The Kusko times., 1926-08-28
Takotna-Me eGrath Mail
 Lying Bethel Post0ffice


 Hurrah, 5oys! Only about another montt and the people of Takotna, Mo Grath5 and other points hareabouts will get mail that has been Iying in ', on which date the mail carrier, going from Russian MissioDs oR the Yukon. arrived. at Bethel, just day or'tW0 boG late .to forward up river on the second trip of.the steamet Tana. It is not known whether the batch of mail arriving at Bethel osi that date is the ,only one which has. arrived there since, buE probably not
 All of this maih with good Irrk flaw bring 1t, will come up OIL the next TaRa, which will probably leave Bethel somewhere between Sept. f0.and Sept. 15, and arrive at McGrath about Sept. Both.
 Just think Of it! Hundreds of .peo- pie here waiting for mail, and that mail piled up and kicking around in the Bethel postotfice for over two months before opportunity arrives to move it!
 All this Is the result of tilat won derful sNstem--What is known as the split system -4-in other words, a sys- tenn which permits the dividing end routing of mall destined for, Takotna and mcGrath, part of it to come by way of 0pher. and part by way of Bethel, that is during the season of navigation.
 The man who conceived, devBed or put into effect that wonderful sys- tenn imposed rank discrimination upon the people of Mc(frath awd Ia kOtna.
 The system might nave bcen,toc be, beneficial were beat &t taei lower end 10 receive the nfaii. upon It<4 ar-- rival through the Yukon -kuskakwinl portage, thereby assuring continuous movement of mail. But that boat is never there,-a the propiti0Hs s nae JAiia2 so, generally gets. away day sr sew eral days before the portage mail ar rlves. And then the mali is stacked up in+the Bethel office to await the arrival of. the Tana on her next trip down river, which maybe a month or possibly two months, varying, of course. as to- the necessity for that craft making the trip.
 This is ,!one system that should be thrown into the discard. It Is posi- lively of no benefit to the people of this section.
 And here is what Roy Southworth, editor of the Anchorage Times, gen. tleman most conversant sgitn Interior mail cosidnions.s who loses no. oppor- tunity to appeal for hettezment of matl service. has to say, speaking, of course, of the Innoko river route:
 Notwithstanding the fact that air planes are flying frequently into ne kuSkofswina district from Fairbanks, and will continue to operate on that route fairly regularly during the sum mer, all Of the mail to and from that remote section of Alaska will be ront- ed by the roundabout water course, re- quiring weeks to make deliveries. The Kuskokwim valley IS not thickly pop uIated, but 1t does seem that the old timers thereearea entitled to. g. better mail service than is provided them during the summer months, particu- isrfy Tn view ot the fact shat there is fairly tdinectlroute from the railroad to McGrath, via Lake Minchumina. Amplanes seperating from Nenans would, of course, give the most satis- factory service, but the Lake Min chumina route would have the addi- tionsi advantage of serving the Kan tishna district, which occupies a posi- tion midway between the railroad and the Kuskokwim.'