Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-11-04
RURAL DELIVERY
6Ar.u -
To Be fut Under Classified
Service at Early Date.
Minister Santc- Thyrso's Mysterious
Disappearance.
American Manufactures Great Gains in 1901
..0rders Against Camera Fiends.

unon bv The President soon after II,
succeeded To the Presidency and after
he had talked with Postmaster Genera
Smith and Others. He has since talked
with members of the civil service com
mission as to his intentions.
The rural free delivery is one of the
fey branches of the government SER
vice remaining unclassitied and Is deS-
tined To be an important department of
the government.
The details OF this classification have
not as Yet been arranged. but will be
as soon as possible. The President looks
10 Postmaster General Charles Emory
Smith and civil Service Commissioner
". y. FuulKe 10 arrange the details.
There will be no difficulty Whatso-
ever in classifying the rural free de-
livery clerks in Washington and the
special agents and inspectors in the
field. The same rules that nov apply to
The other bureaus o. the post office de
pertinent can by The stroke of Il pen be
made applicable to these employees.
The difficulty comes with the rural
carriers. Each Of these must have his
own horse. and must he personally ac-
ruainted with tn people living along
his route.
He must have THEN confidence. for h,'
has authority to sell money orders anG
postal notes. und the average citizen
viii not pay hi money to the carrier
unless he knows him. particularly az
tia carrier tx generally expected. ufte,
making ont the note or postal order. /"
mail il for he purchaser.
IN such circumstances il will not dc
10 select carriers by competitive rN-
animation. The .ar.icr. 10 b., efficient;
must live in the county wherein his
rout" lies. Some method must be de-
Nig"d to insure his selection regardless
~ roliti al considerations. ara 10 get
The best man obtairabla for the work
THAT is the problem which civil Ser-
Wee Commissioner FOulke must solve.
tni in that SOLUTION he must adopt an
entirely new line, for competitive eN-
animation. as he fully appreciates, j.
imprHcticable in this case. The SyS-
icm. however. will make the carrier. =
permanent cmpluyc. removable only
for inctfcicrcy. The President and his
advisers think the extension of the
merit system To this service will max,
il even better than il now is.
Comparatively few people fully und, r.
stand how The rural free delivery scrvic"
has grown since il waS started. octuh,"
u. 1891, inst n fow days more than H."
years ago. Then il was only an exp, r.
ment, for which Congress appropriate, /
Sih..N. Now il has proven successful ANA
is btin. extended aI rapidly AZ 10 s>ibl'
ana will. within u comparatively shnrt
tinc. cover All the rural parts uf IL,
United States. except III" SparSciy pom.
If h. Al Pc. i.rr,-
in the West.
The appropriation for this service fnr
IN" present fiscal year amounts to s.;
th.tH. which is doIhl,. that for the p-r-
Nious fiscal Year Guiding June ~ last For
the fiscal year which ended June ~ 1914
only N0."" was rVDoudrd. but thai wa
three times ~ much as Congress appro-
lriaird for the year preceding. that ,nd
ing June -. 1850. and the 1889 aprropria-
ton was three times that Of the year
before. which ended june ~. 1895
Postmaster General Charles l.vnor,
smith is 50 convinced of the importanv
"f this service that h. has recommend II
10 Congress that III" appropriation for n
llsrai year beginning july |. l.hi1 he y;
2"h". an incrcas,' Of s.. 11:A."hI. ANA every
cent Of hat sum vii hc advaltlgcfiS.y
expended
If the department could Keep NJ w.t.
the demand for r;tral free delivery whicl
eventually means the adjustment of al
most all of the fourth-clasS post Offices
that is. if it could investigate request
II could spend proiitably twice as micl
as will be asked OF Congress. The troub!
is that 50 much has to be done that j:
cannot be- done as quickly as Stiuerint.n-
dent y. W. Machen would like and W.
IN" service is being extended az Il L,
markably rapid rate.
In the past four months 1850 new fro.
delivery routes have been established AN
average OF 30 il month. On November
there were 300 routes. Each route cox
r. n average Of > square miles. Tin
population served is estimated to be 81
SM.0tn inhabiting 10000 square miles ~
t'rritGrE- rs 4 carrier is required 80;
ZACH route. il can be seen that with 56n
routes Incle sam employs Il small arm,
~ this service, which really has oni.
begun.
and it is an interesting fact that til.
service has caused Il large increase in
The amount of mail in the sections coy
cred. 50 while the cost j. nor iucreas Il
much. if amy. as compared to the fourth
class, class post "f"e system. the revenn
PROMISES 70 be largely increased Tn,
SE+'ehl hi,". then. bccom" Il permaaea:
one. which will grow steadily until it j.
me 81 me fnost important under tie GOV
eminent.
James T. McCarton OF the United Ma
'l"iiai Association Of Post Office Clerk
,Iii ling b. a;"sers president Of tn
saw the President To ak His interest II
PROPOSED legislation for post office clerk
nm n,r 81 th"sr laws provides fnr eight
ria9s post offi' es and the other provide
~ riassiilcation Of clerks in free ,loliy.
Try ofhces say that an annual Increase , I
N'l"iS may De guaranteed efficient and
..ilh;ne clerks. The President said h.
""''" ne siad 10 consider tile matter
y committee of tire. men from, ,b. ",
NI-sard and Arsenal Protective \sso,it
non haa an exceedingly saiiSfoctory in
ufNlew with the President 'rh,. ,n,n
niLtte was composed of t. : Mora,
A. u Sir1ering and w T. Cr.i~ Tn.,
t"id the President that their n.sn, i.,ti,,;;,
was III eXiSteicc to look after III. ir,.,
'sls OF the worknsmen Of these ;v
branches OF the government service AMI
mat INC association did not d.si,n an.
interference from outside labor ar othar
organizations. feeling able to obrni, In.
nee by laying their claims before III
proper officials 20
The President became much intercsio
n their work and asked what he coulI
q" Tor me employees in these places. Th
committee" told the President that III
hof were receiving only Is DAYS onniia,
I.aFe. ami they would like To hay. him
recommend an additional l., DAYS in i. :
message to Congress They wou,d ,isn
Ike 10 see the President i'm his ON, -
"IuciS recognize the navy yard rs a
"rnnch OF the navy department..
ne ffeSident expressed measure ~
meeting the committee which In,ac a.,
'N.eNcnt impression, and asked tLnI III !.
committee submit to him in wr;iin.. - I
inc iacts they desired to prcennt .,s H..