The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1902-02-11
correspondence.
RURAL FREE DELIVERY OF MAILS.
Mr.. 8. NJ. Rowland Replies to "Ruralist'S"
Objections.

rura free delivery of mails as stated
by "Ruralist'' in THE PROGRESSIVE
FARMER of February 4th, Think are
not we'll taken.
"Ruralist'' thinks the system
would be a benefit TO his community,
provided it could be conducted on
the plan it is in cities, viz: Send
out the mails after the arrival of
every train.
CITIES HAVE NOT DELIVERY AFTER AR
RIVAL OF EACH TRAIN.
am sure "Ruralist" is mistaken
about city free delivery of mail after
the arrival of every train bringing
in mail for a CITY having ten to
twelve mail trains a day delivers mail
only two or three times day and then
the distance of the rural route that
the carrier has TO travel, from
twenty. two TO twenty six miles must
be considered so the mail could not
be delivered after the arrival of
each train without too much cost to
the governments.
As to people going into it, and
signing petitions for routes without
looking at the disadvantages that it
would bring about, etc., will say
that 1 live on a rural free delivery
route, and have yet to learn of a
single disadvantage of the system,
or any part of it. The people who
live on the route that have mail de-
livered TO them are we'll pleased with
it, and the only objections 1 hear of
the system come from those who
live near the fourth GLASS post
offices, or r trying to get a route
by their place.
MAIL Is DELIVERED PROMPTLY BY
RURAL CARRIERS.
The rules of the Postofice Depart
ment require that each oarrier leave
the starting point at z: 80 d. m. and
return by 3 p. m, 6 days each week,
which insures the prompt delivery
of all mails each way on the route.
l get two newspapers published in
Raleigh, THE PROGRESSIVE FARMER
and the Morning Post, one weekly
and one daily, each on the day it is
printed. l get one newspaper from
New York, t~ri-weekly, the next day
after it is printed, besides other pa
pers, magazines, letters, etc., about
as soon as / would if / lived in Raj
eigh. 1 live ten miles from the city
and get my mail by II a. M. each
day. l would like TO ask "Ruralist"
how many people that live in cities
and towns do better than that? Our
mail is not stale either, for we
nearly always get warning of a com
ing storm in time TO take in u
fodder.
As so the Postofioe Department
trying to get fast mail facilities,
l think it is doing exceedingly
we'll, and our Congressman deserve
a great deal more credit than they
are getting for what they have done
to help place the benefits of free de,
livery in the rural districts. l feel
like taking off my hat to them every
time my mail is placed in my box.
COS OF BOXES.
AS to the cost of the boxes: l
have made a good many wooden one
costing from Is cents to $3.50, looks
included and iron boxes can be
bought from $3.50 to $3.50; 70 no
one who lives on a route need be
without a box. Again we get our
mail without It's being mixed with
that belonging to other people, as it
is at most pOstOfioes.
IMPROVEMENT OVER L SYSTEM.
When I think of conditions twenty
to thirty years ago, when the dis
tance to the little country p~ostofice
was anywhere from three TO ten
miles, and the carrier only made one
round-trip each week and when we
would get the chance to go after our
mail, the postmaster probably had
sent it to US by some careless neigh
Dor and then it had been looked over,
lost or misplaced when I think of
these things, 1 must say, 1--WE do
move
1 suppose from the objections OF
"Ruralist' that he must live near a
fourth-olass postofice, or at the end
of a new railroad, where the mail
Gibbs and flows twice in twenty-four
hours.
POPULARITY OF RURAL FREE DELIVERY
WHERE TESTED