The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-10-06

Tine nolicy of the Postonce Department with regard to the estaoisnmen, rn, nmrs1 Ti fres delivery was an experiment; ana the re strictions were not regarded az in place. But the system has passed 70 ,. ine s peri r,,f in pending the improvement or roaos:; Nv v route will be permitted to open until au the roads upon the route are in soc1 2, con- hs dition The mail carrier Is not 70 oS forced to make his way through mud Quo deep and almost impossible. az m some cases during former winters ana wet sea The policy of the department Is to see that roads are good before rural free oe- livery of mail is granted to any com The policy of the department. more than that is to see that those routes new in operation, pending improvements oi roads by nn sEs nedssd for their better ment. If 1t is found that roads remain unimproved a feasonable time, the rural carrier will be called off the route, ahd the daily mail service will be aoanooneo on the neglected roads.
 The officers in charge of the rural free delivery system are as much dntsrHs.eu m s,nsa', of the Agricultural Department at Wash ington. Good roads are necessary where the rural carrier must pass 1T a county does not possess good roads. that county will in future have hard time securing routes, and will have hard time Keeping routes that may now be operaung over h,
 
 service very unsatisfactory. and 1t IS the tendency to blame the service and the department rather than to lay the blame at the proper doo'. . e9 The following letter was recently writ &ten to the Hon. Geo. W. Steele. Congress sSnan from the Eleventh Y District or 1no,- lnon- serai | superintendent of the free delivery system. It is ofncial ana VIII pc reao "'A MT. Machen's Letter.
 nH last winter and spring on a number or rural free delivery routes in the Western States on account of the impossible con diton of the roads I ts brought sotcg ths ne cessity of good roads in competitor with the rural free delivery service. At that time the local authorities were inIormeo that unless the roads were improved be- fore the return of winter there would De danger of a permanent withdrawai or the rural free delivery service; I s, Reports sho% Mss sbecn needed in many instances In one locality. which I recall, favorable action was taken by the township trustee .y oy appropriating an amount Of money for the improvement of roads over which the rural carrier travels.
 'syVhile the act iai suspensions of ser vice on account of impassable roads were few, comparatively speaking, there were a great many cases in which the poor condition of the roads made n.r;r very a, o,,d in which the service was performed only by dint of perseverance on the par. ot the carrier. backed up by the dsternlna, s,1 whenever 1t was possible. It is rf9A5Y seen that the condition of the roads be- comes very important Irsi 3gss deyery Where the roads are good a route Nwen- ty-seven or thirty miles in length may be more easily served than another route ol eighteen or twenty miles over poor roads. Tn the first case more people are served, the service Is performed more expeditiously and with much more ease Tier. too. can establish regularity of service enabling the farmers S.. to n knoW 1,,,s, just about what time me- every ,,;nay Hay ne VIII "In the second instance. with the snort route over bad roads as much time IS consumed in serving a.. a smSner o3 th numIee rn'ee varies with the changing conditions or inc roads the work Is more trying on both the letter-carrier and his horse, ana nnsatisfactory to the patrons, especially yghen it becomes necessary to suspend the service on account of impossible portions of the route. =. Al. o,,,.--- indicate clearly that the people are wax, ing up to the necessity of providing good roads in order to obtain the establish roent of rural free delivery. and in this way it is seen that the rural service be- comes a great factor in the good roads movement, which of late years has been agttated in many of the progressive o'a'e "A W. M"
 The letter of MT. Machen brings out ,ntimpetion tnG peui n rather than by direct asser- fion. Rural free delivery will go Io where the people either have or are will ;n9 to provide good roads. It will take several years to spread the delivery sys- lem over the entirely fairly well popu- isted % DOT portions of the country. These DOT lions which have at all time or at cer- tain times of the year such roads which make the service expensive. wll be de, nied the luxury of having the mall Daily the representatives In congress are heinz more strongly impressed re as w,fa ntt in favor of a certain route. the depart.
 acts the ToSs rsP0T n of the the spRrns is certain to cause the petition to he he'd time or tSn 1Sg fUUn @ anforce a rule to the effect that carriers report their inability to cover route on account of the condition of the roads 1t will be abolished and mail service be given from the village postoffice.