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Show uu MAIL CARRIERS ARE LOADED DOWN. The trials of the mail carrier In Eastern Utah, who was overwhelmed with parcel post business and, as stated sta-ted in last Friday's Standard, who was ready to forfeit his contract and throw the responsibility on his bondsmen, bonds-men, so great was his burden and so unending were his difficulties, are being experienced all over this western west-ern country where there are star route mall contractors laboring to fulfill their obligations to Uncle Sam. The mall carried to Jarbldge, In eastern Nevada, has been called on to haul flour, ore, lumber, hardware and in fact everything that heretofore was sent by freight Any mail contractor, con-tractor, doing business with Uncle Sam under an agreement entered into before the parcel post became ef fective, is in a fair way to become a bankrupt. A coast paper, commenting on the troubles of the mail carriers big and little, says: "Where large combinations of capital capi-tal are Involved it is different. Popular Popu-lar sympathy Is too precious to be wasted on corporations, no matter what may be the nature of their sufferings. suf-ferings. If anything there was ill concealed satisfaction at the news that express companies were being deprived of considerable business and something near to rejoicing at the thought that the railroads were not only losing the revenue from such business, but were also compelled to carry a far greater weight of 'mall' than was stipulated in the contract. There are no such feelings of subtle revenge in the case of the star route carriers. They are not magnates and therefore may hope for justice at tho hands of the Government- However, their position bears this resemblance to that of the railroads; it Is one which places them under the thumb of the Government and enables the Postal Department to show a much better balance sheet than it would be able to do if all services performed were adequately paid for. TlmeIf not justice will relieve the star route carriers of the burden of compulsory generosity to the Nation. In this, at least, they are better off than the railroads, though their losses are comparatively com-paratively greater. The Government Govern-ment is not above driving a bard bargain bar-gain nor of construing a contract after af-ter the manner of the most 'soujless corporations.' " Perhaps one reason why the atar routers have not'' before ths been given relief by Congress Is that a precedent set in their behalf -would obligate the Government to reimburse tho railroads whicfi have been carrying carry-ing hundreds of tons of mall In excess ex-cess of the weight determined upon at the weighing of malls four yearB ago. Public sympathy has not been extended to the railroads owing to the generally accepted belief that the roads long have been overpaid not only on -mail, but also on the rentals for mail cars. no |