Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-09-13
BY TELEGRAPH.
ANEW POSTAL ARRANGEMENT.


Warrington. sept. I2.-Postnlaster-
General Wanamaker has issued his tx
Iecte,i order deputizing the p0stnasters of
free-,leliyerv cigies. towns AMI rural COM
munItie. to put up letter boxes, Oh The re-
quest of citizens, for the collection and he
iiy.rY Of mail al house doors. the or'ier,
il i. said, Affects nearly 3.oOo,0oo resi-
dences 70 which the free delivery service Is
already extended. and it is regarded b.,
postal experts as the most important de
parture III the free delivery Of mails since
the beginning Of the system under Post
master-tiencral Blair
The canvass Of models Of boxes 10 BE-
recommended has lasted over two years,
AMI the recommended boxes have stood the
test of actual experience In the test upon
the Washington carriers routes, where
boxes serc put up on houses situated mostly
on the building line, ali actual saving of
time on the trip Of the carrier was hall an
hour or more AYR, m the test upon The st.
Louis routes, where the boxes were all put
up ON houses - feet from the sile~ ak
there was an actual gain of several minutes.
This gain comes from the fact that much
time formerly consumed by the carrier IN
waiting for people to come To doors to re-
iur al houses " here the automatic signal
seen from the sidewalk, indicates that mail
i, To he collected. ia St Louis more than
four times as much mail was deposited III
the house letter boxes as had formerly been
dropped in the street letter boxes within the
same area and in the same length Of time.
The boxes vary IN price from ) to 81
and given route l. to be equipped when
the postmaster finds that two-thlr,ls of the
householders desire the new double ser
vice The pustotlce officials say that as no
los, of time is involved to the carrier force
no extra carriers except as the service
naturally grows are required and II the
saving of time on given routes is consld-
cradle enough, extra deliveries, always 4
NECESSITY, may be put on with the same
force of carriers. .....
The change means that Is fast rs patrons
of the mails desire them the new facilities
will he within reach, without any expense
to the householder except the first cost of
| the box and without any department outlay
| at all as the expenses of tests have been
borne by the inventors themselves. 1t has
| already been decided 10 experiment, with
out cost to the department, with the house
! lclter boxes in rural communities. in con-
! junction with the country free delivery and
/ the star routes anil it is believed that if this
| house-to house collection system comes
/ generally into vogue, the robbery of letter
| boxes will pertorcc be done away with. -
| In response to the invitation Of the post
master general for models, designs and
/ specifications Of house letter boxes, about
/ roo devices w,rc submitted. These were
referred TO a commission of postal experts
/ of which Postmaster Van Colt of New y ork
was chairman for examination. This com
mission recommended for favorable con
| sheraton SIX of the devices, which in its
/ opinion best met the requirements of the
ease. The postmaster general accepted the
proposition OF such of the inventors AS de-
| sired to put UP boxes at their own expense,
I TO give practical demonstration of their
! value.
1 Accordingly tests were made of four diff
frrent hoSr, by the postmLster, Of St.
/ Louis and Washington. The boxes will be
exhibited at post offices by the postmaster.
and post Office cmplole, have been directed
to facilitate their introduction, House
! keepers desiring to try the new mail collcc-
iion and delivery SCHEME must select and
purchase 4 box of the styles approved by
the department.