The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1915-12-09
WON'T STAND new CHANGES
Carriers Of Years of Service Declare
That They Can Not Give Service and
They Refuse to Stand for the
Complaints of the Patrons.


mail service out of Kenosha promises
to bring complete paralysis to the de-
partment On Thursday Irwin Boswell,
who has travelled Route No. SO for the
past six years, turned in his resigna-
ton and this morning there followed
to Washington the resignation of
Ralph Pedley, long carrier on Route
No. "a and Chester Brooks, who has
been working in the same capacity on
Route 35. But one carrier remains on
the force and that is Hans Mogenson,
the pioneer carrier on Route No. 81 in
Somers. His resignation is expected
to go to Washington within a week,
but at the urgent suggestion Of the
local officials he was kept on the job.
Boswell, Brooks and Pedley are not
seeking to cause any trouble in the
service and all three Of them have de-
clared that they will give the govern
ment the customary month IS notice, but
their services will be terminated on the
first day of the new year. The men
declare that they have resigned be-
cause it was physically impossible for
them to do the work demanded by the
government in the time allowed. All
declared that they were not able to
make the places on their routes and
that the service was so unsatisfactory
that they were unwilling to stand for
the complaints of patrons for the small
salaries paid by the government for
this work. No one has been named to
succeed the retiring carriers and it will
be necessary to hold examinations. It
is admitted that it will be very hard
for men to be found who will take
over these places. .a
In order to do this work in the
time set by the government and give
the people anything like service, man
must have either an automobile or a
team of horses" said one Of the car
riers this morning. CIT means thirty
mile trip every day and there is not a
team Of horses in the county that can
make this daily trip. Most men in the
service can not afford to keep team
and they find it just as impossible to
buy an automobile A man working
with team on the streets can make
more money than the ordinary rural
carrier can earn.
The carriers are paid at the rate of
about $1,000 a year and they assert
that much of the salaries they are paid
go for horse keep and the repair on
vehicles used. Hans Mogenson, the
one member of the Kenosha rural car
rier force, declared that he was not
able to cover his new route in the time
demanded and that he found it impos-
sible to visit all Of the patrons. He
agreed to try the work out for a lit
tie longer time before sending in a
formal resignation.
eff the government needs to make
real retrenchment in the postofice de-
partment,D said one of the interested
parties this morning, 'fwhy don It the
postofice department. commence way up
in the line and cut the salaries Of some
Of the high officials and some Of the
postmasters rather than attempt to cut
down the service Of the people by MAX
ing rural routes longer. There is no
more loyal force in the employment of
the government than the rural carriers.
We have seen this new scheme tried
out now for two weeks and the men
have found that it is impossible to do
the work in the time allotted. To be
a rural carrier now man must be an
automobile owner. The automobile is
the only solution. If you look over
the wages paid the carriers you will
see how improbable it is for any of
them to buy automobiles
AS yet no designations Of the car
riers from the rural offices in the
county have been reported, but it is
expected that these will follow later.
There is just as much dissatisfaction
on the routes out in the towns as has
been expressed nearer the city.