Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-11-28
POPULAR
Is Rural Delivery.
Report of Asst. Post
master General
Is OF Interest to All
Concerned
In Extending the Rural De-
livery Service.
What to do to Have a Route Es.
tabIished.

First Assistant Postmaster General
w. NJ. Johnson devotes large portion
of his first annual report to the sub
ject of rural free delivery, pointing
out it's benefits and recommending its
enlargement.
Progress has been made in the Unit
ed States, as in European countries,
toward formulating a general system
of extending the free delivery of mails
to communities lying remote from
titles, yet it must be noted that our
methods are not those of any other na-
ton. They have been adopted, or
rather, they have adapted themselves
to the peculiar conditions of American
life. There are strong points of di-
vergence between the system of rur-
al free delivery now being established (or
which is establishing itself in the
United States and the methods of rural
delivery which have prevailed in other
countries for many years-in Great
Britain, for instance, for over fifty
years, and in France for still longer
period. Ours is a cooperative plan.
1t comes up from the people. 1t is es-
tablished upon petitions presented
through their representatives in Con-
gress, irrespective of party affiliation,
and those who desire it are expected to
meet the government half way, by
mending their roads, building bridges
over their unbridged creeks and
streams, and putting up secure and
appropriate receiving boxes, so located
on the roadside along the route trav-
ersed by the carrier that he can con-
veniently deposit or collect their mails
within or therefrom without alighting
from his vehicle. The service in other
countries is beaurocratic, originating
always with the post Office officials. 1t
is laid down upon geometricaI lines
and adjusted by tape measure.
1t goes without saying that the rural
free delivery service with which the
people of the United States have been
made acquainted within the last three
years, is built upon none of the Euro
pean models. 1t is n sturdy, self-as-
sertive service, with no paternalism
about it. The carriers buy their own
shoes and clothes, provide their own
rigs and horses, pay their own doc
tors bills, and vote as they please.
Partisanship has been eliminated as
far as possible from the rural free de-
livery service. Requirement is made
that each petition for rural free deliy-
cry service, before being taken up for
investigation, shall be recommended
by the Representative In Congress
from the district in which the pro-
posed service is to start, or by one Of
the Senators from the state In the
selection of carriers (other things be-
ing equaD the wishes of the Congress
ional representative controls the an
pointments, which are made by this
office under the direction of the Post
master general. The pay of rural car
riers, when the service was first start
ed, October, 1896, was placed at $3.50,
and afterwards as $500 per annum.
In 1898 it was raised to S4O0. At the
beginning of the present fiscal year
July, 1900 it was further raised from
$4G0 TO $500 per annum for a full
route.
Under ordinary conditions a full
route is considered TO be TWENTY-FIVE
miles. There are exceptional eases.
where the roads are level and smooth.
ly macademized, in which the carriers
make thirty TO thlrty-five miles a
day. There are other exceptional
cases where the routes lead over rug
ged hills and cross rocky creeks, in
which seventeen miles is considered n
good days journey. But the average
length of a full route is twenty-five
miles. Where it has been found nee
essary to authorize short routes. to
connect with longer routes (as in some
of the special county services herein
after describedl, the principle has been
adopted of allowing 500 a year for
each five miles Travelled.
The route of the rural carrier is so
devised by the special agent to whom
the preliminary investigation of the
service is committed that the carrier
shall not pass over the same ground
twice in the same day. The special
agent is instructed 10 show on the
map which he submits with his report
that at least 100 families can be
brought within accessible distance of
the service. He is further directed to
report upon the character of the roads
traversed by the carrier, and TO insist
that before rural free delivery is re
commended these roads shall be in
such condition as to be really passa-
BILE in winter as well as summer.
The conditions under which the ser.
vice has hitherto been established do
not bring ii within the requirements
of the Civil Service law. but 1t is in
eXOrably required that the carriers
shall be of good character and temper
ate habits. No restrictions are imposed
as to sex. Some very efficient carriers,
East aud West, are women. Every
carrier Is required 10 give bond in the
sum Of $500 for the faithful perform,