The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1902-03-22
COTrespOndence Baltimore County Union.
MORE LIGHT ON RURAL FREE DE-
LIVERY.

FORK, ND. March IS, 1902.
MeSsTs. LOngaeckeT Bros Gentlemen referring
to the letter in THE UNION of March 9Th, from
the complimentary manner in which he spoke
of the letter on this subject in your issue of
March LIST. am glad he takes an interest in this
subject as all farmers should wake up and in
form themselves accurately on this matter.
Mr.. Williams did right in going to the Baltimore
Postoffice for information relative to rural free
delivery, but the official he saw there must have
tried to "pull the wool over his eyes, when he
said that the star routes are not disturbed by
number of mails per day than is now given
should they establish rural free delivery. We're
this fact we would be glad of it, for then rural
free delivery could not be established between
baldwin, Fork and Reckord, as the star route
gives two mails each way per dav, whereas rural
free delivery would give only one mail one way
per cay bcS oS see Wams os
made to him.
The fact is that rural free delivery is put on
right over the route that was star route, and
the star route man loses his contract. For in
stance, the carrier from Baldwin to Monkton
had to give bond that he would carry the mail a
rural free delivery route be started at Monkton
and take of part of his route, the Government
can dismiss him by giving him one months pay
in advance, and make a new contract for the
remaining portion of the star route.
The first rural free delivery was started at
Westminster. 1t created great deal of dis
satisfaction and was thoroughly discussed in the
Farm Journal, which has advocated rural free
delivery for the country, leaving all postoffces
as they now are, giving to the country the same
as the city-the choice of going to the postoffice
or sub station, or have your mail delivered. 1t
can be easily seen why the officials of all large
cities favor rural free delivery for the country.
Should every postoffice be closed throughout
the country, and only the distributing points
left they would have only about one-fourth
the number of postofices or routes, which would
relieve them of great deal of head work.
For instance, route from BALDWIN south
would close up. Fork Reckord and kingsville
and route north from Baldwin, via Sweet Air,
Knoebel and back by way of Hyde and jenkins
would close up those four offices. leaving Bald
win Office only. All mail formerly addressed to
these eight offices would then be addressed to
rural free delivery route No. o, or rural free de-
livery route No. Z, or whatever number it
more postoffice would have to remember where
these two routes are instead of remembering
where eight postofices are. Apply this to the
entire country, receiving its mail from the Bal
timore office, and you can form faint idea of
the immense amount of labor it saves the Bal
timore office officials, for labor may be either
The postal authorities at Washington favor
rural free delivery Also for the same reason no
each and their Wor
is greatly lessened by rural free delivery as they
would have to keep but one account with Bald
fore do not let the postofce officials in the large
cities make us country folks oeliere we want
something that we don't want.
The rural free delivery route from Baltimore
to Hebbville, which is about IL miles from Balti-
more, closed up the latter office. Now letter
mailed at Hebbville on Tuesday morning is not
delivered in Baltimore until Wednesday morn
ing and the reply cannot reach Hebbville until
go "a miles. and vet this is called progressive
rural free delivery that the postal authorities at
Washington said to the Baldwin postmaster, us
bound to come"
Hebbville is as close as we want it. When it
was attempted to establish rural free delivery
from Bradshaw to Kingsville the people of
Kingsville signed a petition against it and told
their Congressman they would not have it;