The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1917-02-16

G deals in gasoline, it will relieve the
o postal clerk of uncertainty to have
!, line on the envelop saying, care
It of Jones the gasoline dealer" II it
o is to go in the general delivery, mark
n 1t Gen. Deliv." If it is to go by
e the rural carrier, and you do not
e know which rural route, mark it r.
e n. d. That may help some. Nearly
g all the delay and loss and trouble
y in handling mail is due to incomplete
= address. The post master can stand
r it to have the letters in all sizes,
and the address in the wrong place
r or written slanting across the corner,
and all those little aggravations, but
to have no address at all, or an in
definite address delays delivery at
least.
Il The rural carriers have a hard
time all the year and especially when
the snow is deep. Their salaries are
fixed, and If they have to work over
time or double time, they receive
nothing extra for that. In some
walks of life men demand time and
a half for overtime and double pay
for Sunday but the rural carriers
simply drill along till the trip is COM
|pleted.
For several weeks past the roads
have been bad, and most of the mail
boxes are where the snow drifts deep.
Very few of the patrons take the
trouble to clear the road to the mail
box, and many of the boxes are so
low that allowing for the depth Of
snow 1t is necessary to get out to
put the mail in the box. The boxes
should be 4 " feet from the ground,
to the bottom Of the box. Persons
desiring to buy stamps should not
put loose coins in the box, but should
| enclose them in an envelope with
written instructions as to what is
wanted. They should not ask the
carrier to wait a minute while they
write letter, for snght delays at
a good many places mean much to
the carrier.
Express Man Talks
The man with the blue cap says
the public are pretty good bunch
Of folks, but they forget two or three
things that make 1t hard for him
and inconvenient for themselves.
They go too much on the assumption
that there is nobody but themselves
individually that needs to be waited
on at the moment they arrive at the
express office or the baggage window,
when, as matter Of fact, there are
lots of others in just as great hur-
ry as they, and each one thinking
only of himself and his or her de-
to get something and get
it right quick. If they would think
1t out ahead of time and remember
that the expires agent has to handle
a great many pieces and make last
ing record Of each one of them, get
a certain lot of pieces of all shapes
and size on a truck just before train
time and get every one of them off o
on the train, and at about the same
time receive a valuable lot of stuff
and quickly meet another train and
repeat these activities with absolute
or be responsible for err
rors, the folks who want service
would get around sooner to have
heir baggage checked or to deliver
Or receive their packages.
Now just think moment; IL you
ire going north in the morning at
l.23, you will try to get up in time
% be there at 7.20. After thinking
If it some more you will remember
hat you have to buy ticket, and
'ou know that will take moment;
hen, too, you want to check a piece
# baggage, and you know that ought
O be done earlier; several minutes
arlier you say to yourself-assum-
ng, of course, that you are the only
me who will want to buy a ticket
# get anything out on that train.
Is matter Of fact, the express man
5 there billing and checking things
or an hour before you get in sight
( the depot If he follows the rules
aid down by those who pay him his
alary, he quits checking baggage Is
minutes before the train is due
efore it is due mind you-and he
uits receiving express 80 minutes
efore it Is due. That leaves him
tile time to get everything on the
ruck, get the truck out by the track,
)ck up the office and be ready for
he rush work that comes while the
'ain is in While he is at the train
eople often rush up and want him
} go into the office for something
r check their baggage. If he does
lis and delays the train one minute
re loss Of the minute will be the
Inject of report to the train de-
catcher, and he will have to know
le reason, and then letter of re-
roval IN no mild terms will be sent
the man who caused that minutes
clay. Trains can't run on time un-
ss they run by the rules.
Our local express agent has got
n so he likes the public pretty well,
Id he tries to serve as many of them
possible regardless of rules, SO
ng as it does no harm to some
her interest such as keeping the
ain on schedule or getting his
,cessary work done. So If you ask
mething Of him in busy moments
I'd he makes no response but merely
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