Arizona republican., 1899-09-04
Development of the Rural Free
 Delivery System.
SPECIAL AGENT ". E. ANNIN
Who Is Now Visiting inc Valley Predicts inc Rapid Extension of the SerViCc-If Has Proved a Great Convenience fo inc Coun- try Residents and an Additional Source Of Revenue.

w. B. Amin, special agent of the
 postoffice department for rural deliv- cry for Arizona, New Mexico. Utah. 1 Oregon and California, left last even
 ing for Tempe to inspect the two i routes running from that place to i points in the Salt River valley. MT Annln has been a newspaper man for nearly quarter of d century, passed
 in Journalistic work in the far west and Washington. He was in 1896 pres,I ident of the famous Gridiron club. which the editor of The Republican member, omposed O fforty selec
 Washington correspondents, an tion to which is considered the i ribbon of journalism at WashingtSY
 In speaking of rural free delivery at the Adams yesterday afternoon. Special Agent Amin said: 'sThe ex- tension of rural free delivery which has teen authorized by congress dur ing the past two congresses is due in a large degree to the strong interest taken in the system by First Assistant Postmast ster-General Perry s. Heath.
 
 General Heath has devcted much at tention to improving the system and studying its operations through special agents abroad Last year only S5e.- 900 was available for the support and extension of rural free delivery, but congress at it's last session doubled the amount upop the remarkabl, 1 skow,pg made of tEe success of the system. There must be now quite 200 routes es- tablished and in operation in the more than $50 congressional districts. Of these Arizona has two, both start ing from the postofice at Tempe. These were secured by Governor Mur- phy when delegate from this terri tory
 -'The object of rural free delivery is. where proper conditions exist, to ex- tend to farmers the advantages of a daily mail delivered at their doors. Proper conditions mean good roads over which mail can be successfully carried every day in the year, and a density of population sufficient to war rant the expense of the carriers sal aries. Both these requirements seem to have been met in the routes. Of which Tempe is the initial pcint and which I am here to inspect by or der of the postofice department.
 ''Of course with the limited appro-, priatiOn at command only a portion of the daily growing demands for rural free delivery can be complied with. Experience has shown that every es- tablishment of a route is followed by a dozen demands from adjoining coun- ties or from the state. Each system is an advertisement for the system. Once put in operation, it's patrons go into mysteries if the possibility of its disccntinuanCe is suggested The de- partment has found that rural free delivery is followed by an increase of mail delivered and collected along the route. This tends to make it self sus- taining on account of the increased sale of stamps. Farmers read more because they can get the daily papers every day and they write more because they do not have to wait to write un- til they find an opportunity to drive to town to mail their letters.
 ''The only opposition to rural free delivery comes from three sources. These are fourth-class pcsemasters, sub-star route contractors and saloon keepers. As the system is extended t naturally causes the discontinuance of a number of fourth-class postof- ices which become useless when mail s delivered at the farmhouse docr, when stamps are sold by the carriers, nail registered and money orders sold. The sub-eontractors of star routes tlong lines of rural free delivery lose heir jobs for the same reason and are naturally antagonistic, while some of he saloon keepers in small villages ,bject because they think it keeps the armers too closely at home
 II see by the eastern papers th51 he fourth-class postmasters are talk ng of sending a lobby to Washington his winter to knock out any further appropriations for the system. They ave a large proportioned job on their .ands Stage coach proprietors might uite as we'll combine to prevent rail- oad extension"
 Special Agent Amin goes from Ar zona tc California on a tour of in pection of the routes established in : hat state His headquarters at his fwn request have been located at 'hoenix, where he may spend the inter with his family.