Carrying The Mails

CARRYING THE MAILS

What Men Will do for Fifty-Eight

Cents a Day

The mail carriers on the star route

going out of this city have always com-

plained of the low pay. The compen-

sation is determined by bidding, the

routes being let every four years. The

price has been gradually getting lower

and the routes are usually let to south-

ern parties, who doubtless imagine that

the ruling rates of wages are so low in

the north as in the south and they

may be able to get as cheap carriers

here. As a consequence the star routes

from this city have been money losers

for the contractors. The present con-

tractors are from Florida and Kentucky

and they will shed no tears when their

contract expires next July. The new

contracts for the next four years have

just been let. E. S. Murtagh, of Al-

gona, Iowa, contracts to see that the

mail is carried from the Ann Arbor

post office to Weinsberg and back three

limes a week for $90.59 a year. This

is 58 cents a trip of about 15 miles, to

Weinsberg and back. These trips have

to be made in all kinds of weather.

A couple of years ago the messenger's

horse slipped and broke its leg when

half way there and the messenger

trudged to Weinsberg in a heavy rain

and wind storm and back to Ann Ar-

bor with the bag slung over his back.

F. S. Smith, of Washington, D. C.

has the two daily routes to Geer and

Worden at $244.96 each, commencing

next July. The Worden route includes

the Emory mail and the Geer route the

Dixboro mail. The rate is about 79

cents a day and the messenger spoils a

whole day for himself and horse, and it

takes a pretty good horse to stand a 25

mile drive every day for a year. It

will easily be seen that no one will

get very rich out of carrying these

mails.