The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-12-11

the cities, and many places in the coun-
try towns would receive telephone and
telegraph messages written on stamped
cards like postal cards. Old soldiers
and others could find employment as
collectors, and frequent collections
would abolish the present expensive
messenger-boy system, that adds two
cents to the cost of 30 per cent. of city
kilograms. In New York city there are
thirty-three collections from letter
boxes every day, and at certain hours in
the most thickly settled business part of
the city the letter boxes are emptied
every ten or fifteen minutes
The delivery by letter carriers held to
strict account would also be an improve
ment over the present system of mes
sangers, who rarely hurry, except in pic
lures. Who has not, lost a train or
missed meeting friend by message
that started in ample time being delayed
in delivery? The system recommended
would not forbid private telephones or
telephone exchanges in cities any more
than it would exclude the use of the tele-
graph by railroads having their own
lines. The plan contemplates only the
convenience of the people in the use in
common of their own Post Office as the
neighborhood station for telephUning
and telegraphing.
A LETTER BOX AT EVERY DOOR.
OF the door letter box question, the
Postmaster General says: 1t was de-
cided to commend to the attention of
the public, first, a slot; second, slot
with an inside box to receive mail !;
third, a slot with an inside box to re-
ceive mail and in which mail may be de-
posted to be collected from the outside,
fourth, an outside box to receive mail !;
fifth, an outside box to receive mail and
from which mail may be collected; sixth,
a box to be placed in the walls of build
ings during their process of construc-
ton.
1t is evident that, if the problem of ex-
pediting deliveries were the only con-
sideration, boxes could be found readily
enough; for if, as is estimated, the quar-
ter part of the time of the carrier is
wasted W lifting for persons to come to
doors or windows to receive mail matter,
the number of deliveries in a given town
could be increased by quarter, or surely
by fifth, which would be a considerable
gain. The department cannot put the
boxes in for the householder gratis. 1t
probably could not properly put the
be xes in if it had money of its own to
spend, and if the householder, on his
part, wanted the department to do it for
him at its own expense. 1t must be an
act perfectly voluntary and personal on
the part of the householder and entirely
without cost to the department. Some
inducement, therefore, beyond the mere
convenience of the department (suoh as
would be involved in the use of delivery
boxes pure and simple) must be offered
to the householder. The department
must provide, if it is able, some means
by which the desired purchasers mail
may be collected, as well as delivered, at
the door. Here enters the element of
difficulty in devising a collection as well
as delivery box which shall meet all
the enumerated requirements.
My plan for the introduction of the
house letter boxes would be somewhat
as follows: would have the department
accept an offer, or offers, which, have
reason to believe will be made by one or
two, if not by the whole, six, of the in
ventors, whose devices are to be COM
mended, to furnish a sufficient number
of boxes to supply six given carrier
routes-preferably in Washington, as
the experiment could then come under
the direct observation of the department
Each of the six inventors would supply
a single route, so that it could be de-
termined which box worked best from
the department standpoint. The box
evidently most acceptable to the house
holder also could be selected after this
experiment of three months, say, was
over. The owners may be depended
upon to introduce the box energetically
by a house-to-hOuse canvass, and by hav-
ing them on sale at suitable places.