Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1901-01-04
COMMUNICATIONS.


To THE REGISTER Il notice the remarks of
"West Cornwall" in your recent issue on the
subject OF our rural free delivery of mail and
feel that In order that the public may have
a full understanding of the matter som etbinp
more should be said. As n pioneer in the
movement to secure free delivery, ask to be
allowed through the columns of the REGISTER
to give q concise history of the movement
from its inception.
Located as | have been, together with
many others, for long term of years, where
the mail facilities we're very meager, We had
to go from two and a half to three miles for
our mail and were often cut o Fl from commu.
nlcation with our Office by high water in OF.
ter creek for week at n time, more or less
Seeing no remedy, we bore our privation
with as good grace as possible, envying our
West Cornwall and Center friends their good
fortune in having such fine mail facilities,
getting their mail in about two hours after
It's arrival in Middlebury every week day in
the year.
The subject of rural free delivery of mail
has been before the country for several
years. Its pr ogress has been SLOW but it has
steadily gained ground till it has passed its
experimental stage and has become a fixed
policy of the government ana its benefits are
to be extended rs rapidly as circumstances
will permit BY the adoption of this new
system we saw way out of our difficulty,
and while DONG others no injury we could
munity. We Immediately took measures to
secule this desirable object. We mapped out
a route, got up petition signed by 100 adult
persuns, mostly heads of families living
along our proposed route, and sent 1t to the
postoflice department requesting that the
route be laid. Presently an agent of the de-
ptrtment, Mr.. Norton, came, looked over our
route, give it his hearty approval and laid it
substantially as we proposed.
Seeing that by dividing the rou'e and hav
ing two carriers we could get mail dis
tributed the same evening after Its arrival at
3 p m. at Middlebury, we asked the depart
ment to do this, which they readily con.
scented to, but Mt The same time insisted on
dividing the pay of the carriers, giving each
only $3.50. We could get no one to undertake
the Job for III At price, and the only way we
could get it started was for some gentlemen
to come forward and guarantee the carriers
satisfactory pay, hoping the department
would advance the salary to reasonable
amount. On this plan the two carriers were
started, and for a few week we had a perfect,
an ideal service; but still the department
refusing to Increase the pay, we had to
abandon the idea of two carriers. Now one
carrier does the whole work, starting out on
thu arrival of the 10 Il. m. mail ana maxim z
the whole circuit during the day. Of
course this arrangement is not satisfac-
tory to anyone, and we are confronted with
this condition. he star route Stage is IA
thing of the past, never to return, and our
objecing friends lose oil the dement's arising
from 1t and we are put back very near where
we were before the route was land at all. If
"West Cornwall instead of condem ming the
whole system of free delivery, would realize
that it has come about through the short
sightedness of the DIRECTORS, had they used
the energy they have shown i'm fighting the
movement in trying to II vance it, tins state
of affairs would not exist as it does today.
. fs.ff hi al hl
right man can straighten this out, give us two
carriers with full pay and Il service the like
of which we never dreamed Of
y. b. DOUGLAS.