The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-10
RURAL FREE DELIVERY.
sUUJBss OF TIE SYSTEM ON rHE
EXPERIMENTAL ROUTEa

ptthhs - 49," @"sh"" VI operhti0n.
Rural free delivery Of mall matter, a subjoc.
70 which Postmasse General Smith gives special
attention In his annual report 10 By no means
new in this country. II was proposed and con-
demned In tho Fifty third Congress- a. q scheme
impossible Of execution. Later, In 1904 Post
master-General Bisscll failed 70 make use Of an
appropriation Of $4,000 70 test the feasibility
OF the scheme on the ground that "tho proposed
plan Of rural free delivery II adopted would result
In an additional cost 70 tho people OF sac 600 600
the frst year. II was not until 1890 that Post
master General william l. Wilson placed on
lie feet an infant rural rec delivery system pro-
vided for by an appropriation Of $40. 600 from
Congress- He established some forty-four widely
divergent routes In twenty nine different Statoa
This was the beginning from which tho present
extensive system Of experiments has grown
As might have been anticipated from any ex-
pertinent Of this nature many OF tho routes proved
useless TO their patrons a. we'll as financial fall
urea Others, however. succeeded from tho very
start and By tho beginning Of tho present Admin
istauon II had been pretty clearly demonstrated
70 students Of the subject that . system Of rural
free delivery iudiciously inauguratod could DO
made less c1 pensve and moro nearly sclf-sustain-
ing than urban free delivery In the smaller ciues
Mr.. Heath found avail able appropriation OF
$50 600 for the continuation Of these experiment..
Results were almos, Immediately Of 90 satsf actory
anaturs that Congress appropriated for the fiscal
year lSo7-e8 $3.50. 900 for rural FREQ delivery.
For tho current fiscal year tho appropriation
was doubled OF late the popularity Of the free
delivcrysystom las increased by leaps and bounda
BY Oct 1. four months after the last named ap-
preparation became vailsblc tho popular demand
for the establishment Of new routes was such
tha, IL had boon entirely appropriated By Nov.
,.t. L..
the requests for new services which multiply
like an endless chain. woro In the proportion Of
four TO every route established
AZ present Idaho Montana. Mississippi and
Wyoming are the only States OF the Union In
which at least ono satisfactory free delivery route
has not been ostablished II Ia noteworthy that
complaints concerning the establishment Of tbs
ruu.os come nom none Of their patrons while
requests for new routes arc pouring In nom all
sidoa The number OF routes established has
no, bean proporioned 70 the population Of The
various States but has followed the requests for
srtsnsion OF tho system Thus Rhode Island
has nvo routes In successful operation and Texas
has two; South Caroline has twcnty-ons routes
and Ohio has forty-nins as against nfteon for
Rennsyivania and twenty for New York
Under requirements Of tho Posi- ofaoe Depart
man, no routes arc established where the roads
'' - p--N-e@S NSAuitoA ~ "a eNosoa@
Of the year. This Il necessary because In most
instances the daily route exceeds In length twenty
Eve milos u is further required that not less than
100 families ahAn be within reach Of tho route.
The rural carriers under the supervision
Of NE second, lhid. or Fouth CLASS Postmaster
from whose ofioe they start daily. The pay Of the
rural oArr'er oy no means large he receives
800 year. and Is required TO furnish himself
out Of this with horse and vehicle as we'll II
one required While the remuneration for this
hard and sometimes dangerous work 10 not great
no dimeul'y has been experienced on tho part
and t,,,s,ul sansI. In two o ,n...nss ss a,a1.
t,v, onL,s,. ,o- ,hi. ,,duou. -a,s - 49, y, -
stated thu, they arc as faithful and una.rrinr
N MN, %. pa,oma1es o. sn'f 'uuos ana a. ds'0'sd
As an additional accommodation 70 tho resi-
dents along tho route, o.rrisr, ar, allowed N Az.
liver orders a. tho stores in town and to bring GU.
and deliver small parcels under four pounds
weigh, For this work a a,onablo sum Is eharg.d
~ mo carrier and anal additional source OF
revenue Ia thus afforded him Carriers ore also
-, - I. upon "nish TWO
eu. 49, S'a .h, nae ooen piaooa ~ mas been sus
rested that the Government shall allow the car.
inspectors For this they would receive additional
would NOT intsrfere with THAR d.i,y ,ou,,r.
~ .,aI =, - 100 u".is iouune
Inc mouoa Oh iural delivery Of mails BY car
after tho manning mail b.. hen on.n.d ~.
Jr.Io,,,v ., hi. Is,,.- .tN 49, n ne
tnao'"y OF MS LEVERS are addressed 70 tho Post
Once and an additional marking designated
Rural Route No - Aids him In ..so,,,no
his mail nom ~, whioh lii =. H. e. -, a.
W. mal Hom ha' smch VIII % called Tor al the
Posi- once or which belongs TO other carriera
Along this route and Al eonx,ni,nt inte,v,i.
49,. 49, a. - -. =.
$40 pia'oa mo niHii oohoS OF mo patrons In
some instances those boxes arc much more pic
turesaue than suitable but Il In expec,ed that an,
Government will ahor,iy ndopt a stnndnId tvnc
Of box From this wayside Post Once the caryier
collects any letters that have horn denosi,ed
and In II PLACES tho mail for The owner Than
Blowing his whistle or horn 70 attract N. attsn.
ton or his patron no drives bIisLiy an IA a
rulo the rural delivery route Ia laid ont 40 that
the carrier finds himself within a fsw miles oi
In M, Later .ns,nrso, "r lie 1870. ua 10,
but ono delivery a day is Attended Nv
A Tura iree.d.jivary ,ns,imnns unon -, .r
treiy new basis was inaueurated in 2nril ~ he
present year In Carroll county Md A sneci.IIv
built postal wagon drawn nv two horscs stnrts
each morning from Wes,ninsier ,bs county seat
Andtrayels In the cnurse ~ ths dsy orsr !. c.r.
fully laid nut Tnuts III thi,,y nii.s Nal - 40