Evening journal., 1918-01-08
j. 5. hA|HE-Tf-CULF
MAIL LINE PLANNED
Motortruck Service for Par
eel Post May Be Opened
in the Spring
ROUTES NOW ARE
BEING BUILT

WASHINGTON, Jan. S.--A chain or
mQiortruck parcel post routes extend
ing from Portland. Me, to New Orleans,
La, is contemplated by the Postonlce
Department for operation early in the
coming spring.
Within about three months between
5000 and 1000 miles Of motortruck mail
routes win be established by the de-
partuent in the belief that they will aid
materially in the distribution Of food
products and lowering the cost Of liv-
Ing.
The Portland-to-New Orleans route
has been completed with the exception
Of a stretch between Washington. D. c.
and Richmond, Va, where the choice
Of roads has not been made. This chain
links the following cities and towns:
Portland. Ne, 10 Nashua. N. H., TO
Worcester, Mass. to Hartford, Conn,
TO New York City to Easton, Pa, to
Philadelphia. to oxford. Pa, to Balt-
more, Md. to Washington, d. c., 10
Lynchburs Va, to Winston-salem, N. c..
10 Charlotte, N. c. to Greenville, 5. c.,
20 Atlanta, Ga. to Birmingham or Mont
gomery, Ala, to Jackson, Miss. Routes
VIII be established from Jackson 10 New
Orleans and from Jackson TO Mobile.
These routes have been surveyed and
bids have been advertised Where sat
islactory bids are not received from
star route contractors, government
owned trucks VIII be used.
Other routes will cover much OF a
large stretch OF territory in Ohio. Indi-
ana, Illinois and West Virginia. On the
Pacific cotst routes viii be established
between San Francisco and Sacramento
via stockton and Fruitdale, distance
OF i25 miles, and between Redlands and
Los Angeles, Cal via Ontario and Po-
mona, Cal distance of 76 miles.
Existing law does not provide for the |
employment Of Government owned mo- |
tortrucks on rural delivery routes, nor
does II require the rural carriers TO use /
motor vehicles In the star route ser
vice, however, where the mail is car
ried under contract a recent law per-
mits the Postofilce Department to desig-
nate the sort Of vehicles to be employ
ed, and in awarding new contracts the
department will specify that trucks
shall be employed on all routes where
the roads are such as 10 admit of their
use. These contracts are advanced for
bidders, and where payment asked for
the service is deemed TO be excessive
the department is authorized to provide
Goyernment-owned motortrucks and %
employ drivers for the operation OF
these routes
A further extension Of the employ
ment OF Goyernment-owned motor We
hices by their adoption for the parcel
post service Of the rural routes is con-
templated under a bill now pending In
CONGRESS- authorizing purchase Of mo-
torlrucks
Operating under the law as It now
stands, as applied TO the star route SER
vice motortruck routes, some under
contract and some operated with Gov
ernment-owned m0tortrucks are in pro-
cess Of establishment from New York
City to Port Jervis, ~ Y, via Belleville.
Montclair and Dover, ~ j.. a distance
each way Of eighiy-six miles New
York City 90 Hammonton, n. Y. via
Mount Olive. Bordentown, Trenton,
Princeton and Elizabeth. ~ j.. a dis
tance each way Of ia miles; New York
City 20 Easton. Pa. via Montclalr, Nor
ristown and Summerville. n. j. a dis l
t7nce each way of niney-f0ur miles
New York City to New Milford, Conn
via Pawling, Yorktown Heights, Briar-
cliffs and Ionkers, n. Y, distance each .
way Of ninety-one miles; New York City 5
TO Hartford, Conn via White Plains,
r. Y, DanbUry and Waterford, Conn. a
distance each way of i05 miles: New
York City to Port Jervis. n Y. via
Goshen and Suffern, n. T., q distance
each way OF eighty-four miles, and
froms Philadelphia, Pa, TO Easton. Pa /
via Hallowen and Doyleslown. Pa. q :
distance each way Of ilfty-siX miles .
Easion to Reading, Pa, Via Bethlehem
snd Allentown, Pa distance each way l
of ffty-one miles; Pottsville, Pa, to
Easton, Pa, via OrNigsburg and Dan {
ielsyille, Pa; Harrisburg, Pa. 10 Read ]
ing Pa via Lebanon and Robesonia,
Pa q distance each way Of nfty-one q
miles, and Harrisburg Pa, 10 lIagers- I
town, Md. (
The routes already IN operation with I
GoVernment-owned trucks are from S
Washington, D. C.. TO Leonardstown. {
Md, a distance each way Of nfty-four S
miles; from Annapolis, Md, 10 Solo (
mons, Md a distance each way Of sixty q
five miles; from Washington. d. c. 90 y
Baltimore, Nd via Ridgevlle; from d
Baltimore to Philadelphia, via Belair h
Nd. Oxford and West Chester, Pa. a
distance each way Of no miles, and s
from Baltimore to Gettysburg, Pa, via ,
Westminster. a distance each way Of 4
miles
X G. f. INSTALLATION.