The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1902-03-01
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
RURAL, FREE DELIVERY SERVICE.
A Correspondent Who Does Not Take a
Roseate View of It-Some of the Dis
advantages of the System, etc.
FnRK Md. February 2.


advantages of the System, etc.
FORK. MD. February 20 1902
MessFS. L0n0necker Bros Gentlemen :-Ine ru-
raj free delivery craze has struck TINS sectlon
and wish to point out some OF its disadva an
tages. Before doing so / will state what is be-
ing rom Rvde Going south to lower Long
Green Valley and east to Guytons olo NH, ana
returning by Baldwin school house 70 Hyqe, IN
order to give better mail facilities TO several VINO
live some distance from the postOfnce. a Pc
tition was circulated and signed by NUMBER on
this route. Some of them now nave tM9 mails Is
would give them but one.
Another route starting from Hyde, going
patrons of Baldwin p o. As the star routes are
now Baldwin Station sends one mail per day
north to Sweet Air; one mail 20 Upper JroSs
roads, and two mails south to Fork and Reckord.
the early morning train, so that the large ma
tR they viii be By g9 Tnrs free deVery
When these petitions were started Tor HYDE
It naturally set the postmaster az baIawin 70
for rural free delivery from that place also, ana
almost everyone who is now receiving Two mails
a day signed it. If this be granted 1t Will give
them only one mail The fight is as to which
postOfiice shall be the distributing polnt-Hyde
or Baldwin. A majority of the patrons OF bald o.
win and Fork are satisfied as matters are az
present and would be greatly inconvenenced II
any change is made.
Some of the Disadvantages of rural free de-
cover 20 to rs miles and to pass over same ROAD
once only each day. The carrier leaves the dis
tributing office in the morning-say at o'clock
starts over route distributing mail to boxes on
man T0dd only and gathers mail as he goes along.
Those on the return loop of the route do not
get their mail until afternoon, so that, instead
of getting mail in the morning, if they want to,
half of them cannot get it until afternoon. For
instance, should route be established starting
from Baldwin Station going south to Fork,
Reckord, Kingsville and back via Temples shop
and lower Long Green Valley, it would close up
would get their mail late in the afternoon,
whereas they can now get it early in the day.
a letter received in the vicinity of Fork on
Tuesday morning could not be answered until
wednesday morning would be carried around
the route, delivered to Baldwin in time for
late train, and if for Baltimore, would be de-
livered on Thursday morning. having taken Just
"a hours to get from Fork to Baltimore, dis
lance of 10 miles. It would take just three days
and receive an answer we did better than this
when Mr.. George A. Bosley ran the bus on the
Harford road, before the little narrow-gauge
was built. That is going backward too rapidly.
As all postofices would be closed under the
new plan, to get stamps, or register a letter, or
getpostal notes postal cards or money orders,we
would have to go out to the main road and watch
for the carrier. Should we miss him one day we
would have to go back next day and transact all
business out in the road. in all kinds of weather,
and every man now living on or near the star
routes and near the postoffices, who has signed
these petitions, will soon regret it. Some have
already seen their error and say they do not
want it.
When the postof6ces are abolished one will
not be able to tell where he lives. For instance,
man now living at Fork will not be living there
any more, but will be living on Rural Free De-
livery Route No. -" and that is how his let
tiers will be directed. By abolishing the post
offices we lose our location. have worse mail ia
cilities in the large majority of cases, and many
more Inconvenience.
All over the country the great objection is
made to having the postOffces abolished, having
to meet carriers for stamps, etc., and long delay
in letters reaching destination and late in day of
some getting mail.
The pamphlet issued by the authorities saws
that the object of rural free delivery is to sup
postofflces. Yet people who have signed petit
lions for it because their postmasfers asked
them, have thus put it over the star routes. The
FoTn journal for February has the following to
say on this subject:
Another correspondent tells us of some of
the Inconvenience of the service as carried on
In his neighborhood. He tells of those who used
to go to the postoffice for stamps, money orders,
stamped envelopes and other things, now are
Obliged 10 go TO the corner where the carrier
passes and wait until he comes along or. il he
has gone by, to go again nextday. He says with
them it delays mail two or three days, giving
instances; also that in parts of the routes pa
irons can not get the city papers the day they
are printed, which they formerly did. He
thinks it is the desire of the department at
Washington to accommodate thepublic, but I'M
principled men impose on it, often the post
master in the central town, who wants to further
his own selfish ends, no matter how much rural
people are Inconvenience.
Here Is good point the same correspondent
makes. Inc new Tree rural mail delivery route
is put on right over star route, where the peo-
pie already had free delivery if they wished it,
instead of on roads where there are no mail
routes at present, and he asks Il do not wish
you to think am opposed to free mail delivery
for am not; but think it should be conducted
as 1t is in the cities, and the carrier who fur
nishes horse and wagon should be paid at
least as much as city carriers"
The general opinion, where rural free delivery
has been established, is that the defects should
be remedied by leaving all postofces as they
are and letting man go there and buy his stamDs
and get his mail, IL he wants to- or have it de-
livered at his box and have the carrier return
in the afternoon over the same route he went in
the morning and gather up the mail. Until this
Is done rural free delivery will be very imper-
feet.
Valley and on the road from there to Guyton's
mill could be supplied, the following route has
been suggested: Starting at Glen-Arm. serve
Hartley postoftce. then on to postofice to be
established at Temples shop: then on up
through lower Long Green Valley and out to
Guyton's mill and return over same route In
this way everybody would get morning mail and
have their mail collected in the afternoon and
taken to Glen-Arm for the down train. BY do
ing this it would cancel the fight now on between
Hyde and Baldwin and leave all postoffices as
they are, including Jenkins. If the route south
from Hyde is established it will close ND Jen-
kins office and give the patrons living north of
it their mail in the afternoon, whereas now they
get 1t twice day, morning and afternoon
We hope. therefore. that some such arrange
ment may be made, as the originators of the
causing any change in the present excellent
mail arrangements from Baldwin to Fork and
heckoro. PUBLIC GOOD.