The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1915-08-09
x X X X X <kkkfkff Xxx
X TELLS OF PARCEL
X @ POST CONDITIONS !
By LOWELL MELLETT

BY LOWELL MELLETT
Washington, Aug. 9.-'''What do
you want to talk about?" asked the
postmaster general.
"Politics.' -4.--51
"Nothing doing" said the post
master general, cordially. - ~: :
>"Why not?" =
II absolutely can't, won't and
shan't talk politics. said Mr.. Burle-
son. "Try something else
"All right, but why do they call
you the politician of the cabinet? ?"
II suppose that is because you
writing people have to coin catch
phrases to describe, catalogue. clas-
sify and in some degree dramatize
public men in the public eye. That's
only my opinion. You folks did it
and ought to know why" H. y
Speaking Of politics
1--WE aren't speaking of politics, = :
said the postmaster general. @
what means this holler in the
rural districts about restrictions Of
the rural free deliyery?"
The postmaster general had been
at least half-interested in the pa
pers on his desk, but now he swung
sharply around in his chair. He re-
moved his nose glasses, probably; to
save them from the heat of the sud
den blaze in his. eyes, :.
"There has been no restriction!
Who says there has been? A revf-
sion is under way which gives ser
vice to many hundred thousands who
are entitled to it, but heretofore have
been denied it. This is being done
without increasing the cost of the
postal service and without taking
away service from anyone who now
has it. 1t is accomplished with
money saved by eliminating waste
effort, extravaganza, special favors
and privileges. .1sz
"Just for example: Parts Of hum
dreds of rural routes have been trav-
eled daily by two or more rural car
riers. There are cases in which as
many as six or seven carriers, each
getting from $1,000 to $1,000 year,
have been going over the same eight
or ten miles of road. Politics! This
vicious duplication of service was
built up through; q. series, of years by
political influence. By cutting put
these Implications we get 8 balance
available for service in territory that
has long deserved it. -.
"Do you know, what retraces are?
No. Well, I'll tell you. John Smith
is a wealthy and influential farmer,
living a half mile from a. rural route.
John uses his influence and gets an
order requiring the rural carrier. to
go the half mile to his. gate, deposit
and collect mail and return to the
main roadwa full mile Of extra
travel. Eliminating 26 such half
mile retraces is equivalent to elimin-
ating an unnecessary rural route and
special privileges amounting to 81
200 a year. '
"Between April l and July 10 the
readjustment of the rural service and
inauguration of motor vehicles ser
vice left $s21,754 for establishing
new routes. With part Of this money
735 new routes have been put in op-
Grafton, serving S5,74S additional
families, or 42S,74o additional per-
sons" .51.s:. Co.,.
what of your fight with the rail-
roads?" ''7s'. :. 8 s. ~, ~, ,i2
ct wouldn't call it fight. - {
'To an innocent newspaper reader
| it looks - = 81. Si
No, it isn't q fight. The ques-
tion of railway pay is purely and
solely business question to be de-
cided on its merits after thorough
sitting, deliberation and analysis of
the facts. The department desires
to pay a rate reasonably compensa-
tory to the railroads, taking into
consideration all of the conditions, Of
the service. Mails are not a COM
modify of commerce, and hence the
question Of whether a different yard
stick should be applied to them is a
debatable one. I have always held
that while the mails may not be a
commodity of commerce, transporta-
tion undoubtedly is, and that when
the postoffice needs transportation It
should pay a fair price for 1t.
II realize that the commercial
shipper has had grievances. Many
boards Of trade have passed resolu-
tions declaring the present postal
service lacks features Of express SER
vice which for them are absolutely
indispensable, such as receipts for
parcels, indemnity to an unlimited
amount for loss and damage and SO
on. Recently orders were issued
granting the mailer Of q parcel the
privilege OF obtaining g receipt on.
payment Of one cent and increasing
the size limit from z inches to 81
inches. length and ,girth combined.