The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1900-11-23

be launched.
1t was noted that in the rural COM
munities of these states the fourth class
postoffices were from three to four and
five miles apart. When the patrons
learned that they could receive their
mail daily they lost no time in working
with the postoffice department to make
this feature success. Applications for
the establishment of routes began to fill
the mail of the officials having the work
in charge. In very short space of
time nearly all these states had great
many working routes. When it became
certain that the scheme would be a
success the department began to estab-
lish routes in the east and far western
states. They still had the opposition
of the eastern fourth class postmasters,
but this cut but little figure. The
routes were established. As soon as 1T
became known that there was opposi-
ton to this method of mail delivery the
eastern grangers followed the example
set by their brothers in the west and
showed letter after letter into the post
Office department officials. Since the
establishment of the service $500 routes
have been put into operation. An
equal number of applications are now
on file in the department..
Postmaster General Smith will point
out in his report that the government
will be financial gamer by the general
establishment of the rural free delivery
service, Each star route contractor
now receives from $500 to 500 year
for delivering mail from the railway
station to some one fourth class post
Office. Each fourth class postmaster
also receives 100 per cent of his sale of
postage stamps. The rural free delivery
carrier receives $500 year salary and
has to furnish his own horse and vehicle.
There are over 10000 postoffices in the
country, and as the greater part of these
are of the fourth class order, it can be
readily seen that the establishment of
the rural free delivery system will be a
great saving to the government.
Within the next year or two this
country will SEGA big reduction in the
rate of registered mail matter. This
feature of the postal business has been
So fully developed in the past twelve
months that the percentage of increase
over all previous years is more than
double. The normal percentage of in.
crease is about . per cent This year
the returns from rs, 600 postoffices will
show an increase in registered mail
matter of about . per cent. In years
past it has been the custom of the de-
partment to select thirty postofiices and
compare the receipts of these offices
with those of previous years. The
business done in these thirty offices last
year is Is per cent greater than at any
other time in the history of the depart
| meuI. ue TttuTuS lTOm Juo SIuduei
offices, however, will reduce this per
centage about one-half.
1.-The newspapers of the country are
responsible for this great increase in
registered mail matter" said Third As
sistant Postmaster. General Madden
who is at the head of the work. The
wide publicity given the work of this
branch of our business has done the
trick. Persons unfamiliar with the
registry system have been educated
There is hardly man, woman or chile
who has no. read something about tn,
registry mail service. The house tt
ouse registry scheme was also favored
by the newspapers with wide notice
and the result Is plainly shown IN tn,
increased revenues from this source"
The registry mail division has been
raised to the dignity of separate di.
vision, with a superintendent of regis.
try and four assistants, within the past
year. Little attention had previously