Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913

Neither Rain, Nor Snow, Nor Gloom Of Night

The Glasgow Courier shares the views expressed in this column with other publications in Stevenson-Hicks Newspapers.

As predicted, the closure of scores of mail processing plants and rural post offices has waged a heavy toll on postal customers. Mail service has rapidly declined, especially in small towns across the United States.

The U.S. Postal Service recently announced the elimination of overnight delivery as well as a one-day delay in first-class and periodicals mail. While Congress mandated that Saturday delivery continue through at least September, the USPS is forging ahead with plans to close an additional 80 sorting plants in 2015.

All of these closures have been mandated in the call for a leaner more fiscally sound post office. The problem with this solution is that mail service continues to decline at unprecedented rates.

We could bemoan the fact that some subscribers across Montana and outside the state have complained in recent years about delays for delivery of The Glasgow Courier. But no, this isn’t about the newspaper. It is about rural areas along the Hi-Line and nationwide.

With the advent of private parcel services, email and even social media as methods for communicating, many of us have come to take services provided by the U.S. Postal Service for granted.

But this is a mistake. The USPS still handles more than 40 percent of the world’s mail volume amounting to more than 158 billion mail pieces each year. And residents of our rural areas rely more heavily on the post office due to our isolation.

Many area businesses rely on the USPS for delivery of packages and mail. In addition, lack of universal Internet and telephone access combined with an older population on fixed incomes creates a greater reliance on the postal service.

Slower delivery may force small businesses, the elderly and those with disabilities to turn to more costly delivery methods that, quite frankly, don't have the post office's ability to reach customers in the "last mile." This expense would hurt local businesses.

Additionally, our elderly and handicapped residents simply do not have the financial wherewithal to absorb one more cost of living increase.

The USPS multi-billion dollar losses are disconcerting. However, cutting costs at the expense of service is a method proven to fail. It will only result in continued lost volume and increased losses and the ultimate failure of the Post Office as a vital institution that guarantees the universal delivery of mail.

 

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