Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1891-05-02
FREE DELIVERY.
Experiments SO Far Show 1t q
Decided Success.
In Time 1t May Be Applied to
the Whole Country.

Experim mental Free Delivery Now In OPP
GRAFTON Mt Thirty PostoGlces In small
Towns and Villages in Various Parts Of
the United States-Views of the Post
master General.
WASHINGTON, May 2.-The postmaster
general has established experimental
free delivery at Roseville Cal. Sardis,
Miss; Weldon, N. c.; Oakdale, Neb;
Harrison, o.; Cleveland, Tenn. Fonda,
Iowa; Neospo, Mo-; Hillsborough, N,
Oak; Hanover, N. H.; Roseburgh, Ore,
and Davis, W. Va. These twelve offices
bring the number. at which the expert
mental free delivery is in operation up
to thirty. Three others will be ready
for establishment on June /, and the ex-
pense connected with running them will
exhaust the $4,000 appropriated by the
last congress to enable Mr.. Wanamaker
to make this experiment, He was salts
fed before he left for the Pacific coast
with the president, that the experiment
would be successful and he even hopes
that here in this small beginning is per-
haps to be evolved the principle by
which universal free delivery may be
possible in this country in the not dis
tant future.
Increases Business.
1t is universally shown from reports
that the increase of business done by the
postoffices will almost, if not quite pay
the extra expense to which the depart
ment is put by furnishing the extra
facilities The difficult problem before
the postmaster in each place is, of ofcourse,
to make both ends meet in this way; and
if he finds that that is going to be inn
possible, there is nothing to prevent him
from inquiring whether the patrons of
his office would not pay something in adj
dition so their regular postage for the
extra facilities. Postmaster General
Wanamaker has received preliminary
reports from many offices, and has also
watched the local papers carefully to see
what records of the experiments they
have chronicled. Detailed and careful
reports will no doubt, form the basis Of
a section of his next annual report, and
no doubt, too congressional action look
ing to the better extension of the service
will be asked.for.
Pay of Carriers Too Small.
II is believed that if the restriction in
the resolution of congress limiting the
pay of carriers to little over 5000 per
annum were removed and if congress
were to appropriate 100000 for this ex-
perimental free delivery service, to be
applied to villages and farming districts,
it could be introduced in ut least 900
places, and that the increase in the cor
respondence of the patrons would be
augmented, and that the receipts Of
these offices would increase in volume
almost equal to the expense The ex-
perience with the regular free delivery
system has been that wherever the
service has been extended, notwith-
standing the fact that the amount re-
ceived for box rents is at once greatly
reduced, the increase in general CORES
pondence swells the receipts of the office
to such an extent that this box rent re.
duction is not felt by the postmaster.
1t is therefore proper enough to sup
pose that the facilities which Postmaster
General Wanamaker has extended to
these smaller communities, and which
he hopes to extend to still others, will
result in similar benefits TO the public
and similar augmentations of the gen
eral revenues; but the purpose is not to
make the service cost any appreciable
amount if it accedes nothing. The de-
sire is rather to find a well-considered
scheme by which the outlay of given
sum of money by the department will
surely result in the addition of an almost
similar amount to the postal revenues.
In this way the benefits of free delivery
may probably be extended to thousands
of people who do not enjoy them, and
that too, without any tax upon citizens
who are not allowed to enjoy them. 1t
will be seen that by this very method it
will be possible in time for all the peo-
pie who send and receive letters in this
country to enjoy these same benefits
fborYuaIuop