Arizona republican., 1901-11-02
FREE DELIVERY OF MAIL
Improvement in Star Route Service,
 Effective July l, 1902.

MT. Edward J. Fuller of Washington D. C., assistant superintendent of the railway mail service. was in the city yesterday. his special business being to explain and provide for an improved mail service on the star routes located in this city. The department proposes .. make two innovations in the star :'oute service. One Is a reform and the other is a new and added convenience.
 The reform will consist in letting the contracts for carrying the mail to home people. Heretofore 1t has been the GUS tom of professional contractors to se- cure these star routes and sublet the contracts to local carriers, who have been unable to make the service profit- able and who, in the nature of things, might be irresponsible. For instance. if an irregularity occurred and the Phoenix postmaster desired to call the attention of the contractor to the mat ter he would have to go to some eastern city to find him. Hereafter contracts will be let only to local people who are to preform the service themselves or have it under their immediate super vision. The contracts now in force will; expire June 30 next and proposals for new contracts will be received by the second assistant postmaster general any time before December 3, 1901.
 The list of star routes now being operated in this county for which these new contracts are to be let to local bid ders only is as follows:
 Mcdowell to Scottsdale, 20 miles and back, twice a week. Present contract pays s22s. Bond, $500.
 Phoenix to Scottsdale. II miles and back, six times a week. Present con tract pays $336. Sub-contract pays $276. Bond, s1.3O0.
 Phoenix by Cave Creek to Liscum, 35.50 miles and back, three times ;i week. Present contract pays s260 for service twice week. Bond, $2, 900.
 Phoenix by Coldwater. Liberty and Buckeye to Arlington, 51.75 miles and back. three times week. Present con tract pays sS25.35. Bond. S3,OOO.
 Mesa to Lehi. four miles and back. six times a week. Present contract pays s14S.99. Sub-contract pays $1n0. Bond. $500.
 Wickenburg to Gilbert. F miles and back, six times a week. Present con- tract pays s3s5. Bond. $1.4O0.
 Morristown to Hot Springs. 24 miles and back, six times a week. Present contract pays s54S. Bond, g. 800.
 Sentinel to Agua Caliente. 14 miles and back. six times a week. Present contract pays $435. Bond. s1.6OO.
 
 is the free delivery of mail and will prove great convenience to those liv- ing in the country. It can best be ex- plained by the following excerpt from a circular issued by the department:
 Tn addition to carrying the mails to the various postoffices on the star routes. the carrier on each route (ex- cept where otherwise specifically stat ed) will be also required to deliver mail rrNf l~.~. satchels containing mail on cranes or posts that may De erected along the route under the following conditions:
 Any person living on or near any star route herein described, and not within the corporate limits of any town or within 80 rods of any postoffice. who desires his mail deposited at a given point on the line of the route by the carrier on said route may provide and erect a suitable box crane on the roadside, located in such a manner as to he reached as conveniently as prac- ticable by the carrier without dis mounting from the vehicle or horse. and such person shall file with the post master at the postoffice to which his mail is addressed (which shall be one of the two postoffices on the route on either side of and next io the box or crane) a request in writing for the de- livery of his mail to the carrier on the route for deposit at the designated point. at the risk of the addressee. The small bag or satchel above described. as well as the box or crane, must be provided by the person for whose use it is intended without expense to the department.
 Tt shall be the duty of the postmaster at every such postoffice, upon a writ ten order from any person living on or near the star route, to deliver to the proper mail carrier for that route any mail matter-placing in the respective satchels. where such are used. the mail for the persons to whom such satchels | belong-with instructions as to the proper mail box or crane at which said mail matter shall be deposited: but registered mail shall not be so delivered unless expressly requested by the ad- dressee in his written order. No mail matter so delivered to carrier shall be carried past another postoffice on the route before being deposited into a mail box or hung on a crane or post. | ''The carrier on the star route will he | required to receive from any post master on the route any mail matter | or private mail satchel that may be ni- trusted to him. outside of the usual mail bag, and shall carry such mail | matter or private mail satchel to and deposit it into the proper mail box oi l hang it on the proper mail crane placed | on the line of the route for this pur- | pose: such service by the carrier to be | without charge to the addressees.
 '.The mail carriers must be of good | character and of sufficient intelligence to properly handle and deposit the mail along the routes
 "The department does not describ. any particular design of box or satche
 to be used for this service. but the per son providing either should see that il is of such character as to afford ample protection to his mail. If there is g lock attached to the box, a key is not to be held by the carrier. as he is ex- 1 nected to depOSit the mail without thf