Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-12-04

| Free Postal Delivery IN Rural Distrieis.
Oae 81 he mo-. interesting subjects
ItscC.sed By Postmaster General Wanna
| maker 10 his annual report transmitted
10 b.. President yesterday IL that per-
timing 10 the wonderful success Of rural
frar delivery. wtioh has been on trial
during the past year In f}rty-six com
4.naitics. II TWO places. Nills5oro, y.
Dlk .ad Hanover, New Hampshire,
this service WAS 5egua, but was
discontinued because the postmasters
failed 10 procure responsible carriers for
Che maximum compensation OF S2i2 per
annum for one or Two hours service per
day A tabulated statement is given
showing total Increase of gross receipts
In thirty nine Of the forty-six experiment
taI free delivery offices amounting to
sG.2I3 - aud total decrease OF gross
receipts In seven Of the offices, amounting
to s707 80 This leaves balance OF 3d.
500. 10 Of increase OF gross receipts. This
total OF excess Of grossi receipts over
expenditures Is divided Ia the appended
tables into what Is due to natural growth
and what ia attributable to the free de
livery service. The excess OF receipts
due to natural growth Ia obtained by
comparing the gross receipts OF 1883 with
those Of 1890 for the same period, and
the balance, $3.50 50. over and above the
additional est, which is entirely an alb
normal Increase, Is to be attributed TO
the free delivery.
This astonishing result is arrived at
in another and perhaps a clearer way.
Between February | and September
| 1891, the 81 experimental offices aggre
gated 30 months OF free delivery ser
vice, at a total cos. Of carriers of Sf,320.-
60, and net profit which may be cred
ted 10 the free delivery service OF $50
20. An entire ysar, sggregatlng o.
months for these h Offices. would have
! resulted, according to the above proper
| ton, ina net earning of S3.Ni2 - with
an appropriation Of 500 900 for the nex t
fiscal year the net earnings, upon the
zane basis, would reach SO 80 so, with
an appropriation Of 100000 the net
earnings would be, by the same figuring,
100, G27, aud with an appropriation OF
| million dollars. S3Sl .254 OF course the
Implication is that the service would be
put on in communities OF areas and dem
stiles o, popu alton similar to those al
ready experimented with.
This "a indeed 4 wonderful showing,
especially when it Is considered that the
es,abli ,hla. u; Of the free delivery causes
the patrons Of the Office in large IL as
urc to di-cCu'iuue the box delivery sys-
t,tn. and that the Office consequently
loses to some extent its box rents out OF
the gro-s rcCtjpts These patrons would
badly give up their boxes voluntarily
IL iney did not enjoy the better service
w}iirh comes 10 them without cost and
tcrouyeriauce Abstracts from the
ie..rf. Il the postmasiers where the ez
%. -iu.a,al SERVICE has been established
srr given, asa tcatly all speak in the
pighost prui Of i., aud ,hev say it meets
vi,h t1c unqualified appreciation 1t their
,trws 4 few Instances where the
falling oN Of q rents has frightened
IA, short GIFTED pos'masters are the
only exceptions TO the general rule. 1t
is,a.yt to be- 5cc1, Gy the eommunica
lions from postmaster. whose gross re-
crints show a decrease since the estao-
ushment of the free delivery. that lop 81
causcs solely are to be assigned In
-crne cases the loss was owing to the
Suspension OF establishments Of Industry,
IN nthers. to removals and in still others
- dull season generally a remark
able ptsse Ct the experiment IS doe in
cryase of poy TO the postmaster. which
logically follows the increase Of service
Numh"riess Arguments why this ser
vice ought to be continued and enlarged
are adduced aud it's shown how much
similar efforts to extend the free delivery
into the country are to be made along
star rontes and by means of suburban
electric roads. Mr. WaDawaker RECON-
mends the passage, Of bill to entitle
towns OF population between 5000 and
99ea to the free delivery. and shows that
the special delivery service In cities has
increased one third this year over the
syersgs Of the last four years.