The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1888-01-21
BETTER POSTAL FACILITIES.

The fact that Notwithstanding the low
rates of postage the Post Office Depart
ment has again become self sustaining
and that there promises to be n surplus
at the end of the next fiscal year has led
to much discussion of the proper policy
of the Department. Although there are
some who advocate one cent rate on
letters, the more general opinion among
those who have studied the matter is
that there is much else that might be
done to make the Post Office a greater
benefit than it is at present to the peo-
pie. The newspapers of the great
cities have drawn attention to the
poor postal facilities enjoyed by some
portions of the country and the
disproportionate usefulness of the mails
in the large cities and in the country.
For an instance, there is but one direct
daily mail between Palatka and the cities
ON the West Coast. There are many
places in Florida where the inhabitants
have but one mail on alternate days,
others do not receive their mails SO Of
ten. All through the South, outside of
the larger cities and the country border
ing on the railroads, the mails move
slowly.
The Chicago Times makes some sug
gestions which are not SO impracticable
as they seem on first sight. 1t says:
There should be no discrimination in
favor of large towns in the issuing and
payment of money orders. Every post
office should be a money order office. AT
present the money order offices are con-
fined to large towns, where there are
banks at which drafts can be obtained.
They are of no great advantage to these
towns. They would be of very great adj
vantage TO people living in the country,
remote from banks. Why should the
free delivery of postal matter be confined
TO cities of 10000 inhabitants or over?
Why should it not be extended to all
towns where the streets are named and
the houses numbered? If the offer of a
free delivery was made there would be
little delay in naming streets and num-
bering houses. Why should not the
free delivery system be extended To the
rural districts? III not practical to
deliver the letters at farmhouses or at a
box near the highway, let them be placed
there once, twice or three times week.
If postal matter cannot be delivered
at every farmhouse let il he at least
delivered at or near the place where
the letter-boxes are placed as persons
shall direct. it may be said that the
free collection and delivery of mail mat
ter in the country would not pay. That
was said about the great cities before
the experiment was tried. But it was
soon found that it did pay. The great
increase of mail matter more than paid
the additional expense. Such probably
would be the case in the country. Peo-
pie who now write a letter once a month
would at first write one every week and
then every day. Farmers who now take
n weekly paper would take a daily. The
expense would be much less than per-
cons who have always lived in cities
would estimate It to be. People in the
country work cheap. 1t is likely that a
man could be found in every township
who would collect and distribute the
mail matter every day for $500 per year.
II the contract was open to competition,
offers would be received for smaller
sum.
No doubt the making of small post
Offices money order Offices would be a