Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-12-12
FREE MAIL DELIVERY.
Its Remarkable Growth In Rural
Communities.
BENEFICIAL RESULTS DERIVED.

Assistant Postmaster General Heath
Says 1t Can No Longer Be Consid-
/ cred rs an Experiment., but Has to
Be Dealt With as an Established
Agency of Progress.
First Assistant Postmaster General
Heath of Washington, in special re-
port on the free rural delivery service,
says there has been nothing in the his
tory of the postal service of the United
States SO remarkable as the growth of
the rural free delivery system. Within
the past two years, largely by the aid
OF the people themselves, who, in APP
probation of the helping hand which
the government extended to them, had
met these advantages half way, it had
implanted itself so firmly upon postal
administration that it could no longer
be considered in the light of an expert
ment, but had TO be dealt with as an
established agency OF progress, await
ing only the action of the congress to
determine how rapidly it should be de-
veloped. He thinks the facts set forth
in the report demonstrate that the free
delivery of mails in rural communities
can be widely extended with great ben
EFT to the people and with little cost to
the revenue, and that whenever the
system had been judiciously inaugu-
rated, with purpose TO make it sue
cess, it had been followed by these ben
| eficial results:
First.-Increased postal receipts.
More letters are written and received
More newspapers and magazines are
subscribed for. So marked is this adj
| vancement that quite u number of
rural routes already pay for them
! selves by the additional business they
bring.
Second.-Enhancem of the value
! of farm lands reached by rural free de-
livery. This increase of value has been
estimated at as high as So per acre in
some states. A moderate estimate is
| from 50 to So per acre.
Third.-A general improvement of
| the condition of the roads traversed by
| the rural carriers. In the western
| states especially the construction of
| good roads has been prerequisite for
the establishment of rural free deliv-
cry service. In one county in Indiana
special agent reports that the farmers
, incurred an expense of over $1,000 to
grade and gravel a road in order to OBJ
tain rural Tree QellNery-
Fourth.-Better prices obtained for
! farm products, the producers being
: brought into daily touch with the state
! of the markets, and thus being enabled
! to take advantage of information here
/ tofore unattainable.
Fifth.-To these material advantages
| may be added the educational benefits
conferred by relieving the monotony of
70, TO
wholesale literature, and the keeping
| of all rural residents, the young people
as well as their elders, fully informed
as to the stirring events of the day.
The moral value of these civilizing in
| fuences cannot be too highly rated.
Mr.. Heath traces the growth of the
| rural free delivery system from it's be-
ginning in 1896, when H experimental
routes were established under an APP
preparation of $4,000, down to the
present, with 3S3 routes in operation
in 40 states and one territory. Idaho,
Mississippi, Montana and Wyoming
are the only states not represented. For
the fiscal year ended June 80 last $780,
600 was expended The pieces of mail
matter collected and distributed num-
bered 9,212,92T, and the population
served aggregated 273,604 in 1857
square miles. At the date named 391
carriers were employed in the service,
and the length of their combined
routes was $500 miles. The appro-
priation for the current fiscal year was
$500. 1000, the increase permitting the
establishment of 243 new routes for
the benefit of nearly 10000 persons,
or at an annual cost of 81 cents per
capita, without taking into account the
great increase in postal receipts, aver
aging between 80 and 80 per cent or
the saving by discontinuance of minor
postotfices. This is contrasted with
free urban delivery in towns of 5000
inhabitants, where the yearly cost is
$3.50 per capita, with no increase in
receipts. The appropriation for the
current year has already been appor-
toned, and the department will be I'M
able to act on the multitude of petit
tons for service until congress pro-
vides further funds.
The only hostility to the establish
ment of rural free delivery, says the
report, comes from fourth class post
masters and star route contractors, the
former objecting because it decreases
their receipts and the latter because of
the consequent discontinuance of
routes. On the other hand. the state
oranges of Patrons of Husbandry
have strongly urged the extension of
the service as being greatly to the ben
eft of the farmer. One Missouri farm
er estimated that in the last Is years
he had walked or driven $4,000 miles
to and from the postoffice to get his
mail, but he was saved any further
trouble now by free rural delivery.
Technical Students Strike.