The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-04
RURAL POSTAL DELIVERY.
1t PIeases Farmers, and Is Likely to
BE Made Permanent.

Be Made Permanent.
Washington Special to St. Louis Globe
Democrat.
Rural free delivery seems to have come
to stay. The farmers who have received
their mail on these experimental routes
daily without the trouble Of going to the
country postofhceS are delighted. 1t has
been found by the careful arrangement OF
routes that the mail can be delivered daily
by carriers in thickly settled country dis
tricts at less than the cost of maintaining
star routes and fourth-claSs offices in those
districts Where free delivery is actually
cheaper than the present old-tashioned sys-
tenn there seems to be no good reason why
1t should not be permanently established.
But experience shows that considerable OPP
posltlon VIII deVeIop. Inc country PostIIllas-
lefS VINO MAINTAIN poStoIlceS IN lnelr STORES
are against rural Iree delivery. They hnd
that it not only cuts off the salary OF post
master for them, but they think 1T aiIectS
trade II the farmer has not the excuse or
coming to the corners for his mail he does
not appear often and does not spend so
much money at the store. There is another
objection that comes from the man who car
rieS the mail daily, Seni-Weekly or weekly
between the larger towns and the country
pOsto1nces under star route contracts.
These two sources of opposition will him
der somewhat the development of rural free
delivery. But they will not be able TO pre-
where free delivery was tried last year it
was discovered that seven showed a net
saving over the cost of the star route ana
fourth-class posto1fice salary.
suggestions and devices to simplify ana
economic free delivery in the country are
being offered. The field is already recog-
n1Zed as one for the exercise of Ingenuity
and invention. A Virginia man has brought
to the POStotfice Department the model
of patent intended to improve this coun-
try service. The device is to be set up at 9
point on the main road or the main route of
delivery, and IS to furnish the means by
Which people living in the neighbOrhOOd but
not Immediately on the road can get their
daily mail with a little help from them
selves and with much saving of cost TO the
vi moo &c Lon rre4
case divided into a number of pOstOffice
boxes. Each box has its key, to be held by
separate patron. a large door covers the
whole front of the set of boxes The car
rier rides up, opens the door and distrib
utes the mail for all the patrons in that dis
Irlct In their respective boxes. a wire leads
from each box to each patron. AS the car
fl2r puts the mail into the box he presses
button and the ringing Of the bell at the
other end of the wire in the farmhouse,
half mile, mile or more distant, gives
notice that mail has been deposited. The
farmer can come or send at his leisure for
ms Ietter or paper. The advantage of the
invention is that one carrier can cover
quickly much larger suburban or country
district than if he had to call al every house.
Th1s invention can be utilized with great
advantage, even if the wiring is omitted
1t can be set up in a country store, or at
a schoolhOuse or at a road crossing, con-
Venlent to the people to be served through
It, The carrier having his daily route can
distribute the mail for that neighborhood
III a lew moments, lock the boxes and move
on to the next case The children can be
sent from the houses for the mail. In this
way the expense of the fourth-class post
office and the star route will be saved and
the mail carrier will be able to give daily
tree delivery to a very much larger num-
Der of families than if he was obliged to
turn into all the cross roads and lanes and
call at each house. The trouble to patrons
will be limited to a short walk or ride from
the house to the box.
Representative Cochran of Missouri
whose recollectons so back to the pony
express by which the mail was carried from
ST Joseph across the plains, is a firm be-
lever in the practicability and great adj
vantage of rural free delivery. He says
the pony express is bound 20 come again
with this new development. Carriers will
start out from the larger towns, carrying
the mail on ponies and stopping at these
boxes to make daily deliveries. He believes
that a carrier can ride twenty-five miles
and by the means Of such boxes distribute
the mail daily over a strip of country from
a mile to two miles or a little more on both
sides of the main road of travel.
Mr.. Cochran believes that this can be
done with profit to the government. He
estimates that the increased facilities will
double and possibly quadruple the patron
age. Farmers, he says will take daily
papers and will be saved many trips to
town. They can order parts of machinery
and execute many errands which now re-
quire a trip, if they have this daily mail
and the certainty of quick business COM
municatiOn.