The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-11-10
ISSUES OF THE DAY.

Postal Delivery for Country Districts.
When a town grows to 10000 III
population and puts down foOtwalks
and nuts up numbers on the houses, the
Postofice DEPARTMENT. authorized by
Act of CONGRESS to establish a carrier
serv ce to deliver mail matter at the
doors of houses and offices. AS the
town increases postal stations are
established. Thus the postal service
keeps pace with the growth OF the
town. While all this postal work IS
going on at the thickly populated
points, the farmers, quarrymen, black
smiths, millerS, and artisans, all pay
ing the regulation rates of postage, are
lett to get their mail as best they can
from the p~OstOffice in the village or at
the railway station.
In a hamlet of one hundred houses,
perhaps sixty persons TO m b village,
and the vicinity make a daily pilgrim
age of a distance of from n block to
two miles. from the home to the post
efice. to find out whether there Is any
mail or not: and a hundred persons
within the circle of the office do not
find it convenient togo to the pOStOtfice
oftener than nee a week. One hun
dred or more persons are each day, IN
all weathers, making trips to the post
office, often at great inconvenience and
discomfort. when a single carrier could
once or twice each day make the round
of the village and distribute the mail,
and save a hundreds daily unnecessary
tramp, collecting at the same time
from the letter boxes, located at the
street corners. the mail to be forwarded.
A newspaper brought every day to the
door OF the farmer or workman who
has no one to go to the pOsCof1ice fOrlt,
would find a thankful subscriber and
light a new lamp in the household.
True enough, the village or cross
roads inhabitant, or the dweller on the
farm. chooses his home for his family
and might live in the city, where gas
and water, and mails are brought to
his door; but when people everywhere
pay the same rate Of postage, why
should One portion of tn m have mail
facilities denied to other portions? Is
it fair to the rival localities to refuse
postal service equal to that provided
for the cities? l. it not a reflection on
the intelligence and aspirations of the
farmer and the artisan to ignore his
need of the cOnveniences of cores
pOudenCe and Of supplies Of news
papers and magazines! Does 1t not
retard the settlement of country dis
tricts, to neglect to provide. in some
form or other, means for at least daily
intercourse with the rest Of the world?
To carry letters, newspapers, and
magazines, and leave them IN the office
remote from ii e home to be called for,
is only q partial fulfillment of the duty
of the Department. With the well
paid railroads, S~tar-rOute contractors,
and mail messengers, ~traVerSing every
highway to the uttermOSt nook and
corner of the land, there ought to be
some practical way to utilize all these
forces and spread from house to house
delivery over almost every square mile
of this great country. firmly believe
that when such a scheme is in proper
OPP ration for a year, it will be proven
that the increase of revenue will fully
COunterbalance the necessary eXpen-
pend;ture.
The last Congress listened TO argu-
ments on this subject and allowed the
Postmaster General to use so, 600 of
the appropriation for free delivery for
an experiment in the small towns,
villages, and farming districts. This
fact becoming known to some extent
through the newspapers, applications
Z ION AOA q Z q VI III pIdll dLlO
in the order re ,eived fOrty-seven offices
in thirty-One States were equipped with
letter boxes and carrier service. The
first twelve of these offices were desig-
mated February /, 1891, and a five
months trial is all that has been al
lowed up to the close of the Depart
ment fiscal year. 1t is, therefore, too
soon to get tUil results.
But it is clear from the figures at
hand that the increase of TeUenue more
than paid all the increased expense.
This IS q significant fact, and if the
same results follow further expert
ments, a great extension of the free
delivery is readily at hand.
A long forward stride would be made
in the postal service if the next Con
e could find time to consider what
are commonly regarded as the little
things Of Postoffice Department. but
which are really the necessary and
almost all important touch of the
largest department of the government
mon the comfort and progress of all
the families of the country, as well as
of every business enterprise. great and
small .JnO. WdnGmdkeT, Postmaster
General.