Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-05-08

10 D. met In the future 1t IS possible to
Civ an estimate to the probable cost
and the extent nj the operations of such
tremendous expansion. which would. if
carried out. directly affect every family in
Tn" tnited States.
Great Public BENEFITS Accruing.
The public benefits accruing from the
service many and ramifed. Good roads
10" a condition precedent to the establish
Ing of a route Creeks and streams must
b. bridged. The highways must be kept
in permanent repair a community de-
MED mail delivery for the reason that
ats roads are unfit and its bridges insecure
VIII at once set about to place its thor
ouShtareS in good repair and keep them so.
ne great problem of good roads is thus
happily solved with one stroke of the Post
master Generals pen when he authorizes
3he establishment of routes. and the roads
An some sections of the states where the
system has been established have been
wonderfully improved, to the decided bet
terment OF the farmer and the entire COM
munily.
Great Britain has what is substantially
~ house-to-house mail delivery as also
Franc. Germany. Austro-Hungary and
BelS1ufn. AS great as is the area of the
nited States, it is possible to extend the
system anywhere when desired. The prin-
opal question is. of course. the cost There
Is a curious lack of public information
upon this important subject. and the bene-
Us OF rural free delivery not fully an
precIated. With nearly every route es-
nahd from adjacent communities for SINH
lar privileges. Nearly every service re-
SUITS IN almost doubling the postal receipts
Nithln few months Of its establishment
4 MS Is hiShiy important. and should NOT he
lklost sight of in the big figures 1 will give
The Test in Maryland
IL IS estimated that the free delivery
s'r'ice serves 3l."".ooo urban patrons. and
that in the 1.OoJ.0tD square miles of terri
tn he
0fi"0 more persons are to be reached. We
are already serving one-sixth of this mum,
Der ana cover an area with free rural de-
iNtFF greater than that of England The
increase In area for the past year was
2"" square miles. and in the number of
1l-'"S or mail matter handled over -
e'''pD. At the present time there are 2 sno
1irs In operation. covering approximate
~ N''tD square miles. with 3 S0sD carriers
SUI lying over 1 coo 900 residents who were
Formerly obliged to go to their nearest nost
!. 'ntil'" for their mail. from a short walk to
stN"-al miles in point of distance
The most thorough test of rural free
n"nNery has been had near Washington in
'arT"ll county. Md, which embraces an
a'ea OF i13 square miles. There was at
oi.ce heavy Increase in the number of
pieces of mail handled, especially In news
nIapers and registered letters. The discon-
inuance of fourth-cIass post offices and
The substantial increase in postal receints
have made this service possible in this
above actual expenses. And the same re-
suits have been obtained in other commu
mites where the service has been estab-
1ished
The probable ultimate cost Of extending
the system all over the United States is a
matter OF estimate. There are many dis
-NrlctS which by reason of their topogra nh
ical Irregularities. would make rural free
delivery very expensive operation and
Tor the purposes of an estimate these must
be omitted. Out e 2,Si3 counties in the
Il - a 41ErTff h.1c
free delivery is fessAbie. From the cost
OF routes already in operation an average
or SEtpp per county has been struck in
counties where the land is hily and irreg-
nl4r
The Ultimate Total Cost
ION the prafries of the great west mail
may be placed in the hands of our patrons
for oHe-third less than in the billy sec
lions The roads are level. In these coun-
ties the average cost per county has been
es'-mated at Si3,s0. or a total cost of about
s2i"'oey" for the area 1 have named
IN fact, the Postmaster General esti-
mates that the net annual cost of rural
fir delivery may be scaled down to about
eJ%stst@o. covering all of the eligible por-
ton of the country the ST. 10000 differ
fnre being saved by estimated savings
from discontinued star routes and fourth
class post Offices
ASIDE entirely from the inestfmable ben
ehtS OF so diverse and far-reaching O ma
lure as to be almost without limit the gem
erdi result of compelling the maintenance
OF good roads in the United States will be
more than commensurate with the cost of
The entire system. When | say campeI T |
mean it in the fullest sense and will give
Rou an example that it's publication in The |
Star may go broadcast.
This spring by reason of bad roads We
have been occasionally obliged to abandon |
trips on several routes in the west We
nave notiiled these communities that unless
HE roads are kept in such perfect order
that this years experience Will not be re-
Ieated the service Will be discontinued as
Il will be. Advocates of good roads will as |
thoroughly appreciate the meaning of this
order. as will also the communities who
want free delivery. and most rural COM
quantities do and it means briefly good
1OddS. or no rural free mail delivery
Result of "a Liberal Policy.
The probabilities am discussing are
reasonably certain because of the liberal !
Policy shown by Congress- the spontaneous
demand for rural free delivery from, all |
sections. the quick response of the farmer
- maintain good roads and the broad |
snlnded policy of Postmaster General Smith |
in furthering the interests of the system |
and executing the law.
1T is but six years ago that the free do |
livery of mail in country districts was de-
C!arrd 10 be impracticable, too extensive
Tor serious consideration, and that the far
1ners themselves desired to go to the most
ONCE Tor their mail. To-day we are con-
graduating ourselves upon the magnificent |
success attained during the present pro-
sreSSIve administration of DostaI aNairs
and the still brighter future of an intimate
mo hot,iar-oH general postal delivery to |
practically every home in the United |
States NS SiIeu
:, Such a prospect stimulates the trnaein,-
.ioh on certain of the mooted social oues |
tlons OF the day. the Disseminated or |
knowledge. the circulation of newsno,o
periodicals and literature and the accrpt
Dement'S; the bringing of market reoorts |
>and the news of the day into the hands of |
q yt-itt
of social Intercourse by quick mail enu.'
munlcation In the country and in fact
Thousand other results of incalculable good |
TO the public at large" eoou