The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1902-03-04

SELECTIONS TO RURAL FREE EELIVERY
OF NAILS.

I,rregDOnQbuCC VI 4nC
Replying TO Mr.. s. NJ. Rowland's
latter of February 18th inst. on rural
frse delivery of mails, / will say that
think my objections were we'll
tsten. and if he had shown both
.ides of the question the reading
n1blio. / think, would agree with
ma, But 1 win try In this letter TO
.bow him in more detail how the
matter stands. And as / read in
nspers nearly every day I find the
same trouble exists. To get TO my
subject more fully, and to get down
20 facts, as facts they are, I will sup
nose that we have a rural delivery
route TO start from Warren Plains,
a. that is near our county site of
Warren county, along the s. A. L.
Railroad.
We get but two regular trains that
csrry mail matter daily, n going
North and one South. They meet
pesr this point and pass here be-
tween ~ m. and 2 80 p. m. We will
nppose we have a rural route from
this place to go in a northern direo-
ton about 10 or ID miles, which
would take it down towards Roam
oke River. In starting from War
ran Plains, 1 think the law requires
h carrier &c start at about z O'Clock
a m. and return about 6 ?. m.
As it now is, we get u mail
daily from Raleigh, Durham, Rich
mond, Norfolk and all parts North,
South, East and West. You will
notice that he leaves in the morning
before any train arrives that day,
say he starts from Warren Plains on
Monday. Suppose we have a very
important letter that we wish TO
send off. We will say it is TO a friend
or 8 business house in Henderson,
snd that we want an answer imme-
diately the distance is about 20
miles, and we live only n mile from
the depot. The carrier takes this
letter as he is passing along in the
morning and goes on his route and
returns on another road this letter
gets TO the depot in the evening after
all the mail trains have left. The
person in Henderson gets my letter
Tuesday late in the afternoon, and
it, he answers it Immediately he can
not get it off until Wednesday. The
litter arriving at Warren Plains too
late TO be dispatched to me on that
day and I cannot get it until Thurs
day the fourth, while If 1 had walked
over to the depot about IL o'olockm.
and mailed my letter, il would have
gone off and I would get an answer
on the very day that the letter ar
rived in Henderson. Not only that,
but we could dispatch a letter to
Richmond, Norfolk, Raleigh and
many other points and in twenty.
four hours get a reply.
If wanted to take a daily paper,
itwould be three days old before 1
could get it on the rural delivery
route.
Mr.. Rowland does not give any of
the Disadvantages in the case. Ii is
nice and all right in every instance.
We always have to pluck some
hOrns when we pluck roses, and |
think Mr.. Rowland has all roses,
and We all thorns in rural delivery.
The farmers, as we all we'll know,
lie TO meet together at their neigh
OorhoOd store, where they generally
gettheir mail, and talk and discuss
The various topics of the day or to
enquire Of the health of a sick neigh
or' In election years, they flock TO
Aese places TO get the latest cleo
aon news. Now our friend, Mr..
Rowland, will argue that that will
cause them to take daily or weekly
papers. Now 1 say that it will not,
especially those that are not able 80
axe a weekly not saying anything
ABOUT d daily. And we ought not TO
put anything on them that will cost
'4Sm something that they + get
ing for nothing.
There are many other objections
'1at might mention, but will only
|entlon one or two more and close.
Sone OF III people live about one
sl1 a half miles from any road and
not get their mail oftener than
g1'7 d week, and if they had tomeet
~' rural carrier at times on the
.aI's''e and wanted to register a
letter - n4Ao.a -