Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1901-01-22
THAT FREE DELIVERY ROUTE.
NORTH PARIS. Jan. IL. 1901.

Some time ago a petition for q fire.
mail; delivery route was circulated D.
some of our citizens on q route which
they had mapped out, and was general!
signed by the voters living along tn
route, with the expectation that tn
mail would be distributed from the Yves
Paris post Office, and the Post Offic'
Department, il they accepted the route
might see fit to discontinue one or twt
small post offices, although the petition
did not call for anything Of the kind
and It Is the purpose Of this article to ex
plain the stand taken by those who
signed the petition for the route.
We understand that a remembrance IL
being circulated by those opposed to the
route on the ground that II the office
here was discontinued 1t would cut on
one mail day. Now asI look at It our
village people do not need two mails
day any more than our farm population,
and we as farmers will be well pleased
| II we can have our mail brought to us
daily, as 1t Is a common thing now for
US to get our mail only two or three
times week and in busy times perhaps
only once week. The petition for the
route was signed by nine-tenths OF the
voters along the. route, who are OF course
anxious for It to be established at oncel
notice that one of your correspond
ents saws the opposition Is caused by the
route being so long that people would
not be convened by It; now isn't 1t as
well to get our mail regularly once q
day as haphazsrd once or twice week
We do not wish to force free m Ill
route upon the people Of any locality,
but we think people know a good thing
when they see and understand 1t, and
we know that free mail route is q
great convenience. All the cost there Is
Ia just the price Of box, 81 %, which
will last for years, and as we all have to
pay box rent at the post office, there
will be saving on that In few years
time.
Farmers want all the conveniences
they can have, and free delivery will be
q great benefit to three-quarters Of our
people and not seriously incOnvene any
one, so say give US free delivery! II
there Is any one of our industries that
need encouraging, 1t Is our agricultural
interests, and anything that brings our
farms out more into the world, whether
1t be railroad, telephones or free mail
delivery is Of direct benefit to the whole
community.
A delivery route has to be not less
than IS or over % miles long and reach
100 families. Whether these 100 families
all favor the route and desire their mail
delivered to them or not Is Of no conse-
quence; the department will proceed &C.
cording to the report of the agent whom
they send to inspect the route. or
course on 80 long q route people cannot
all be supplied at the same moment or
hour, but will all be served during the
day; the village people who generally
signed the petition did so on the ground
that although it was of no benefit to
them, they were willing to sign to bene-
fit those who lived some distance away
from the post office.
Whether or not 1t pays the govern
ment to establish these routes is OF
no concern, II they are willing to give
our rural population free delivery and
propose to extend 1t more and more,
why not have it herep l have made In
Quiries of people living on those routes
already established In the south part OF
the town, and all speak In favor OF free
delivery and say it Is rapidly growing In
favor In their section. SO speed the day
of Its coming, we say.
E E. FIELD.