The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-01-09
RURAL DELIVERY.

intervals on the value OF rural deliv
cry. Many Of them no doubt think the
daily delivery of mail at their door ia
a very long way off We assure them
it is not nearly 80 far off as they ex
pect, provided only they will bestir
themselves aud secure good roads. The
Department is expending $500 OO0 this
year in order to test the value of rural
delivery, and our read ers will no doubt
be very much surprised to learn that
the annual cost to the govern mens is
but "a cents per capita, while the cost
of delivery by carriers in cities not ex
ceeding 5 600 population is 50 80 per
capita. They may also be surprised
to know that the increase in the postal
eceipts following the establishment of
rural delivery ls from 80 to Is per
cent, to say nothing of the doing way
OF the expense OF fourth class post
offices and star routes which are super
ceded by this new service.
1--WE do not beliG We it is possible in
the very near future to have every
farm in the West reached by free de-
livery routes, but we believe it ia eD I.
tirely possible in the next two years to
have free delivery established Wber
ever 700 people can be reachs in 95
or % mile drive. One of the essential
points, however, is good roads, and we
do not know Of any movement which
will tend so much to improve the roads
as rural free delivery" Tae above two
items are clipped from Wallace's
Farmer.
The Report Of the Postmaster
General contains vast deal of valuable
inform alton on this subject. Among
other things it says:
City delivery was initiated prim9r
lily to relieve the postofh ses, it being
manifestly i'm possible for thu post
master to deliver the mails OF ten tnou
sand or more people through the post
Office window. Rural free delivery
has for its main purpose the advance
ment and education of the people and
to bring the postal erVic3 within their
reach. Even in the most favored rural
districts there is no servIcs that ap
proaches in completeness thu house to
house delivery of the cities. Toe re-
cipients of the rural mail have TO pro-
vide boxes and place them at conven-
lent places along che line OF road trav.
ersed by the rural carrier, 80 that he
can deposit and collect the N slls, i
need be, without aljghtiag from his
buggy. Freq 1ently seven or eigh5
oeignborhood boxes are grouped tc-
gether like a lot of beshives as a Gro g
road corner, and the people living in
houses perhaps half a mile or m )re
back from the road watch for the d ally
passing of taa carrier and come to the
CROSS road to collect or deposit their
mails. Bat even this is 80 much better
than the long ride to the postom ;e in
all kinds Of weather, on the mere
chance that there may be some mail
awaiting them, and the time consumed
in watching for the carrier and sending
one Of the children, it may be, down TO
the letter box to get the mail, is 80
much less than that which would be
occupied in hitching up a horse and
driving to town, and the saving of
labor in the busy season is 30 import
ant an item to the frugal, industrious
agriculturist that free delivery is gan
orally spoken OF in the com nunItias
where it has been tried as the greatest
boon the government has ever confer
red upon them. Oas Missouri farmer
calculated that in the last fifteen years
he had driven $4,000 miles gong to
and from his postt fl, to get his mails,
all OF which travel is now saved hIm
by rural free delivery"
Tne report says further: ''That
whenever the system has been j ldl
ciously inaugurated, with a sincere
purpose to make it a SUCCESS. il has
been followed by these beneficial rs
suits:
"T. Increased postal receipts. More
letters are written and received. MDre
and magazines are sub
scribed for. So marked is this advance
ment that quite a number of rural
routes already pay for themselves by
the additional business they bring.
''IL. Enhancement of the value of