Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1901-08-08

way In Which Rural Tail Routes Tia,
Be Secured.

The following instructions which
embody department orders and regu,
| latlons up to date, are issued for gen.
! eral Information:
| Present q petition, addressed to
the First Assistant Postmaster Gen.
eral, signed by those who desire the
! service, This petition should be
! signed only by heads of families, and
should mention the number in each
| family over 16 years of age. 1t should
set forth the nature of the country
| where the delivery is desired. whether
| densely or sDarsely populated, the
| character of the roads and the dis
| tances which, under existing condi,
| tions, each person has to travel to re
| ceive his mail, and should be accom-
panied by map or plot Indicating the
routes proposed.
The petition should read something
| like this
To the First Assistant Postmaster
General. Washington, d. c.:
The undersigned heads OF families
residing in. county, State of. .
......, respectfully ask that the rural
| delivery service be extended to them,
the delivery to start from ... post
! once, ...... county, ...... State, or
such other points as the officers OF the
department may deem best adapted
for the service. A map or rough
sketch of the proposed route is here
with inclOsed. Your petitioners are
mostly (here state avocatiOns, such as
farmers, truck gardeners, dairymen,
! cattle raisers OF what ever the chief
occupation of the people may be-.
The roads over the proposed route are
Estate whether pike, gravelled Or
other wise).
There are no unbr1dged creeks and
the roads are passable at all seasons
Of the year.
Following should be three columns
headed respectively: Name Of head OF
family, number over 16 years of age;
distance in miles from nearest post
Office
This petition, when properly signed
should be sent to the Representative
in Congress, or to one of the Senators
with a request that he endorse there.
asked, and forward the petition to the
department.
When a rural free delivery route
has been uniformly equipped with
boxes of any one OF the above namoJ
description the department will con
slider these boxes as entitled to the
protection of the United States, which
provide severe penalties Tor Wlltul OF
malicious injury to tAem or inter.
ference with their contests.
Rural carriers are not required tt
deliver mail to houses standing bach
from the man road, except in the ca3e
Of registered mail, special delivery and
pension letters. The patrons are ex
pected to meet the department hall
way by affOTding the carriers every
facility for the performance OF thel1
duties, by keeping the roads clear a,
ter heavy snow falls, and using then
influence to maintain the conditicr
Of the roads in ell weather up to tbs
standard required by the department
Rural carriers are permitted 10 de
liver nOn-maila5le packages provide :
their doing SO does not interfere wiz
the prompt handling OF the mails
which must be made the first cOnsid
Grafton.
Rural carriers are required to take
with them on their trips tor the &C
COmmodatiOn of their patrons suit
cient supply of stamps, stamped en-
velopes and postal cards. PostmastefS
may, if they chose, give credit to Che
carrier for stamp supplies to the eH
tent of So, to be accounted for eatl
day, and the carriers bond being re
sponsible therefor. If the carriers
find an unstamped letter in a collec
ton box, and the requisite amount ol
money also deposited, they are N
structed to affiX the necessary stamp
They are empowered to register let
ters or packages and to deliver the
same giving and taking receipts II
forms provided.
They are also authorized to accepI
money orders, giving their receipt
therefor, and, if the patrons Of the De
livery desire to make the carrier thel!
agent for this purpose, the carrier
may enclose theorders, when isSueI
in addressed envelopes cOnfldei to bis
charge and mail them without return
inc the orders to the sender.