Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-08-23
FREE DELIVERY or MAIL
SYSTEM IN OPERATION IN THE
RURAL DISTRICTS.
Growth Of the Service Since It's In
PRODUCTION In 1s9e-Subject
of Report.

PRODUCTION In 1S90-Subject
of Report.
The wide discussion now being had on
the subject of rural free delivery makes
of especial interest at this time report
made on the subject by Mr.. Charles H.
Greathouse of the Agricultural Depart
ment to Secretary Wilson. The report Is
very exhaustive. and part follows:
The system OF free delivery Of mail at
the farm homestead is developing In the
United States by great strides. The first
routes bearing the name rural free de-
livery" were established on October 1. 1895,
at Halltown, UviIla and Chariestown. w.
Va Others followed at once, and by
the close of the fiscal year the ex-
pertinent. showed satisfactory results
There were A routes In the fall OF 1897;
this number increased to 12S in 1898, and
on November /, 1892 had jumped to 634.
These radiated from 1888 distributing points
and served a population of 4o2, 135 persons.
On June 30. 1900. little more than six
months later. the number of routes had
grown to 1,214 for population of 1919
and in the next four months the system
again more than doubled it's proportions,
showing on November /, 1900, 1851 routes
for 1.sO1 .524 persons; and there were also
at that date 2.15S applications for the es-
tablishment of new routes. The whole of
the United States is now laid out in four
tenance of this service, and the work is go
ing forward with steadily increasing
volume.
Important Advance.
April Il. 1900. an important advance took
place. Rural carriers were authorized to
receive and deliver registered mail. AS the
law requires such matter to be delivered
personally, the carriers are obliged to go
to the houses instead Of dropping the lot
tiers or packages in the farm box. Rural
carriers are also authorized to receipt fof
applications for money orders, and while
they cannot yet issue the orders, they can
save the farmer the trip to the office by
acting as his agent.
Another most satisfactory change was
made on July &C. 1900, when an order was
made under which postage on drop letters
on rural free-delivery routes was fixed at
2 cents per ounce and carriers were re-
quired to cancel stamps on all letters col
lected by them. This order carried with IT
authority to deliver drop letters without
passing them through the hands of post
master.
Rural free delivery Of mails is scientific.
On purely theoretical grounds the post Of
fee ought always to deliver the matter In
trusted to it at the door Of the addressed
The distance to be Travelled from sender to
receiver OF mail is precisely the same
postal employee or he be met part way by
the person for whom it Is intended. Fur
thermore, the cost Of making the trip is
always paid out Of the sum total Of the
little difference ultimately whether the la
Dor Is paid for from government funds
collected by the sale of stamps or other
wise. or Is done by each man directly with
out Intervention of the United States treas
ury at ALL; It all comes from the people
anyhow.
Only Question Considered.
The only question that need be asked Is
whether there will be more waste of time
larger number Of empty trips by the
farmer. who never knows when there is
mail for him, or by the postman, who al
ways knows whether there Is something to
deliver: and to this there seems to be but
one answer. The number Of times the
farmer would be going to the post town
for other reasons and the times when sew
eral families would send for mail by the
same messenger enter into the calculation,
of course. but in general this would not
change the answer. And whether the adj
really is of no consequence, If free delivery
involves only short trip for the postman
in the city, 1t also involves only short
trip for the citizen, and the corresponding
relation between length Of trips exists for
the farm delivery.
The opinions Of special agents engaged
in introducing free rural delivery in all
parts Of the United States, as shown in
ably favorable to the success Of the sys-
tenn. All agree that the opposition comes
only from persons interested in the mail
service who think they are likely to lose
by the change, and from small storekeep-
ers and saloon keepers at fourth-class post
offices. Some Of them mention also as Diff
culttes to be overcome the fact that the
work has been generally spoken Of as ex-
perimental. and the impossibility Of sery-
Ing all persons precisely alike.
Rules Governing Rural Delivery.
In order to introduce rural free delivery
on new route. petition must be circu-
lated and signed showing the desire Of the
persons along the line for the new service.
This paper is then forwarded to the rep
resentative in Congress from the district in
which the route will be located, or to one
OF the senators from the state, for his
recommendation. II 1t Is deemed practic-
able to start the service as desired, q spe-
cial agent Of the Post Office Department
Is sent to lay out route and make a map
Of 1t. His report and map must show that
at least 100 families can be made access
ible to the delivery. It also shows the
character Of the roads, and the agent i'm
presses upon the persons interested that
the roads must be made passable summer
and winter.
full route is considered % miles, but
according to the country traversed may
vary from II to IS miles. It does not take
the carrier over the same ground twice in
the same day.
Carriers were paid at first only $50 q
year. They now receive $500 for an ordi-
nary route and for special short routes 500
year for each Ave miles Travelled. They
are bonded. and each carrier has a bonded
substitute. SO that the mails may never
lack responsible carrier. The civil SER
vice regulations have never been applied to
this service. but good character and tenn
perate habits are required. Women are ac-
ceptable. and few are In the ranks some
Of them considered very efficient. Reports
to the Post Office Department of derelic-
ton OF duty on the part of rural carriers
are very few.
The Earth Star.
From ST. Nicholas.
Earth stars are members Of thu n,ant