Iditarod pioneer., 1917-06-02
FOR RETIREMENT OF MAIL SERVICE

Whenever it has been thought necessary by resi- dents of this section of Alaska to call the attention ot those in authority to the defects in the mail servlce they have met with responses calling attention to the difficulties of transportation and the high cost ot even existing service and no encouragement has been given to hope that the service will be improved. The people of Alaska are far better acquainted with the conditions existing here than the postal authorities appear to be- Therefore 1t IS not unreasonable to believe that discussion of the subject might be use fu if the postof1ce department desires to get value received for the money expended and to furnish the citizens of this territory with the best possible mail service The fact that during the term of the winter mail service, from November to April 30, only a small portion of mail addressed to this point IS re- ceved; that our citizens pay out annually for naga- zires newspapers and other publications many hun dreds of dollars for which no return IS made to them because of the inadequacy of the mail service; and the further fact that during three months n the year (two in the fall and one in spring), absolutely no mail of any description IS received at the local ohces shall be our warrant for offering suggestions locking to the improvement of conditions which have become Wel-nlgh intoerable.
 The winter mail contract over the Seward ldltarod route will expire next June. When a new contract IS awarded it should be the aim of the postal authorities to take advantage of the experience of the past three years to guard against the defects and deficiencies the present service The present mail contract pro- vides for 400 pounds of mail to supply the whole of the route from Sustna to ldtarod This includes the Kuskokwm. Innoko and Iditarod valleys. In the distribution of this mail to the different offices there appears to be some sort of rule in vogue not consist ent with the regulations of the department, and which apparently works discrimination aganst the patrons of the local office For instance. the postal regula tons provide that
 All mails for Alasba are dispatched from Seattle Wash.
 During the navigation all classes of mail dis
 patched During the winter (from about October to
 June account of the difficulty of transportation the
 dispatch of mail for Alaska except for offices the southern
 limited preference being first letters in their
 uusl and ordinary postal cards; second single
 newspapers and magazines addressed public libraries
 paper publishers and to individuals Books catalogues
 papers and periodicals sent to dealers purpose trade
 otherwise and merchandise parce post mater cannot be
 forwarded Interior offices during the winter But
 exception the foregoing when the weight limit of mail
 dispatch will permit packages of seeds exceeding
 pound per package and articles merchandise not exceeding
 each the officers of the service have
 believe articles of necessity such
 eyeglasses medicines for individual but not intended
 primarily for trade be incosed in the mails for dispatch
 No one will seriousy contend that these regula- tons have been observed; n fact, violations without number may be cited Also it will be generally agreed that their enforcement would do much to miti gate the annoyances of the service.
 Postmaster Ansley recently called the attention of the department to the mpossibility of the final con- sgnments of the winter service being brought through on time, owing to the breaking up of the trails and recommending that hrst-cass matter on be dispatched in the last three consignments. The fact that mail dispatched from Seward during the second week of April has not yet reached here con- firms the wisdom of the suggestion. The small con- sgnments of hrst-cass mail could have been carried when it impossible to transport the heavier mails. Under the system in vogue the last three trail mails might as we'll have been dispatched via Skagway and the Yukon, and would have arrived just as early If hrst-class mail only had been dispatched from Sew ard, commencing with April 1, it is believed the