The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-06-03
Rural FREE DELIVERY.
It's Recent Estabiishmsnt and Rapid Growth
In the Post Onice Department.

IT'S Recent Establishment and Rapid Growth
in the Post Onace Department.
As recently o. 1893 the PostmasterG General
reported TO Congress that the Introduction
Of any system Of rural free delivery Of letters
and papers would be imprsct1cable a. involv-
Ing an expenditure OF 100000 q year with
out any commensurate revenue. In his an
nual report for 1904 Poetmaster-G General Bis
sell declined TO spend the appropriation OF
10000 made by Congress 10 test the feast
bility Of rural free delivery. When Congress
increased the appropriation for a test to $4,000
In 1896, Postmaster General Wilson adopted
the opinion Of his predecessor and Of tho Houso
Committee on tho Post Ofloe and Post Roads
that the plan Of establishing rrl free deliv.
cry was wholly impraotoable. He added
tina he had assumed control Of the Depart
mont too late In tho Hsoal year 10 take any
action under the appropriation. but should
Congress So At 10 make II available for tho
current year he would carry out the expert
meut ordered BY the bsst methods he could
devise.
Congress made 10000 available for the pw-
pose and In 1905 Postmaster-0 General Wilson
put the Idea 70 it, first test The expariment
was entiraly successful and since then the
system Of rural free delivery has been 10 sen-
erNly extended that It now includes sSs dis
tributtng points In forty-one Of the forty-fve
States. the exception being idaho. Montana.
Mississippi and Wyoming. By degrees the
appropriation has been increased from 10000
70 $3.50, 900 and II Ia Ss0O.0Oo for this year.
At tho head Of tho States served BY rural
free delivery Is Ohio. the most favored State.
with forty-nine routes. indian having forty
four and Iowa twenty-three. The develop
s snslI CO re reasons s,as'f been very irregular. thus
In Texas there are only two rural free delivery
routes. while in South Carolina there are twenty
one, In Washington there is one only while
ana, Alabama and Florida there are three
routes only, while In Maine there are seven.
,d In the I,RSi s ne.s Of Post IS stem 9riG e snl9 Il e.
incipienoy and among the plans IN view for
its further extension Is one for rural free de-
livery Of mail, by electric cars. some farmers
Of Massachusetts and the adjoining New Hamp-
shire territory have taken steps In this matter.
the Idea haying occurred TO- them a lev weeks
service. in place Of the stage coach which
fo1rmpsrly ran between Exeter and AmssbHy:
In 1858, when the whole number Of letter car
rters in the United States, now 1900. was
less than 700: It did not Increase materially
towns having free delivery OF letters had risen
TO iO4. Ten years later, In 1880. there were
$40 and the number is now 7ts There were
by the last Federal census 7s cities or towns
In the United States having a population In
excess. Of 5000. aud practically ali these places
and a few others besides have now free delivery
One remarkable and salutafy effect Of the
extension OF the rural free delivery system
has been the great Improvement II has brought
the system being optional with the Government,
the plan has been adopted OF favoring those
regions in which the roads are best, and as
provement In the condition Of roads traversed
by rural carriers. This has been especially
the case in the West and It accounts for
struction off good roads has been a
prerequisite to the establishment Of 2 rural
the farmers. Incurred an expense OF 1890
TO grade and improve a road In order to obtain
free delivery: -. 49,
Department Is constantly to extend It's oper.
alton, taking Ias irrespective q. the volume q {
Increase hss sssH tho fsT 4s1. ssns, %inGT. sa:t o csr ,ss ssRisniis.
Thus, where rural free delivery has been
established, the number Of letters, written
and me in some cases st to an mex, extent nt' sufioieStly
large to make up for the additional outlay
caused by the delivery. A Pennsylvania farmer
made recently a computation which other
ONCE Department has thought worthy Of publ
cation, TO the effect that, on an average, every
farmer not served by rural free delivery goes
at least once or twice a week TO the nearest
Post ONCE for his mail. and occupies one-third
Of q working day on the trip. Putting the value
OF the time thus lost in the busy farming season
at so cents a head, the total loss would run
up TO many million dollars 1t has been found
generally that while Congress is reluctant
to authorize some postal expenditures, the
popularity Of rural free delivery among farmers
Is such MS To make probable a further increase
In the appropriation next year.