New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-10-15
PURiL FREE POSTAL DELH ERf.

With the approprIatlon of 100000 made for Inc
uurposc. po>tmn-tcr-': GENERAL wilson ha' d'c"'"
to make IN experimental trial OF rurai Tree
uosfoI delivery In representative IoraHi"s III
t,ycniv-two States II was put III operation iaN'
week in The country around tharl">town. W. va
the hon" Of the POsimaSter''onerai fr'pa''-
ton, are under way To try II in two iyp"al conn
tics Of Massachusetts and Maine, respectively
and Il Is in operation This week III III" '"""-
shin Of Eliza Gcncscr County. y
The results Of these experiments VIII be await
al with great interest by thp>" in whose h"haii
they ar. being made: ana ihc nnal adoption 81
,h, sySt,m hv the Government would marx
lang stem forward in the efficiency Of the postal
service II j not 10 be- supposed that the en-
n.rimcuiS are being made in order 10 learn
whether people in the country want a free man
delivery On that question there can De no
room for two opinions II anything. the con
v.ni,uc, of A free delivery would he iplrcci-
,i.d in the country even more than III rl''>'
For tln NAL i relatively mere oi an event III
Isolated communities than II * in populOli> cen
Tres: and in many eases ii * a serious hardship
TO get H. II can Ice taken for granted that every
body in the country. without respect 10 party
would h. ia favor Of such a system. The Only
b. adopted for fhc whole country without en-
failing 4 greater expense han the people are
willing to incur The problem * very different
fran that prc,rntcd in small AMI compact coun
fry like England. where r,r,. fce delivery Is
in successful operation Prob,bly it would bc
feasible 10 adopt the system in the Eastern and
Middle Western Stat -. where the population ~
comparatively dense and the lines Of lranSpor'a
- "A
whether it would AT present be wise To extend
II TO the sparSely settled States of The South AMI
the Far Yves, because If the great expense thar
il would entail While thc country has berh
willing ,o meet deficit in the department Tor
many wears, such a condition has been regarded
rs only temporary. and no measure wou" IN
cccni,Il, that would force the department 10
run NJ heavy loss for II number OF years To
come.
If is quite possible that these experiments viii
load the postulasicrL General 10 recommend m
extension Of the ficrdcliv"ry system to the more
nopulous States with the proviso that il be eX
tended still further when the conditions justify
If Possibly the cry Of discrimination might he
raised against such recommendation. Bni in
point of fact. the same cry might be raised
against the present system Of free delivery In
cities 1hrrc j. really no discrimination IN the
matter ~ all Al present the Posioillce Depart
meni finds tia; II il able. without undue eX
pensr 10 deliver mail free in elites OF certain
grade If II should find that IL can extend TINS
free delivery To smaller towns and country dls-
ricis il would br lis duty to do 80. even though
| il could not 1T once give free delivery to the
whole country. Ultimately. Of course, there VIII
he free delivery everywhere. and still later,
doubtless Il one-ccnt rate of postage FOR letters.
| These and all other measures for the improve
| ment Of the postal service are really of lnestl-
| mabIe importance to The people. for the service
| plays no small part IN difIllsing Intelligence ana
spreading civilization