Seward Seaport Record

Mail Contracts Awarded To Smith, Brattain

Clarence T. Larsen, acting postmaster in Seward, announced the awarding of the star route mail contracts to Homer, Hope and all way points this week.

Robert C. Smith of Homer, Alaska, was lowest bidder at $129 round trip over the Sterling Highway to Homer and all intermediate points, including delivery to individual mail boxes along the highway. The contract specifies one round trip each week, beginning July 1, 1950, through June 30, 1954.

The intermediate post offices of Cooper Landing, Naptowne, Soldotna, Kenai, Kasilof, and Ninilchik, will receive delivery on the same trip, with pickup from the same stations on the return trip.

W. L. Brattain was awarded the contract for Hope and intermediate points and individual box deliveries from Moose Pass to Hope at the rate of $48 per each weekly round trip, for the same four year contract as above.

Word has not been received as to action taken on contracts with steamship companies for the carrying of mail from the States. The MV Garland is delayed at Kodiak at this time with motor trouble, consequently there is no information available on the mail contracts to the Westward.

The addition of the two star routes lays an added burden upon the Seward post office, which already handles all the mail for the railbelt and the entire interior region of Alaska, without raising the status or rating of the local office. The Seward office is required to count and weigh all incoming and outgoing mail and make the distribution according to destination, which constitutes a big job aside from the local and star route service.

The star route is differentiated from the rural route system in that the rural route is a daily service, covering a circular area rather than point to point. There are only two rural mail routes in Alaska, being at Anchorage and Ketchikan.