Douglas Island news., 1917-07-20
ALL THRU AGES
 TWAS EVER THUS
People Kick on Mail Service on Gen. eral Principles and It Does
 No Good

Everybody enjoys Q well directed kick when lt is not directed toward i themselves. Kicking is a privilege. Sometimes it is ovcrworkcd but gem orally there ls occasion for it. For example. Che Anchorage Times has kick against thc postofficc service Of its town and its kick is delivered ] In tho following plain and easily un- Idcrstood manner:
 For several years residents of AL aska coast towns have been asking. I''Why is Inspector Neal of 'ha Uc7''l .dcpartmcntg" Evcr nlucc lo wo8 iu- nictcd on Alaska thc ros' o-fi.c huo'- mess of the coast towns has been run as though directed by a man who used a wart on Che back of his neck for a collar button. From Cordova and Anchorage protests against him and his methods have been almost continuous. He is as popular as a pain in thc stomach, because of the parsimoulous economy which has handicapped the postal service throughout his jurisdiction.
 Every postor.icc is short on clcri- cal work and every postollicc clerk is oycrworkcd. Several years ago the postmaster ot Cordoya resigned be- cause his clerical force was cut down at the beginning of the winter season just as the work of his office waa about to be largely increased by the transfer of thc Panama mail from the river route to thc winter road.
 Valdez has had two postorriccs burned In two years and each time Neal has refused Co do anything Co help start a now one. Since thc last postofricc was burned six months ago Che Valdez office has been cou- ductcd m thc corner of a store like a backwoods office in cross roads grocery, and everybody gets his mail by general delivery The citizens are engaged now u trying Co get a ncv office by popular subscription for equipment and contribution toward rent, as they did thc last time. Neal does nothing but try Co save uickcls.
 Anchorage has suffered from in- sufficient postal equipment and fa- cllitics ever since it appeared on che map. two years ago. lt has an cf- fcicnt and hardworkrg postmaster who is often blamed for conditions for which he is not responsible No- body could do better than Postmaster Wood does under the houdicups im- posed upon him.
 About 500 applications for post office boxes arc on file with Che post master. and there are uo boxes Co be had because Che postal inspector win not recommend any expansion Of postoflicc equipment As many as ten persons arc getting their mail m one box. and everybody is familiar with the long lines of people who wait their turn at the general de- livery window after the arrival Of each mail steamer How long, Oh Lord how long?
 The trouble with Neal is that hc seems Co rate an Alaska postofficc as he would an office n a country town iu tho states which serves a region six miles square. Ie refuses Co recognize che fact that offices like Anchorage. Cordoya and Valdez han dlc mail for branch lines as we'll as for territory bigger than an outside county. He refuses Co make any al- lowancc at Anchorage for thc fact that ouc-third or Che mail is govern ment O B and thc postmaster gets  no credit for it iu Che sale of stamps because it pays no postage A post masters salary is based on stamp sales and box rent. and Che Anchor age office is shortchaugcd on both by the refusal to furnish enough boxes and tho necessary fact that ot- ficial business uses no stamps.
 Tho only remedy is to get a postal bigger than a nickel Inspector Neal wouldn't pay 1O cents Co see man commit suicide. An Alaska ought to unite in demand for another in- spector.