Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-03-01
STAR ROUTE DELIVERY.

The ENQUIRER is in receipt of let
ter from DR.. J, w. Stokes in regard to
the progress of the Doctors efforts to
improve the mail service in the rural
districts. 1t will be remembered that
DR.. Stokes secured an appropriation
for experimental free delivery work in
his district last year. He informs US
that this year he has succeeded in Sc
curing an increase of the appropria,
ton. This refers to house delivery.
The bill of which mention was made
last Saturday is different, in that it
only seeks to secure free delivery in
boxes along star routes. Its principal
object is to give those people who live
directly along these routes, the same
facilities, as nearly as possible, that
they would enjoy at postofice. The
star route contracts in this section are
to be relet next fall, to take effect in
July, 1900. For the doctor to have
gotten his bill through in time to affect
these contracts, it seems, was impossi-
BILE. A slight amendment that he and
Senator Tillman seem to have about
secured to the appropriation bill, is
calculated to accomplish about the
same result. This amendment will at
least provide for the additional service
in the next series of contracts, and
there is good reason now to hope that
after July, 1900, people living along
star routes will be able to secure free
delivery. The full text Of the original
Stokes bill is as follows:
Be enacted by the senate and house
of representatives of the United States
of America in congress assembled,
That all contracts for carrying mail
matter on star routes made after the
passage of this act, shall include the
deposit in the proper boxes placed on
the line of the routes for this purpose,
without charge to the addresses, any
mail matter that may be intrusted to
the carrier for such distribution by any
postmaster on the route.
Sec. 2. That it shall also be the duty
of the said carriers so contracting, in
addition to the duties imposed by
Section 687 of the postal laws, to take
up such mail matter as may be deposit
ed in said mail boxes and deposit same
for mailing at the next postofice on
his route without additional compensa.
lion.
Sec. 8. That it shall be the duty of
each postmater, upon a written order
from any person living on or near an
established star route which comes
within the provisions of Section of
this act, to deliver to the proper mail
carrier for that route any mail matter,
with instructions rs to the proper mail
box at which such mail matter shall
be deposited.
Sec. 4. That any person desiring his
mail deposited along the line of any
star route within the terms of Section
l of this act shall erect a box as con-
vepieut as practicable to the roadside,
and file with the nearest postmaster on
each side of the box, a request, in
writing, for the delivery of his mail 10
the proper carrier for deposit in said
mail box.
Sec. 5. That all mail boxes along
such star routes shall be numbered
beginning from the in
itial point of the star route.
Sec. 6. That with view to bringing
the mail thus deposited ultimately un-
der the protection of the general postal
laws until received by the addressee
or his agent, the postmaster general