The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1902-01-02
RURAL DELIVERY
THE GROWTH OF THE SYSTEM
HAS BEEN MARVELLOUS,
Starting With N Appropriation ef $4,000 In
1894. Il Now Requires Three and . Hall
Millions to Pay the BilIs. and Il b Expected
This Amount win Be Doubled Next yesr-
Even At That Figure Il Is Good Thing.

Warrington, Dec. 26-The phenom-
email growth Of the rural free delivery
service is constantly attracting attention
to this branch of the postal system,
Starting FIVE years ago with an appropri.
alton of ~, 900, it has expanded to such
an extent that for the current year
s, sec. 900 were required to suppor it,
and Postmaster General Smith has asked
congress for s6,250,O 90 for the service
during the coming fiscal wear.
If this appropriation is granted it will
mean that the cost, and consequently the
worth Of tho rural free delivery has null
tiplied over 800 times in the short period
of six years. It il doubtful if this rec
ord was ever equaled in any branch of
the government. In county after county
in the Western and Southern states,
where formerly mail was only secured
after. long rides from the interior to the
town postofiices, letters are now delivered
at the farms and cottages every day. In
addition to regular daily deliveries, resi-
dents at isolated homes have ell the ad-
vantges OF the registry and money order
systems. They can register letter or
buy money order at their door, twenty
miles from q postofice, and purchase
stamps and other supplies just as though
they were in the best equipped city post
Office.
All this is the outgrowth of an expert
ment which Postmaster General Bissell
refused to make because he thought it
too extravagant, and which Postmaster
General Wilson undertook with many
misgivings.
First Trial Test.
The first appropriation for rural free
delivery was made in 1894, SIC, 1000 being
allotted for the trial test. Postmaster
General Bissell declined to expend the
money, declaring that if the system were
to be adopted it would cost about $20,-
OOO, 900 for the first year. In the following
year congress added another $40, 900, and
with fund of 10000 at his disposal
Postmaster General Wilson still thought
it would be unwise to take up so unprom-
ising an experiment.
The following year the appropriation
wasincreased to $40 900, whereupon Post
master General Wilson got his courage
up to the point of putting the system to
the test. The results at first were not
brilliant, but gradually the people awoke
to the advantages Of the scheme and
there was universal demand for it.
New routes were established, extra men
employed, and the small mail carts of the
rural carriers penetrated further and fur
ther into the sparsely settled districts.
Congress backed up the efforts of the
pOstofice department and the appropri-
ations went up by leaps and bounds. In
1893 congress gave $780, 900. This was in
creased to $125, 900 in the following year
and to $45O, 600 in 1900. Three and half
million dollars were given for the current
year, and this is to be almost doubled next
year. All the arguments that were ad-
vanced six or seven years ago that the ex-
pense of rural free delivery would swamp
tho postal revenues, have been disproved
and it is now counted one of the most
successful and beneficial experiments
the department ever undertook.
Now 5000 Routes.
At the present time time are almost
5000 routes, and this total is being added
to at the rate of 800 month. Each route
covers an everage of twenty-five square
miles of territory, and it is estimated that
5000, 600 people are served with daily de-
liveries who, without it, would be re-
quired to travel great distances to get
their letters at the local postoffice. The
various branches of the system have all
worked up from very modest beginnings