The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1931-01-22

SSAaOAVAVAA0y ShAHA CAAots AAh -" AAsWJ
have served a purpose of convenience
If not necessity, in The horse and
buggy period of about a quarter Of
a century ago. in these times Of au-
tomobiles and good roads practically
every rural resident has his oWn car,
which has brought town and country
$ close together, that distance Is no
longer :. factor. This, in conjunction
with the radio. has brought about a
condition which renders obsolete the
service and purposes for which 1t was
originally established.
This seems to be largely the senti-
ment of the rural population, which
appears to take the position that
such governmental subsidy as is levied
OH the public to meet costs Of de-
livering their mail is a s%urpluSagc
under modern conditions, and the
huge sums expended for such pur-
poses q be used to much better ad-
vantage and for a more effective and
lasting purpose in stabilizing Of prices
Of farm products, and that farm re-
lief. rather than mail relief, is the
present need Of the rural population,
if homes and farms shall be saved
from foreclosures. The household
flivver largely solves the transporta-
ton problem Of the rural resident as
to his mail and parcels and other
commodities, without necessity of the
cumbersome and costly operation by
the federal government.
Then there are those that contend
that if there should appear any seri-
Gus objection to adjustment Of the
rural delivery system, it should at
least be adjusted to modern, means Of
transportation. That present rural
routes are based upon use Of horse
and buggy as to distance, and with
advent of the automobile should at
least be doubled as to distance SO
that one motorized carrier serve
routes previously served by two or
more carriers under the old law, thus
making at least a SO per cent reduc-
ton in number of carriers now
required to cover the same routes.
It appears that the postal depart
ment has, within the past few years,
made an effort to consolidate rural
routes, but it appears that the de-
partment is largely hampered IN it's
efforts at making wholesale consoll-
dations, by the fact that under the
law it can only do SO when a carrier
now in the service dies or retires. 1t
appears that the federal government
does not reserve the same right as
private employers to hire and fire"
and that once a person gets on the
federal payroll he is there to stay
regardless whether he is subsequent
ly needed or not. If there is such a
federal law, it should be promptly re-
pealed-that is absurd paternalism.
When the job ceases the pay should
cease.
Consolidation by the department. of
rural routes apparently is also ham
pered by the fact that the liberal
fixed salaries paid are based upon
mileage. and in Ease of consolidation,
the carrier that takes. over the ad-
ditional route receives practically a
double salary, SC that no substantial
saving results from elimination OF the
other carrier. The remedy for this
situation is that congress change the
law SO as to place the carrying OF the
rural mails ON a contract oasis,
awarding the contract for each route
to the lowest responsible bidder, same
as in all other government contracts
I have in mind a typical situation
which arose in a rural community re-
Gently near here. There were four
rural carriers out of the village post
office there. serving four compar-
atively short routes of about 80 miles
each. The salary of each carrier Is
about $500 annually. Recently, one
of the carriers reached the retirement
age and retired on pension. The
postal department proceeded to CON
solidate the route of the retired +
rier with that of another carrier
there. The disappointed candidates
who aspired to the lucrative position
of the retired carrier arose in holy
wrath and high dudgeon and clrcu-
lated petitions to block the depart
ment's effort at consolidation, and as
signatures can be obtained TO most
any kind of silly petition. they were
able to delay the departments con-
solidation plan.
This is but another example OF how
the public that shouts loudly and
cusses their representatives in con-
gress for not reducing public eXpendl-
lures and direct and indirect taxes,
nevertheless will in the next breath
sign petitions to continue such bur-
dens.
How. when and where are VIC going
to have tax reduction? We have had
agricultural deflation. and we are IN
the midst of industrial deflatlon. How
can prosperity return until VIC nave
had tax deflation?
p, II, REDINGTON,
Fargo, N. u,
Editor OF The Tribune
Although I have the highest regard
for the ability of DR.. Pick and our
honorable board of education. would
like to have the privilege of comment
ing on certain portions OF the subject
of the doctors address before a re-
cent joint meeting of the two houses
of our state legislature.
The primary purpose of our school
system is to develop education; but
the cost Of our education has been in
creasing for a considerable number
of years and we have come to the
point, where we must take the cost
into consideration.
I I'M only a common farmer. but
one who has observed and has taken
considerable interest in school affairs
for the past 20 years. and am espe-
cially interested in the education OF
the rural populace Of this great state
of ours. I am an advocate OF educa-
ton and more education and believe
money spent IN education is a good
investment. but believe We should eS-
pect 100 cents worth Of education for
every dollar spent for that purpose.
I believe a college education should