The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1919-01-28
SUGGESTIONS FOR MAKING NEEDED
IMPROVEMENTS NRURAL MAIL SERVICE
Plans Are Revise the Rural Mail Routes to Cover
More Territory and Put Them on Higher
Gear for More Service
EDITOR soLlCITs POST MASTER GENERAL

The long-suffering public on the
great plains and the various commun-
tiles close to town, who have not
been able to get rural mail service at
all, or service that is any better than
going to town for mail, may receive
service on a revised plan if new plans
carry.
Country people who have been
vainly agitating for changes are in
vited to map out new routes to bring
the service to all the people, and as
close to all homes as possible, where
autos can go, and confer with this
office about the adoption of the new
plans. This is a proper time to be
getting the rocks out of the roads if
any are in the way. The following
letter to the post master general is
one of several appeals made to the
department recently thru different
sources, and an understanding may
be reached soon.
January "a, 1919.
Hon. A. s. Burlson.
Washington, D C.
Dear sir.
From my humble station as the
editor of a county newspaper in
half-settled county of western state,
desire to offer some suggestions re-
garding the postal service, and to ex-
press what ! hope you will regrad as
"a laudible ambition for it's improve
ment.
Without criticising the conditions
brought about in the service by the
war, think we shall agree that there
is much inefficiency that could not
be helped during the war, and which
we can now devote some time and
attention to, with prospect of find
ing. the man power needed.
believe we stand at a place where
it is one Of the crying needs of the
country to find man who can put
as much pep and efficiency into the
postal service as did Mr.. Schwab into
shipbuilding, or as did those other
distinguished organizers and execu-
tives into aircraft production, trans
portation and other activities that
have been so marvelously speeded up
by setting aside restrictions and OBJ
solete practices that have made work
in their respective lines only tolor-
able and not at all progressive up to
the time that national danger forced
us to throw Off the feters of what is
usually denominated "red tape"
In this, the beginning Of q new era,
wish that our honorable post
master general might undertake
some such task as did General Joffra
in reorganizing the French armies in
the first few weeks of the world war,
and eliminating the useless. and OBJ
solete. wish that he might ask for
power and be granted 1t, and by
quickening the, rural service Of the
country, make the present service
look like the obsolete working force
that it is.
In the county where ! live, our
rural carriers, covering a sparsely
settled country, are merely given per-
mission to use motor driven vehicles
and they can choose between spend
ing all day threading the country
road with horses and wagon, or on
their meager pay, carry the larger
investment Of the automobile. and
get thru sooner. but be put out Of q |
job for the rest Of the day.
Whenever I talk to an inspector |
about these matters, am told that |
the regulations are based on horse |
delivery because there is liable to
be time in the winter when autos can
not be relied upon. There Is, |
should say, an average Of one month |
per winter, when autos cannot sue
cesfully make the rounds, and there |
are an average of eleven months |
when the horse-drawn vehicles are |
operating where autos should oper- ]