The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1915-09-18
RURAL MAIL
IMPAIRED

When the Postoffice Department an
nouneed, some time ago, that by chang
il 2 rural delivery routes and making
extensions, many thousands of add
t.onal patrons were being served with
out any increase in expense, there was
a pretty general feeling that when pa
irons had been heard from, there would
re a showing of impaired, rather than
improved service. Such seems to be
the case.
Soon after the adjustments were
made, postmasters found it necessary
&c placate patrons by explaining that
they were not responsible for the
changes. At least one postmaster did
this in a public statement, in which he
placed the whole responsibility upon
the Department here in Washington.
Now comes John A. McSparran, mas
ter of the State Grange of Pennsylva
MIA, with a signed article asserting that
the Postoffice Department has made a
mistake. Speaking of the changes and
extensions, he says:
off it is a real economy, founded up
on ability to render as good or better
service, then the action can only be
commended; but there are several state
rients that l believe show conclusively
that a mistake is being made that will
rot tend either to economy or effici-
ency. The frightening of the routes is
net the place to correct the waste, for
the length of the route must continue
Ter many years to be dependent upon
the distance a horse can travel under
average conditions in the time allowed
between the trains that carry the mail
te and from the terminus of the route.
Il am taking it for granted" said
A~teSparran, THAT the routes are being
handled all through the service as they
are in this part of the country. Some
OF our routes have been heightened un-
der the proposed changes to over 80
miles. Now i think that experience has
shown that a horse n go thirty
miles every other day through average
conditions and keep up a gait that will
insure service in a reasonable time. In
fact, it is doubtful if very many horses
can be found that will stand the pound
ing of thirty miles every other day al
any gait, judging from the number that
&c to pieses under the strain of twenty
miles to twenty-five"
McSparran knows more about horses
Ia does the postmaster general, VINO
has just finished Ia years in Congress
after holding legal offices in Texas for
ii years. And he also knows a few
things about the practical side of con
~solidating rural routes in order to use
automobiles in the summer He says:
1.-The attempt to substitute an auto
mobile service for that of a horse is all
right for a letter carrier who wishes To
make such a change, but for the de.
partment to do so seems to indicate
that either they do not value the ele.
ment of everyday service in the eoun
try, or they have in mind a system Of
AtoNo thdl mas uOt yVt pCch Dubt. ~
is true that the auto can render an en-
larged service a~cceptably for the sum
mer months; but people do not want t
have their addresses changed fall anC
spring, nor do they want to be depriv
ed of service for those periods in the
winter during which it would be impos
sible for the auto to make the trip
This is not the place to look for econ
omy in the postal service"
Mr.. McSparran also points out tina
the farmer writes his letters at night
and, if rural routes are heightened Il
such an extent that the carrier gets
back to town late in the evening, tn,
letters miss the train and must lie Owe
ia the postoffiee until the following
day.
---%-"