Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1901-10-31
Those RuraI ROxes.

We are having 80 called free rural
mail delivery from Driftwood, over
Mason Hill, down Driftwood branch
and it is undoubtedly great con-
venience, but at the present time we
think we are being imposed upon by a
mail box trust. 1t seems that Congress
Withheld from the Postoffice Depart
ment the power to decide what kind of
boxes the patrons of rural routes
should use for the reception of their
mail matter. And yet we who live
along mail route find that way has
will if not checked be far reaching in
its results. | understand that the Post
Office Department has assumed the
authority to "approve"a a certain pattern
of mail box manufactured under the
Bates Hawley patent, and some in
spectors and postmasters construe
such "approval' to have the force of
law, and the postmaster refuse to send
mail to any person who will not buy
the "approved' box at cost of 81 80
or So. 90 each, while if met thcompeti-
tion without official approval it would
sell for forty or fifty cents each, Now
ninety per cent of the patrons of the
mail route take their mail from the
boxes within few minutes after it is
left by the carrier. For such persons
a weather-proof wooden box costing
nothing but the labor of attaching to
post suffices to supply every con-
sideration as q receptacle for mail
matter and is much more convenient
for the carrier, and we believe fills
both the letter and the spirit of the law.
No doubt this was the intention of
Congress when it authorized no stipu-
lation as to the character ofsuch boxes.
If any person desire to place their mail
under lock and key it is perfectly right
to require all such persons to provide
themselves uniform boxes that the
carrier can open with a single key,
but this affords no excuse for compell-
ing patrons to buy complicated boxes.
But now comes the demand and all
patrons are told they must either pur-
chase new"approved"box at the cost
of $3.50 or go to the Office for their mail
as they did before the route was es-
tablished. About all of the patrons of
this route have had their mail changed
the mail formerly coming to Sterling
Run and to have it changed again will
make no end of bother, as all parties
concerned seem satisfied, why not let
the boxes remain as before? Heretofore
it has been the boast of the Postoffice
Department that the most humble
citizen could always secure a hearing
and redress of grievances by applying
to the Department at Washington but
letters that have been written seem to
be almost wholly ignored and have
brought no relief think this fraud
should be exposed and the parties
brought to justice. ~
Driftwood, Pa, Oct. Il, 1901.
[Our correspondent evidently is
laboring under misrepresentation
We are reliably informed that the de-
partment does not compel the patrons
to purchase any particular letter box
but submits fourteen different patterns
ranging in prices from S1.25 to $500
To give U. S. protection it is absolutely
necessary that certain stipulations
must be lived up to and "any old
thing" from an Abandoned tin pail to
a soap box would soon cause trouble.
Our advice to the patrons of the route
is that they select ecE and a16 place in position
The service now given the Mason Hill
people does not pay the department
and too much fault finding might cause
the abandonment of the service. i
EDITOR.