, 1901-07-11
WASHINGTON GOSSIP.


There Is a strong probability that
during the coming fiscal year the mon
ey order system will be Incorporated in
the rural free delivery service, and that
carriers on rural routes will be permit
ted to issue money orders, the same as
postmasters at duly authorized offices.
An attempt was made to have this ex-
tension -consummated during the pres
ent year, but the pressure for the es-
adjustment of new routes was so
gr'tat that little time was left for con
sidera ton Of Improvements in the SER
vice. There has beer some fear lest
this new provision might be n little
too progressive at this time, but the de-
partment is about convinced that the
change can be made safely, and to the
benefit of the people living along rural
routes. The change II adopted, will
not be made mt once, probably not be-
fore next winter, but 1t is sure to come.
The forthcoming report of the post
master general will show that the cost
of maintaining rural free delivery has
materially lessened d uring the current
fiscal year. This decrease is largely
u to two causes; the discontinuance
OF n larger percentage of fourth-class
~postofices than heretofore, and the cor
responding discontinuance of star
routes which supplied the same. In
previous years the fourth assistant
postmaster general, acting under more
or less pressure from the different
fourth-class ~postmasters. has been re-
luctant about disseminating fourth-class
offices whose patrons were served by
rural carriers. Thus the department
had to supper not only the rura SER
vice, but the p~ostofiice rs well. In like
manner, in the interest of the carriers,
the second assistant postmaster gener-
al did not favor the discontinuance of
sta routes, even when supplanted by
rural free delivery.
Since that time. however, the post
master general has talked the whole
subject over with his assistants. and
from the beginning of the current fiscal
year the two reluctant officials have
given in and have consented to
the prompt discontinuance of fourth
class offices md star routes, when ask
/ ed for by the rural free delivery ser
vice. There will be n large saving TO
the department as n result of this
change. 1t seems that the rural free
delivery is the latest innovation in pos
tai circles, and the older lines of ser
vic are jealous of the universal popu-
larity which has marked the spread
of the rural service.
Rural free delivery mas come to stay.
ON the LIST of July, 1899, there were
some 100 routes in operation in the
United States. That was nm increase
of o over the year previous. 1t is ss-
timated that III July LIST next. there
will be in the ~neighborhood of HOO
rural routes in operation In the Unit
ed states. In addition 10 tins ii is said
that this rural service is much faster
approaching the state of ~self-suste-
nance than did the city free delivery
when inaugurated back in the Cos. 1t
is not commended that II will ever be
come sclf-supporting. for 1t is not be
lieved that postal service will lever sus-
tain itself, hut it is n fact pointed to
with pride tia there are now n num-
Der of rural free delivery routes in the
thickly settled communities that are
now being operated mt a marked profit.
The service is now pretty thoroughly
established in the East. 1t shows II
greater proportiOnate gain in the West
than elsewhere, and its limitation in
those states is only because of many
sparsely settled sections which cannot
support the service. ,.assz.-,