Shiner gazette. [volume] (Shiner, Tex.) 1893-current, 1899-11-15
MANI Of IHE FARMER
VALUABLE TO ALL.
Experiments in Fnrly States Show tie
Scheme Is Decided Success.
i'he Recommendation Of
P0stOlIiGe Department.

Washington, Nov A vigorous plea
for rural free delivery IL made in the
annual report Of First Assistant POST
master General Perry s. Heath Mr.
Heath scys the service so far has re-
suited in increased postal receipts, en-.
hancement of the value Of farm lands
reached by rural free delivery of from
W to 81 per acre, general improve.
mett of the condition Of tho roads tra-
versed by the rural carriers better
prices for farm products the producers
being hruuCht into daily touch with the
markets, besides eduMt. benefits
conferred by relieving the mOnOtOny of
farm life through ready access to whole.
some literature and knowledge of cur
REM events
On Nov rural FREQ delivery w"s in
successful operation over 3S3 serl ices,
radiuting over 40 states an territory.
Idaho Wyoming. Mississippi and Mon
tana being he only state rnrepresented.
Between tine beginning of the nrw fiscal
gear. July 1, 1881 and Nov t. at an adj
dition4l expenditure Of $3.50, OOO, rural
free delivery has been extnuded to near.
ly 1850 hl0 parsons, AT AN annual cost Of
about ST cents per capita against an av-
erage per ,pita cost Of - ~ in small
towns of 5000 population.
"lt is small matter to n resident of
a town, says the report. Ito m saved a
walk of few hundred yards to the
postofiice, while on the contrary it is a
great accommoda iun to the farmer to
I've spared drive Of five or ten miles
over country roads to get his mail In
g recent public discussion advocates of
the system who took the value of the
time thus lost in tile busy farming seal
son at only so cents por head, found
that their tignres ran into many million
of dollars lost to the agricultural inter
ests through heing obliged TO send to
the village for the mMls Rural car
riers are shortly to he author.zel tore
ceivs and receipt for letters ior reg:stsa-
ton RS city carriers do now
II lFtNliliill' lNAS ihliJiiOi VI TOiAic
uniform style of mail box for the rural
free delivery service with two compart-
ments, one for delivery and one for col
lection, with one master key tor the
carrier to open the collection conpart-
ments OF all the boxes and key for the
delivery compartment to he furnished
to each patron of the delivery
These boxes are to be put up aud
kept in repair by the postofIice depart
ment for rental at moderate prices,
which wouldnot only pay the govern
ment interest on ita investment, but
yield revenue. The rural mail boxes
would thus have thrown around them
the undisputed protection of the United
States laws. BY Illustration it is shown
that the rural service at West Chester,
Pa, not only paid for itself but left in
the nine mouths of its operation up to
Sept 80, Il balance Of $685., after deiv-
ering 49, sos pieces of mail matter at
the doors of the farmers
The reports of hostility of postmas-
ters and from star route contractors are
dlsHlS-eu MS having no huDstunUldl
grounds and as animated by no desire
for the public good.
modification of the postal laws is
recommended 10 permit star route mes
sengers under special appointment and
oath to perform rural free delivery serv-
ice Four additional postal wagon
routes with auxiliar5 carriers in the
travelling rural postotlices whose expert
mental operation in Carroll county Nd,
has attracted general interest is recon-
inended