The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-12-18
RURAL MAIL SYSTEM.
Routes Being Established at Rate of
One Day.

Atchison. Kas Dec. 1S.-The work Of es
tablishing rural mail routes in Kansas
was not commenced until March last, but
the demand for the service has been SO
great that the government agent has
hardly found time to sleep. Nearly l5O
routes have been established in Kansas
since that date and, as an average of SEQ
people are served on each route the per-
sons already receiving mail daily number
about Is. GOO The routes average 25 mil es
in length and already many of the car
riers are delivering from eight to ten thou
sand pieces of mail a month, whereas only
at the start Few daily papers were taken
by farmers before the advent of rural de-
livery, but it is now common thing Tor
a carrier to have a hundred or more sub
scribers for dailies on his list.
OF the seven rural mail carriers in
Atchison county not one delivers less than
100 dailies and several deliver 200. In ad-
has increased Rural delivery has in
creased the value of land in several IN
stances
The government has recommended that
in the selection of carriers for these
routes preference be given old soldiers
Accordingly carriers are nearly all vet
Grams. A carriers salary is $500 a year
and he furnishes team and wagon for
hauling his mail. The carrier sells stamps,
postal cards registers mail etc. and in
some localities these routes result in the
adjustment of several small postoffices-
The carrier can carry bundles IN addition
to his regular mail, and he can also carry
passengers if he desires. Carriers are
agents for newspapers. magazines and pc
rfodicals and in various ways add to their
. ia ROUTES IN CIRCUITS.
The routes are usually laid out in cir
cult. The carrier starts out from his
headquarters in town at o'clock in the
morning and by noon completes half of
his circuit. He usually stops in the woods
and cooks his meal by a camp fire and
feeds his horses, after which he completes
the trip back to town. going and coming
over roads just far enough apart to serve
the largest number OF people The carrier
does not call at the homes of the farm
ers, but leaves the mail in a box which
the farmers must furnish. Some people
are 50 eager for Inail every day that they
go several miles for it, being off the car
rier's route.
As cold weather approaches the carriers
feel the need of some kind of protection
from the elements, and many ingenious
contrivances are appearing. A carrier in
Jewell county is making a postoffice on
wheels with a stove in it on his spring
wagon and proposes to get out patent on
the idea
NORTHEASTERN KANSAS FAVORED
A large per cent. of the rural mail routes
are in northeastern Kansas. Marshall
county leads with eleven and jefferson,
Jewell and Shawnee counties have eight
each: Atchison and Republic counties sew
en-, and Riley, w ashington. Jackson, Cloud,
Pottawatomie Clay, Mitchell and numer-
Gus other counties have from one to six
routes There are a dozen more in
the southern part of the state. but none
IN the extreme western part. Capt H J.
Ormsby. the rural route agent in Kansas
day since last August, and at that rate
# he keeps up his record the government
will finally satisfy the clamOrous farmers
who want the service.
In order to get a. mail route A petition
must be circulated and signed by a GER