The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1915-12-09
POsTMAsTERs TO PROTEST
Kenosha County Postmasters Fear That
Rural Service Is Being Impaired by
Order from Washington to Lengthen
Routes to Cut Down Expenses.

Democratic economy represented in
the re-arranging of the rural routes out
| OF Kenosha has found its expression in
a new order just received by the local
post office. This new order throws into
the discard lot Of old time names
Route 34' and three other routes
which have been a part of the postal
service in Kenosha county ever since
the days when the government found
that the farmers wanted their mail de-
livered and were entitled to have it de-
livered, are to have new names. Route
81 becomes Route /, 35 is now 2, SO is
and 81 is 4. The new designation of
the routes is now in force and it will be
necessary for the people living on them
to get into touch with their friends and
see that they learn the new addresses.
iOf course the men at the post office will
know the new designation of the routes
and they will go long way toward
relieving confusion that must naturally
follow changes in designation. The re-
port from Washington shows that Route
/
in length and it has 230 families served.
No. 2 is ola miles in length and it has
473 families. No. is 27.5 miles long
with 168 families and the last route out
of the Kenosha Office is 20 miles in
length and it serves 1913 families. The
wide variance in the number of people
to be served by the routes shows that
the Encouragement is pretty certain to
bring complaints from carriers later.
The local Office has not been uncon-
cerned in the proposed changes in the
rural routes and strong protest has
been sent to Washington by several of
the postmasters in the county declaring
that changes in the routes now made
are certain to bring dissatisfaction and
impair the postal service from these
points. These protests have gone direct
to the department. and demands have
been made on the department for a
change in arrangements SO that the peo-
lple may have as good or better service
as is furnished to them under existing
conditions. It is not expected that any
of the protests will bring immediate re-
suits as the men down in Washington
have been busy for months working out
a change in routes to be effective all
over the country and these changes will
probably be made regardless of protests
and kicks from rural postmasters or
rural patrons Of the Offices.
! Nothing has been done with the re-
quests of the Kenosha postmaster for
an improvement of conditions in the
local office. The matter has been in the
hands Of the department for more than
a month and letters received here an
nounce that inspectors of the depart
ment have been asked to render reports
on the needs Of Kenosha but these re-
ports have not been Forthcoming. I'm
til the inspectors make their reports
there will be nothing done. Now that
the office is getting ready for the heavy
holiday business there is a demand for
the immediate addition of more men to
the pay roll in Kenosha and service is
going to be impaired if these demands
are not met. The matter is wholly up
to the Milwaukee inspectors and no
statement has been made as to when
these men will reach Kenosha and take
|up the examination.
The post office is being urged by
patrons all over the city to provide for
the extension of the carrier service but
the local officials are powerless to take
the action without authority from the
department in Washington.