the
members Of both the senate and the
house of representatives display a uni
form desire to confne the use Of their
franks to the transmission Of matter
relating strictly to their duties as rep
resentatives of their states and consti-
tuencies." Quite naturally the head of
the Postofice Department, recently
graduated from a position as congress
man, does not look upon the franking
system as containing many evils. We're
he the head of a private t~ransporta-
ton company compelled to produce a
dividend for stockholders rather than