Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1899-05-02
RURAL MAIL DELIVERY.
AN EXPERIMENTAL MAIL SERVICE
TO BE ESTABLISHED.

NUMEROUS POST OFFICES IN
CHESTER AND DELAWARE COUN-
TIES MAY BE ABOLIsHBD-CAR-
RIERs TO PATROL THE COUNTY
DISTRICTS FROM DISTRIBUTING
CENTRES
West Chester, May 2.-The Sixth con-
gresslonal district is on the verge Of a
complete revolution in its postal service.
which may have an important bearing
on the postal service Of the entire coun-
try, as it applies to the rural districts.
When the free rural delivery was estab-
lished at the West Chester office. the
first of the year. very few persons dream
ed that in a short time It would be ex-
tended Through this congressional dis
trtct composed Of the counties Of Ches-
ter and Delaware, but the experiment
here has been such a gratifying success
that the government to thoroughly sat
lsfy itself of the expediency Of adopting
the system in every county in the
United States has determined to give a
wide pcpulous centre the trial, and the
Sixth district Of Pennsylvania has been
determined upon for it,
To this end A. b. Smith special agent
Of the Post Office Department visited
West Chester last week to begin the
work preliminary to the adoption Of the
service. He is now engaged in making a
map Of the two counties, showing all
the public highways, towns and villages.
AS soon as this is completed the counties
Will be properly districted and the dis
trlbuting points designated Carriers
will then be appointed, and the service
put in active operation at an early day
In all probability this will be followed by
an official order from the department
dbollshing at least 100 offices in Chester
county and half that number in Della
ware.
At present there are $50 post offices in
the former county and eighty-five in the
latter, and one or two years hence it is
predicted that the only ones remaining
will be the distributing points Of THE
rural delivery.
When free rural delivery was estab
lished ait this office four months ago. the
government calculated on the carriers
handling only 5000 pieces of mail matter
per month, and, therefore. when the re-
ports Of the West Chester post office dis
closed the astonishing fact that each o.
the five carriers has been delivering ant
collecting an average OF over 1900 pieces
per month, the officials Of the Post Offic,
Department became convinced that th'
system had wonderful possibilities fo
the future, and to determine its feast
bility in a wide field the trial Of the ser
vice In Chester and Delaware COUNTIES
will have a far-reaching influence on thi
postal service of dhe entire. country in IT.
results.
While It has been satisfactorily expert
mented within spots in various sections
Of the country, free rural delivery ha
not been given full sway in any on
county anywhere, and the adoption o
the system in whole Congressional dis
trict, therefore, will date a now era fl
postal affairs.
While no authoritative announcement
has been made the distributing points fl
Chester county viii include West Ches
ter, Downingtown, Devon and Malvern
in the cast; Coatesville and Pakesburg Fl
the west; Phoenixville, Spring City, 81
Peters, GIoneybrook and Glen Moore q
the north; Kennett Square. West Grove
Avondale and oxford in the south. wit
several additions, particularly in tn
west and north. In Delaware count
there win be, besides others, Chadd'
Ford, Chester, Darby Glen Mills, Lans
downe Media, Newtown Square, swarth
more and Wayne.