The Cordova daily times. [volume] (Cordova, Alaska) 1914-1947, 1918-09-04
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 1918
PaRSIMONiOUS POSTOFFlCE
DEPARTMENT

In n lengthy editorial on the postal
service now given this territory, the
Anchorage Times lambasts the de.
pnrtment and makes strong appeal
for change in the present system of
sending mail to Alaska, from which
the following excerpts are taken:
1t is perhaps fair to say that in
tie large vcutcr5 OF population the
IA, il facilities afforded are equal to
the demands, and may be said to be
urite satisfactory. on the whole. But
parts OF the country, and especially
IN overseas possessions like Alaska.
,ro mail service given is entirely in
alcuuatc to meet the needs of those
, com it seeks to serve.
at is common knowledge that this
!. az u OF the public s"ryice--in many
aspects the most important-is the
most impecunious. Its employees all
nier the nation are poorly paid and
ryprworkcd. as compared with fed
al employees in other lines of en-
doavor
ITO make a poor situation here
worse, the United States mail now
comes to us by freight or express.
The postoffce department, faithful to
its established custom, and having no
thought of the convenience of the
public. failed to renew the mail con
tracts with the steamship lines plying
between Seattle and this port, Just
lccause some official back in Wash
iugton thought the contract price too
high. That's why the mail clerks on
the boats were discharged and that's
ny IL, nail now comes to us by eX-
press or freight. And more tmpor-
rant than I'll else. that is why it is
impossible 10 answer an important let
ter Ivy rctura boat for the reason that
TIE letter does not reach the patron
until the boat has sailed on its re-
turn vo%aLt.
This produces a serious situation
in a community where mails reach us
bat once every week or ten days. es-
pccially at lime when business men
must see to il that their winter stocks
IRE ordered in time.
We now have two good, legitimate
well-equipped steamship lines plying
boats on the run from Seattle to this
port 1t would be a very serious mat
ter. indeed, if either of these two
steamship lines found it necessary,
through mounting costs OF operating
boats during these war times, to With
draw from this route single boat.
Alaska would soon suffer lack OF
adequate transportation facilities with
the outside world. In the past the
mail contracts have been big aid
in paying the expenses of these
lengthy voyages, and now that this
source of revenue has been cut off 1t
can hardly be expected that the steam
shpi lines can afford to operate boats
at a loss, and when that time comes
the service will be reduced. That $
all there is to that.
Other countries, in order to main
tain adequate transportation facilities
with outlying possessions, pay lib.
eral subsidy to the steamship lines.
While this policy has not been estab
lished in the United States, ii does
seem that the postoffice department
should be less parsimonious with re-
spect TO Alaska mail contracts. We
are not advised as to the price asked
by the steamship lines for carrying
the mails to Alaska ports, but We have
long been conyersant with the lack of
liberality on the part of the postoftlce
department through the whole of its
activities, and we prefer to think that
the fault here may be charged di-
rectly to this branch of the public