Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 February 1912 — WARSHIP AS MAIL CARRIER [ARTICLE]

WARSHIP AS MAIL CARRIER

James L. Cowles, Secretary of Postal Progress League, Believes the Idea Is Plausible. Washington. —Why should not warships be used to carry the malls? Here Is a brand new question Injected into the postal discussion by the tireless secretary of the Postal Progress league, James L Cowles. That gentleman is probably the most active worker for postal reform in this country, and many of his ideas are so far ahead of the procession that it takes the congress several yean, to catch up with them, but Mr. Cowles, although he brings this startling suggestion to Washington, can show that he has some practical basis for it In fact, the South African government has jußt passed a law authorizing the construction of-several cruisers-which are to be used on the regular mail route. They will take the place of a private lino to which the government has been paying a subsidy of $760,000 a year, and in time of war they will be as ready for a fight as if they had just schemed from a navy yard. This idea, whimsical as it at first appears, is making a hit wherever Mr. Cowles tries it on. The navy deiiartment is not overwhelmingly popular with the congress just now. but in view of the probable expenditure of $46,000,000 a year more--for soldiers’ pensions, and the-ever increasing -demand of the navy formore money, for battleships, the suggestion that the warships might be made useful as welT as ornamental is being well r» ceiyed. Under the present system the

ships are kept moving more or less to prevent depreciation of material and discipline, but they Bpend days, weeks and months in idleness, often at almost the full expense of sailing equipment, when if they could be employed on business errands for the government they might effect a large saving for the postofflce department. At least, this lat the kind of talk one hears from members of the congress on whom Mr. Cowles springs his scheme. Mr. Cowles would have cruisers carry mail from the Atlantic to the Pacific by way of the Panama canal.