Smyrna times., 1932-06-01
OUR RURAL MAIL
DELIVERY ROUTES
Should Our Farm Residents
Be Penalized in Proposed
Economy Plan?
CARRIERS ARE FAITHFUL

The public and most especially
the farmers have been quoted as
desiring economies in the Govern
ment payroll. Commodities of the
farmers are not bringing a fair
revenue to his Golfers, while his ac-
tual hours and days of labor have
not been diminished, and neither
have his taxes. This would most
naturally inspire an appeal to the
heads of the Government and Con-
gress that some legislation be en-
acted that will reduce his expendi-
lures. Unfortunately, at this time
legislation is being considered un-
der the cloak of aiding the farmer.
Recently the Senate returned the
post office appropriation bill to its
appropriation committee with the
instructions to slash S80,000,000
from the total amount appropriat-
ed for this department, for all
postal business. Postmaster Gen
eral Brown Immediately appeared
before the appropriation commit
tee of the Senate and informed
them that if this amount of money
is deducted from the total appro-
priations for 1888 all branches of
the Post Office Department would
suffer. The transfer and delivery
of mail would be greatly impaired
and the progres of the Post Office
Department would be stifed. He
specifically pointed out that rural
delivery service would be greatly
curtailed For this branch of the
post office service he says: ut
will be necessary to consolidate
about 5000 rural routes and place
about 5000 others on a basis of
tri-weekly instead of daily ser
vice" In other words, it means
that of the $80,0O0,O 900 loss or cur
tailment in the appropriations ap-
proximately 25 per cent will be
borne by the farmers. Out of the
total number of twenty-five and
one half million patrons who re-
ceive their daily mail, five and one
half million will only receive their
mail every other day. Even though
this be done the taxes of the farm
er will not be reduced, for unless
he is contributing to the income
tax he is not paying directly for
his rural service except through
the purchasing of postal supplies.
The farmer asks to be protected
from high taxes and as usual he is
being penalized and not helped.
The rural delivery service is about
35 years old. Before the time of
its inception the farmer did not
have the convenience of the post
man coming right to his door
Since that time the rural service
has grown until it has reached the
peak of $4,000 routes. Rural car
riers are civil service employees
who have passed a competitive ex-
animation and are men and Wom-
en- of excellent character and high
standing in their respective COM
munities. While many of these
rural routes were laid out in horse
and buggy days, their roads, for
the most part, still are unimprov-
ed, for although there has been
great deal of road improvement
during the past decade it has been
on the highways and not on the
road that the farmer and carrier
must use. These carriers must
furnish their own equipment and
are paid for the number of miles
their routes consist of. They are
allowed four cents per mile
equipment allowance" while
other government workers are al
lowed six cents per mile if their
car is used in making trips on gov
ernment business. This equipment
allowance is over the carriers
basic salary, as the carrier must
furnish all of his equipment. In
many instances carriers must use
horses, automobiles, and snowmo-
biles in the course of a years SER
vice on a rural route due to cli-