The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1901-05-16
THURSDAY, NAY 16, 1901
RURAL MAIL DELIVERY

Judging from the rules adopted by
the postcffice department governing
the establishment of routes of rura
free mail delivery, there would appear
to be little chance, at least for long
time, of securing such service on more
than one route in this county. which
route would cover the greater portion
of San Juan island. Under the head
ing, "How to Obtain Rural Free De-
livery" the departments instructions
say:
present a petition, addressed to the
first assistant postmaster general, signed
by those who desire the service. This
petition should be signed only by heads
of families and should mention the num-
Der i'm each family over 16 years of age.
1t should set forth the nature of the coun-
try where the delivery is desired, whether
densely or sparsely populated, the princi-
pal avocation of the people, the character
of the roads, and the distances which I'M
der existing conditions each person has
TO travel to receive his mail, and should
be accompanied by map or plat indicat-
the route or routes proposed"
Referring to the conditions of the
service, the postoffice department says:
at must be borne in mind that the in
tention of congress i'm authorizing the free
delivery of mails i'm rural districts was
not to grant suburban delivery to cities
included in the free delivery service, nor
to establish a village free delivery. The
purpose of the rural free delivery system
is to give postal facilities to those who
have none; to carry the mails daily to re-
mote communities, the residents of which
would otherwise have to travel from two
to twelve miles to receive their letters and
newspapers,
''The roads must be good, This is
an essential prerequisite to any investi-
CATION.
"No route can be established under or
binary circumstances that is less than
from twenty to twenty-five miles in
length, or which serves less than 100
fam lilies.
the carrier will not be required to travel
over the same ground twice on the same
day.
'"rhose desiring the delivery must be
prepared to put up, at their own expense,
at some convenient location which can be
reached by the carrier without dismount-
inf from his buggy, appropriate and
secure boxes for the reception of the
United States mails.
Upon receipt of petition, favorably
endorsed by representative i'm congress,
the department refers the papers to the
special agent in charge of the division
which includes the state in which the pc
tition originates. He assigns special
agent to visit the location indicated, to
map out a route or routes, and to select
rural carriers, to be appointed by the de-
partment. In all such cases the advice of
the representative in congress is sought,
both as regards the carrier or carriers to
be appointed and other postal service to
he discontinued on the establishment of
rural free delivery"
~
Only OIL San Juan island, at present,
could route be established which
would be twenty to twenty-five miles
in length, serve at least 100 families and
not require the carrier to travel over
the same ground twice on the same
day. There are sufficient number of
families resident on Orcas island, and
possibly also on Lopez, to comply with
that condition, but it would not be
easy to establish route Oh either
island that would enable carrier to
serve 100 families i'm a distance of
twenty miles and return to his starting
point without traversing considerable
portion of the same ground twice. And
even on San Juan island, outside of a
limit OF two miles from the Friday
Harbor postoffice, it would be necessary
to travel much more than twenty miles
to reach 100 families, although there
are nearly 1900 people on the island
and rural delivery would be practical
and greatly appreciated.
~
On San Juan island there are only
three postoffices, or one TO 4a5 peopIe.
while Orcas has seven, or one to lle
people, and Lopez four, making the
proportion there one to 1873. 1t hardly
admits of question that Orcas and Lopez
are both far better served now than
they would be by the establishment of
a free delivery route OH each island.
even If it We're practicable under the
rules of the department, if such service
were obtained at the cost of the aboli-
ton OF steamboat mail service at the
more remote and unimportant points.
The settlement and DEVELOPMENT
OF the county depends much upop
efficient steamboat service, and the
extension of such service to local..
lies that are now without it is of much
more importance than the establish.
ment of rural delivery in sections al.
ready well served.