St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1899-11-04
RURAL posrMEr or EUROPE
some Informs ton About Then WAac
the State Department Has
Secared.

I,ast~year the committee on post
Offices and post roads of the house OF
representatives called upon the post
master general for some details Of let
ter delivery in the rural districts of
some European countries with view
of still further extending the free de-
livery system in the United States. The
answers sent through the state depart
ment show rather primitive method
of such delivery in most European
countries, though in the outfit and
equipment of the travelling postman, q
picturesque feature Of local life is in
troduced. The rural mail carriers in
Austro-Hungary, for instance, wear
gray uniforms, carry ironshod sticks,
leather pouches, ink-horns and signal
horns, and the latter are violently
blown at the entrance of each village
to notify its inhabitants that the let
tiers have arrived. Among the articles
delivered are letters, postal cards, news
papers, samples and kilograms, the ices
charged for ordinary letters being one
kreutzer, half of a cent, and a halt
kreutzer for newspapers. This pay
ment is, of course, additional to the
charge for prepayment and is added to
it for the special delivery service.
In Belgium the rural mail carriers are
furnished with waybill, upon which is
entered the date, the hours of departure
and return, the position of the different
boxes from which collections are made,
and an impression of the stamp OF each
letter box. These rural carriers OF Bel
GUM travel on the state railroads free.
but only when in uniform and when
carrying their portfolio and a card OF
Identification. They are also permitted
ito circulate freely in the railroad sta
tions," and they are especially admon-
ished to stop. at the approach of trains
or locomotives and never to cross the
tracks when a train or locomotive is in
sight. The Belgium rural letter car
riers are armed with clubs and re-
volvers.
The provincial postmen in England
(such is their official designation) are
from Is to 30 years of age at entrance to
the service, the only exception being
discharged soldiers and sailors. who are
permitted to begin work when over so.
They are II weekdays year as holi-
days, get free medical attendance,
serve four hours on Sunday, for which
special pay is furnished, and receive
$3.50 week salary. The average walk
of provincial postman is from Is to is
miles day. The average rate in walk
ing is three miles an hour. In addition
to their regular pay, each provincial
postman is allowed 81 shillings year
for boot allowance, otherwise shoe
leather wear and tear, and after ten
years service, in case of incapacity or
at the age of 60, there is pension for
the postmen on retirement.
In Switzerland the government fur
nishes every rural postman, who is reg
ularly employed in outdoor delivery,
with one tunic a year and one blouse and
4 cape every third year, while those who
are only occasionally employed in out
door delivery get tunic and blouse
every other year and cape every five
years. The salary varies from S22 to $40
a month. The average number of work.
ing hours is eight.
In France the salary of postmen is
fixed by the number of kilometres trav-
eled and not according to any fixed
grade. There are 1890 country post
men in France. and to their varying sal
aries, az fixed by kilometre, are added
gratuities for carrying packages and
verbal messages. The rural
postman is not national institution in
Spain.-N. Y. Sun,