The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-12-07
RURAL DELIVERY OF NAIL
P0StmaSter-General Wanamaker Talks
on Subject of Interest to Farmers.
Can Be Done with Little Cost to the Govern
ment-Pneumatic Tubes and the Postal
Telephone eScheme-0ther New Things.
Special TO the Indianapolis Journal.

Special TO the Indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 6.-"The new things
in the reportp Postmaster General Wapa-
maker asked to-day. al sometimes think
there are none in any Postofiice Depart
ment report, and yet perhaps there are
some in the last one"
ut has seemed to me that your rural free
delivery scheme is one of the best of the
new things.n said the Journal correspond
ent.
Perhaps 30. l think that was men
toned last year; the development. how
ever, we have only now been able to show.
1t is actually making money. and as the
thing is discussed and understood 1t will be
seen to be the beginning of universal free
delivery-that certainly would be o new
thing There could be no single develop
ment of the service so important, unless 1t
might be the adaptation of both the tele-
graph and telephone to it, or the in
auguration of postal depository system.
There is q new suggestion in the report, by
the way, on this savings depository plan.
1t would be to issue at the postoffices
on-negotlable certificates of postal deposit
IN sums of $40, 500. $50 and 500. bearing in
terest, and for easy computation. at the
rate of " a cent q day on Sl00-Sl.s2l2 per
year~a little less than per cent. per annum
on the dollar, after the first of the month
following the date of deposit, and principal
and interest payable on demand at any
money order office by proper indorsement
and Identification, under regulations of the
Postmaster general. the money deposited in
each State to be relnvested, so far as possi-
BILE, in the same State, in school or
municipal bonds by the. Postmaster
general, subject to the approval
of the Secretary Of the Treasury.
We are all going at work on these plans;
these big and little things | mean. We
want to find out all of the arguments that
can be adduced for and against them SO
that when the committees of Congress call
upon US we may have as much information
as possible. The only way to secure i'm
provements, you know. is TO have those for
whom the improvements are intended nm
derstand what they are and whether they
arc good or not"
'W hat about pneumatic tube service for
the large citiesi"
THAT is not altogether new, except in it's
adoption In this country. Perhaps some
new facts are brought out about it In the
report. l am just as heartily for q tubular
post as ever; more so probably. wish all
the people in the large cities could know
about that topic; then they would want IL,
and would insist upon having IL We are
studying all the while how the free de-
livery service in cities can be perfected.
and have put in canceling machines. which
will prevent any delays i'll pOstoffices due
to the inadequacy of postal forces But
the tubular post and the house letter-box
scheme are the big things. The former
would permit of the distribution of mail
in almost no time. The second would per-
init of it's distribution and collection at
every body's door Do not put this last in
as new thing. however. because referred
to it last year"
THE POSTAL TELEPHONE SCHEME.
"Has this thing of applying the telephone
to the postal service been discussed beforei"
mot that know of. though very likely
it has. hope it will be discussed now, at
least. In every possible phase. pro and con.
so that we may know just what the benefits
of the application of the telephone. as well
as the telegraph, to the postal service would
be and what the detriments. The point of
this whole business is that the postal serv-
ice does not now electricity for
the transmission of intelligence. and 1t is
consequently fifty years behind the times.
The proposition is perfectly simple and
plain; and if there was every reason why
the railroads. with their great plants,
should want TO work for the Postoffice De-
partment. with Its great plant, and should
make money out OF it. there is also every
reason why the telegraph and telephone
companies should want to do the same
thing. 1t is the dovetailing in of two
machines-they can help each other. the
one performing Its work more cheap
ly and making more money and the other
performing its work better and more
cheaply, and. what is the great thing. sat
isfying the American public, which it
now only half serves. In the telephone
discussion we are just at the corresponding
period where the people and the govern
ment let the telegraph go away from Morse
and itself into the hands OF a monopoly
has been more powerful than it.
self. You want 10 look out that
the telephone does not 90 the same way.
Have not the railroads been benstted by
the transportation work OF the Department.
Is not everybody glad to work for the gov
ernmentf Would not the telegraph and
telephone companies be benefited. In pure
ly q business way. mean, by their associ-
alton with the department. There IS no
doubt about 1t. / say this mind you, not be-
cause it is the main reason why the postal
telegraph and the postal telephone are
good, but merely to show how this hitherto
lnsuperable objection may be disarmed.
The main reason why it is good. of coarse.
is that the public has a perfect right TO all
of the quickest cheapest and best methods
of intercommunication. especially when lt
is perfectly clear that no private right Is
infringed."
ANY other new things that you think of
in this years report Mr.. Wanamakerf"
"Only the use of boxes at offices outside
of free delivery without charge, for IL is
manifestly unjust to charge people for an
inconvenience which we have them put up
with; the consolidation of third and fourth
classes of mail matter; the extension
of the money-order system twice AS
possible carriage of newspapers free after
July !. 1S93-supposing. of course, that the
department gets credit for the work il
does You VIII notice that my position on
1-cent postage and parcels post is
they are both coming. but not now.
wish that YOU would bring out in your
article. if you will. that the true way for
the fourth-class postmasters TO get their
nng ony adised raj "s s fs 10 do more anu pe.o AZ
develop the service In the lines of savings
repositories. postal telegraph and tele-
phone. free delivery, etc. That Is their
best chance-perhap their only one"
d.. -