Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 May 1919 — LETTERS FROM OUR READERS [ARTICLE]

LETTERS FROM OUR READERS

What Is th« .Matter With the Mail Service at Goodland? About 17 years ago rural mall route No. 1 was established out of Goodland with practically all dirt roads, but the pgtrons got service. Today, with the exception of four or five miles, the route has been Improved with good stone, a dirt road left only in several patches, and petitions are on file to have more of the dkrt road stoned. But the county is taxed to the limit, hindering road making. Nine families were cut off from service May 1, with only a tew days’ notice. Not even the road officials had received any complaint or order to repair any bt the said route, and state that the dirt roads are above the average dirt road, better than they were when the route was established and as good as they know how to <nmke them. A petition was recently sent to the postoffice department, signed by a number of the patrons, stating that their mall for the last year had not '.been delivered regularly. As much as ten days had elapsed without the carrier delivering the mail on part of the route. They demanded better service. Their only encouragement later was a notice from. the stating service would be discontinued to about nine patrons, beginning May 1. At one place, one mile, 3-4 of which Is stone, was cut out. It had three patrons; the 1% mile adjoining this mile was continued, and not a patron on it. It seems this change was made more to accommodate the carrier than to render service ko the people. There has not been a horse-drawn vehicle on this route in four or five years. The patrons of Goodland routes are deprived of receiving mail from the east, due at 9:30 a. m., the saime day, because the carriers are not held for this mall, as formerly, and as Remington is still doing. Rensselaer has four routes, each route has more or less dirt and bad places. All use teams and mall wagons when they cannot make it by auto, and one of the regular carriers is a woirian at that. it seems a carrier should appreciate the difference 'between iroads 17 years ago and now enough to give service. Shame on Goodland. INTERESTED.

Judging from The Democrat’s recent experience in trying to get better service for its many patrons on the Goodland rural routes, the present postmaster and carriers over there are laboring under the impression that rural routes were established solely for the convenience of the (postmaster and the financial benefit of the carriers, and not to render service to the patrons. The patrons should get busy with the postoffice department and disabuse their minds of this idea. I