The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-02-09

result If subseouenf introduction OF the
service For instance. the phenomenal IN
creases from month to month IN the num-
Der of pieces OF mail delivered and collect
ed have kept up TO this very day Al nrst
/ was loath TO believe the figures that ap,
peared in the monthly reports OF mai
handled. Fifty, % and even 100 per cent;
increase would be reported. ana III feQuIIsv.
several personal Investigations on my par
before l became fully satisfied that the re-
ports were not padded and that the IN
crease was the natural result of the IN
creased use of facilities brought Wiihih
reach of the people
The first route established in Indiana
was at the town of Hope. ! think, In no
vember 1896. Since that time fully tnou-
sand routes have been added. ~ per Se IL
Of the available territory In the STATE. III
diana stands among the four Leading ruIal
delivery States And the fact tnat ,iiS
average number OF pieces OF man hanu ,I
daily per carrier is $50 In Indiana, or WITHIN 1a
six of the highest figure. speaks wen ioi
the intelligence and thrift OF her peopie;
Speaking OF the service as wnoie
may say that in round numbers there are
1900 routes in operation in the Cniteu
States This represents about one-thlrd Oh
the force that will be required 10 serve
the million square miles or territory III
which the establishment of rural free oe-
livery is practicable. / estimate That IL
will require two years or two years ana
a half to complete the work After that
is done the increase from year 10 year Will
be normal. IL now is IN otner prahcnes
OF the postal service. II is estimated tnat
5000 carriers will cost in the neighborhood
of S27.0O0.0oO annually. Until that ngure
is reached the annual increase in the APP
preparations will be very large. running
from 60 TO 100 per cent. and ii follows tnat
for the next two years the annual postal
deficit will necessarily increase. i think IL
is not unreasonable TO say that before the
introduction of rural free delivery is COM
pleted the annual postal deficit Will reach
$l0O0O.000 But after the service has oeen
once thoroughly established its effect upon
the postal revenues Will be markeu,
Twenty millions of our people who have
heretofore been deprived OF convenient
postal service will use the new facilities
to such an extent that the resulting IN
creases in the postal revenues Will soon re-
duce the annual postal deficit TO the present
figures So 900 600. If not entirely wipe 1t out
1t is impossible to make an accurate esti-
! mate of the increase In the postal revenues
caused by rural free delivery, but that TINS
service though only partially extended. has
had much to do with the phenomenal IN
crease of postal revenues cannot be
doubted. The effect of the service upon the
revenues is two-fold. II not only increases
| the postal receipts in the locality in which
il is actually operated. but IL also stimu-
| lates the use of the mails by merchants
| and others in neighboring cities who are
| quick to take advantage OF the opportunity
| 10 reach the country people in neighborinf
| counties with their circulars, catalogues
| and other advertising matter. to say moth
| ing of the merchandise which they VII
mail in response TO orders received from
rural patrons.
| Every State and Territory in the Unior
now has some rural delivery. Alaska !:
| the only exception. A year ago an expert
1 a period of three months rural carriers de-
| livered mail to the miners located in thai
| vicinity. The experiment did not prove {
| success The arrival of the mails at Nome
were so irregular that 1T was Impossible Il
keep the carriers regularly employed"
| e. A. G..