The record-union., 1891-11-02
FREE DELIVERY SERVICE.
Experiments in Small Towns so Far
Have Been Successful.
The Trial at Roseville-The Increased
Facilities Bring in Heavier
Revenues.

| The question of extending the free let
| ter delivery service so as to aceoinmo-
date the patrons of small postoffices is
one that has for some time engaged the
attention of Postmaster-General Wana-
maker, and has also been of great interest
to the granger.
The last Congress was induced to ap-
appropriate $4,000 to enable the Post
master-Generalt to experiment in the mat
ter. He selected forty small offices in
villages and farming districts in various
parts of the country, and the experiments
began.
As little or nothing had been heard or
| published regarding the result of the
trial, a RECoRD- UNION reporter called
upon Postmaster Coleman of this city
| yesterday in order to ascertain what he
knew about the matter.
WILL BE A sUCCEss.
/ "Why | am surprised that nothing has
j been said about those experiments said
/ Mr. Coleman, in reply to the reporters
/ inquiry. THE idea was tested as far as
| possible With the limited means at hand,
and so far as could be aseertained proved
eminehtly successful wherever tried.
! Roseville was the small postot1ice selected
/ in California for the test, and, being cutie
! interested in the matter, | took it upon
| myself 70 write TO Postnistress Pitcher of
! that place, and ask her how the system
worked there. | have received a reply
from her. and you can best get an idea of
what she thinks of it by reading her
answer
Mr.. Coleman produced a letter from
| the P6Stmistress from his desk and
handed il TO the reporter. III
II she sald: In reply to your in
! quiry of yesterday, | am pleased to state
that both the patrons of this Office and
myself regard the expei imeat of the free
delivery service as a grand success. We
have two deliveries at s a. ". and
the other at p. M.-theFeDy accom-
modating our two most important mails,
one from the East and the other from the
West. 1t lowers my already slifall salary,
on account OF decrease III boxes, stiII
would be very sorry to go back to the
old regime"
ALI ALIKE.
From Mr.. Coleman it was Learned that
according to the reports received by the
| Postmaster-G General so far, the revenues
of those offices where the system was
tried have been greatly increased. and it
is believed that on the whole the total
of extra income from these towns will
almost, If not quite, equal the $4,000
appropriated by Congress for the expert
| ment. In many places, of course, the
experiment has only been on trial for a
few months; and consequently its full
benefits to the people served, and hence
its full revenue-produciDg power cannot
be fully calculated.
The POstmaster-Gen will in all
probability, on the strength of these re-
ports, make q recommendation to Con-
gress that the free delivery system be ex-
tended so as TO accommodate every Post
Office in the United States of the size of
! tlrIca nri,, +s, l..
places as small as Roseville for instance.
Mr.. Coleman says it can be figured with
almost mathematical certainty that by
this system when q certain area and a
certain population is taken into account
a certain increase in the postal revenue
may be counted on-in most cases enough
TO cover the extra expenditure.
PAY FOR ITSELF.
In fact the postal authorities hope that
the additions TO the revenue due to this
| extension OF facilities will in all cases
quite counter-bdlance the expenditures.
| But If it is found that they should not, it
is not at all certain that the projectors
will be deferred from making a recon-
| mendation for the system ANYHOW The
convenience rendered. and the general
popularity of the scheme would be worth
a reasonable outlay, even if these figures
should be over drawn.
4 have little scheme Of my own,
which am going to experiment with on
my own hook soon,' said Mr.. Coleman,
when he. aiId the reporter had concluded
their talk on Wanamaker's experiment.
Il believe that an Office like ours here in
sacramento could easily maintain a free
delivery system that would extend sew
eral miles into the country, and cross
wise from river to river, without much
trouble, and little or no additional ex-
pense. For instance one office could
take care of the deliveries out to within a
certain distance of Brighton. From
Brighton quite large area could be
covered, spreading out on all sides, just
the same as could be done from Folsom.
Gait, and other places. In that way al
most the entire county would be covered.
believe the scheme is practical, bat as
yet have only been theorizing. I pro-
pose to look further into the matter, and
then / can tell you more about it, If /
am satisfied then that it can he done. [
am going to send request to Washing
ton for permission to try it,"