The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1899-11-11
SUCCESS OF FREE RURAL DELIVERY.
Experiments of PoStOffice in Country Ser
vice-First PoStoffice on Wheels.

The Washington correspondent of the Bal
| timore American of Monday last gives the fol
lowing in regard to Free Rural Delivery:
First Assistant Postmaster General Perry S. Heath
has published his annual report which deals with
States mail. The report says:
/ There has been nothing in the history Of the
| the growth of the rural free delivery system.
Within the past two years largely by the AID OF me
people themselves who in appreciation of the
! helping hand which the government ex tended to
them have met these advances halfway, it has i'm
planted itself firmly upon postal administration
that it can no longer be considered in the light Of
an experiment but has to be dealt with as an estab
lished agency of progress awaiting only the action
of Congress to determine how rapidly II snail De
! developed.
'aThe facts hereinafter set forth with some eabo-
ration of detail which the Importance of the subject
seems to me to warrant will, think, demonstrate
That the free delivery OF mails in rural com
munities can be widely extended with great beneht
to the people and with little cost 10 the revenue
That wherever the system has been judlciouSly
| iaaugunted, with sincere purpose to make IL "a
success it has been followed by these beneficial re-
suits
MANY BENEFICIAL results.
81 Increased postal receipts More letters are
written and received. More newspapers and mag-
azines are subscribed for. So marked is this al
yancement that quite number OF rural routes a.
ready pay for themselves by the additional business
I'll. Enhancement of the value of farm lands
reached by rural free delivery. This increase Of
value has been estimated at as high s. per acre
in some states. A moderate estimate is from - to
iii general improvement of the condition Of
the roads trayersed by the rural carrier. In the
Western States especially the constructor o. soo1
roads has been prerequisite Tor the establishment
of rural free-delivery service. In one county IN
Indiana special agent reports that the farmers in
Cured an expense of h0 to Gride and gravel
a road in order obtain rural free delivery
Nv. Better prices obtained for farm pvoduetS
the producers being brought into daily touch with
the state Of the markets and thus being enabled TO
take advantage Of information heretofore dnattain
~ To these material advantages may be added
the educational benefits conferred by relieving the
monotony OF farm life through ready Access 20
Wholesome literature and the keeping OF all rural
residents-the young people as well as their ders-
fully informed TO the stirring events Of the day
The moral value of these ciYltiLing influences can
not be too highly rated
MARYLASDs FosToFFICE on WHEELS
The following account is given q the & pertinent
If the 'fpostOfce on wheels" the tirrt Of ~ hirh
was inaugurated IN Maryland
'sOn Easter Monday, April 3. is99 rural free de
livery experiment was inaugurated upon an entire
liz new basis The county Of Carroll. Nd. within
a convenient distance Of Washington c.ty. WAS Sc
lected As the basis Of the experiment the chief
,Sro.e ~ which ysas Ia test the possibility Of
putting posiofllce on " heels and carry Ing Il -
The doors Of the people In well settled agricultural
country instead Of requiring the people 10 dr"p
heiravoeatious and to navel 70 the posintoe fa1
this purpose postal wagon was specially omit
after the designs Of Mr. Edwin W shrivef. postal
clerk of the Westminster tMdA Fosiothee, #ho
'This vehicle IS eight feet long with sliding door
in the center, handsomely painted ~ bue AMI
gold and icttered L. ? Postal Wagon is IN
terror Is tted up with counter. drawers, and iettsr
boxes-sfxtcen large letter boxes in fFpnt forty Two
behind all zinc lined. IL carries a driver aua
plztal clerk the latter Of whom authorized 90 NJ
eeive cancel collect and deliver al mails y ~
CENT for anpllca tons for money ORDER and regis
tered letters and 10 short TO perform AL the ignc-
tons Of stationary postmaster. ms iuaNHAinS
postofice drawn by pair Of strong horses, stare9
over a carefully laid CAT route Of thirty miles and
has since performed this service daily ~ al wsata-
err collecting mail from sixty United states letter
boxes placed az Intervals OF every half-usiie aud
delivering TO all the houses on the route
MANY LOCALITIES Apply.
From the hrSt toe service proved remarkably
1915 per Annum including pay Of postal Glars aad
driver and Of horses and wagon II fserfQFzias
the service heretofore rendered by eight ipnFts-
class pCStofceS and four star route crrier The css
Of which 70 the Uuiied States Sas about sl-e9 pr
annum
'.The progress Of this experiment. has bccu
watched with great eaEernesa BY Agricultural com
munities all over the GATED states SUD within
few months Of its initiation is applications foT the
establishment Of similar posiAlwRgnn sefflce ReTn
received from twentyune different states To each
Of these inquiries reply Was made that the oeF@Ft
menf desired thoroughly to test the ecuuossly Aliu
efficiency Of the service in the county where y
originated before yenturing upon further eHp"fl'
~It /, believed that with four additional postal
wagon routes and auxiliary carriers circulating
from the wagons 81 different poats The entire csn-
" OF Carroll can Be covered by the travelling post
Offices the southern half Of Carroll c1nif . iom
coverci and a. lesz aggregate cnSi than the pres
ent service by fourthcl2Ss p0sinhcrs And star rosie
carrier Whether similar service can D sucrtNs-
fully maintained elsew here must necessarily dc
pend upou various considers lions. chicf sislanE
which will be the character q the country atid the
Of the people and the number Of existing T1stii
& eeS.