Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-14
AGAINST FREE DELIVERY
Assistant Postmaster General Jones Ad-
verse to Its Extension.
Gives His Views I'm an Annual Repor
How the System Has Work.
ed and Its Cost.

First Assistant Postmaster General Frank
II. Jones is a pronounced opponent of rural
free delivery. He says that in the appro-
priation bill for the fiscal year ending June
30, 1894. Congress provided $4,000 to be used
at the discretion of the Postmaster General
in testing the feasibility of extending a
system of free delivery in rural districts 1t
has been impossible up to this time to give
the subject of rural free delivery the study
and consideration that II necessarily re-
quires, much less to put it into actual opera
ton. This is due, in the first place to the
fact that the time and energy of the free
delivery division has been and is now en-
tirely taken up with the problem of properly
maintaining. with deficient appropriation
the free delivery service in the cities in
which II is now established, and in declining
the requests for and in deferring the es-
tabnshment of the free delivery service in
the ninety-three towns that are entitled to
1t under the law enacted January g. 1851
secondly, the amount of the appropriation
for this particular experiment is not at all
sufficient to provide thorough and reliable
tests. The conditions in different sections
vary so that a test made in and fayora bile
to one locality would prove unsatisfactory
II attempted in another. For instance, a
plan might be efficient in a thicklv sattIad
rural district in New England, with its good
pixies and steam roads, which would NOT he
at all practicable in certain parts of Ohio
In which the farmers are scattered and the
roads during certain seasons of the Yea p
practically impossible.
AEother Illustration can be found in "a
comparison between the states of New Work
and Mississippi. A free delivery system
that would prove satisfactory to the
residents of fruit raising and
gardening district of New York
state requiring quick and frequent conlmu-
nication with the markets, would have to
be operated on very different lines from a
system that would meet the requirements
or plantation section of Mississippi, where
the population is scattered. 1t must there
fore be conceded that, in order to give the
rural delivery system a fair and thorough
trial. tests would have to be made in many
localities, differing in density of populati
topography, class of interests and condition
of highways and thoroughfares. 1t would
require an appropriation of at least $20. 600 =
QUO to inaugurate a system of rural free de-
livery throughout the country. 1t is the
policy of this administration to extend the
postal service on reasonable and economical
lines. and to establish post offices wherever
communities are justified in asking for
them, thereby properly, adequately and
ments of postal extension than by establish
ing rural free delivery at so great ex-
pense to the peoples
How 1t Worked.
The experiment of free delivery in towns
and villages has been given a practical test,
extending over a period of two and a half
years.
In forty-six towns and villages, ranging
in population from 500 to 1000 inhabitants.
the system has been in operation for two
full years. At first its establishment was
received by many with satisfaction and de-
light, and great results were predicted. 1t
was certainly a novelty. and as ,ong as 1t
remained SO, and every resident of the viii
lage had his mail delivered by the carrier.
the service not only seemed to prove of
real benefit to the patrons of the local post
office, but resulted in an apparent increase
receipts Of many of these post Of
some, a part, at least. of the increase in the
uted to the effect of the free delivery serv-
resident of the village again found ii more
for his mail The annual increase in the
postal receipts and in the volume of mail
soon settled down to a moderate ratio, the
result of natural growth, and the extern
sion of the free delivery service TO towns
and villages throughout the country, in
volving an annual expense of at least Sl0,-
1900. is not tustifiable Mr. Jones recon-
mended in his recent report that this ex-
perimental service be discontinued at the
end of the current year.