Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1901-09-05
RURAL DELIVERY BOXES.
Effort To be Made To secure Uni
form Pattern on all Routes.

form Pattern on all houtes.
Complaints have come from all
parts of the country over the rules
and regulations which the depart
ment has furnished governing boxes
to be used on rural free delivery
routes.
Ever since the unusually large ex-
tensions under the appropriation for
the last fiscal year, the department
has faced problem in the rural free
delivery boxes. 1t has been accused
of enforcing unusual, rigid and un-
necessary rules in relation to the
boxes, and the most recent claim
made in some of the rural districts is
that the boxes authorized by the de-
partment are too expensive.
Some of the rural free delivery car
riers have complained that the lati-
tude which has been given by the de-
partment in permitting the patrons
of different routes TO select from a
number of different styles of boxes
has resulted in great inconvenience
to them. The carriers say that four
or five different styles of locks made
it necessary for them to carry large
bunch of keys and to waste time in
the selection of the right key to APP
ply to the boxes as they pass along
their routes. They have been placed
at different elevations by the road
side, some open from underneath,
some on top and others at the ends or
sides. Some of the boxes can be open
ed by the carrier from his seat in his
vehicle, while with others it is neces-
sary for him to alight.
The problem facing the free deliv-
cry division of the department is fur
ther complicated by the fact that a
large number of newspapers have
given boxes to their patrons, as sub
scription premiums. The rules of the
department for time forbid their
use, and this placed the publications
in question in the light of acting in
bad faith toward their patrons. An
order was issued permitting the use
of these premium boxes.
When the claim was made that the
boxes which were prescribed for use
by the department were too expen-
sive, different designs were selected,
ranging in price from Sl.25 to $l2; and
the permission was given for their
use, the only reservation being that
the boxes on any one route should be
of uniform design. Complaint arose
over this regulation, and finally the
department ruled that boxes of any
one of the twelve designs approved
by the department might be used in
discriminatory on all routes.
In spite of the changes and conces-
sions, complaints continue to pour in
TO the department over the boxes in
use. Just in proportion as the rural
free delivery routes are extended do
these complaints increase in number.
Post office officials now say that the
matter will not be finally settled un-
less there is action in congress. AT
the next session it is possible that
authority will be asked by the post
Office officials for definite regulations
governing the style of boxes used.
One proposition that the depart
ment ask in open market for COM
petitive plans and specifications for
boxes. A competent, skilled and inn
partial committee will pass upon the
designs submitted, and one of them
will be selected. The government
will then ask for bids for their manu-
facture, with the proposal that a roy
atty of five cents, or some nominal
sum, on each box be paid to the de-
signer.
Another proposition is to have them
made of uniform design by the gov
ernment and have them rented at a
certain rate, perhaps 10 per quarter.
1t is urged in favor of the latter plan
that through the inspection system
which would be put into force the
boxes could be kept in much better