, 1901-07-04
Rural Free Delivery.

Postmaster General Charles Emory
Smith describes the new system of
rural free mail delivery as follows:
I'VE are now carrying the postotiice
to the door of 81, OOO,OO0 of people
massed in towns and cities. The task
before us is the postotfice to the door
of about p 100000, scattered over L.
100000 square miles of territory. Its
magnitude is not to he underestimate.
England, France and Germany make
rural free delivery, their postmen GO
ing on foot. But England contains
5O.SG7 square miles. France 2oi,O92,
and Germany 2OS.S30. We are al
ready covering with rural delivery a
larger area than England, all effected
within the past two years. BY the
end of the current fiscal year we shall
reach one-siNth Of the 2l.oOO,oOO to he
served. What has already been sub
stantially accomplished is certainly
capable of skiold expansion.
ION the LIST of July, 1899. there We're
391 rural delivery routes in operation.
Within the fiscal year, under an apprO-
priation of S45O.OOO. this number was
Increased TO 1,214. on the LIST of July,
1900. the appropriation Of S1,T5O,OOO.
became available, and on November
18th 2,61I routes Ia been located II
established, IL 1919 miles in aggregate
length, covering 66.Si2 square miles.
divided among forty-four states and
territories. and serving n population
of 1.SOl. 52l. The number of applica-
tiOns pending mt that date and await
ing action or under Investigation was
more Than 2.lOO-nearly enough to
double the existing service-and every
day brings more. HE close of the
present fiscal year will see about 1900
rpntps in pnnTntipn CARRYING 4hn mail
daily TO the doors Of not less than B.
100000 residents of the rural dis
%triCtS."
To get rural delivery 100 families
nave to agree to certain conditions and
put up suitable boxes to receive mail.
In Colorado, six routes Were estnb-
lished prior 10 May /. 1900. when the
western division was organized.
Twenty-seven have beer established
since II petitions for eighteen are
now pending awaiting favorable
weather for their examination. Wyom-
,ng has -four routes in operation and
only one application pending. The
great mass of applications for rural
frec mail routes come from the states
If Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska. Minnesota.
Texas and California. OF the 1000
asses waiting 80 be passed upon, more
han LOO are in these states.
In May, 1900, the United States was
llvided Into fou divisions with Den
ser as headquarters for the western,
which takes In all the states west of
he Mississippi with the exception of
Missouri and Louisiana. William Il.
Amin Is the special agent In charge
with nine agents in the field under the
direction of the department. MI. An.
min Is II well-knUwn newspaper man
Of the East and has had II large ex-
Jcrlcnce with men and affairs. He is
thoroughly business like in his meth
DDS Of work and his division demands
great executive ability as IL covers
more than half Of the United States.
When even the isolated parts of the
country are brought In such close con
act with Washington by this ramitled
mnil service the United States will as
slmilatc It's foreign populations even
more rapidly thnn II is doing II now.
nakiug the Inhabitants from Maine to
'nlifornia kin In many senses Of the
word.