The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1904-07-17

crease of business throughout the
country and also in the growth of the
postal business in those localities and
to those localities. We find that in
settled rural districts where there is
no such delivery the postof1ce receip. $
are growing at the rate OF about 2 per
cent per annum. Where the rural de-
livery has been introduced they are an
nually growing at the rate of 10 per
cent. Besides that the circular and
other small mail sent along such routes
is very great. Some of the chief bust
ness institutions of the country get
lists of the people along the routes and
circularize them"
will the day come when every man
in the United States will get his letters
at his own homer"
Il don't know. Some parts of our
country are very sparsely inhabited.
should not like to predict. We now
have the star routes. Men deliver
mail to all the homes along their route
and thereby give mail to more than
10Y 900 families. They also collect
mail from those families and take it 10
the postofice. That costs the Govern
ment nothing, as the star-route men
are paid no more for this additional
service.
New Things in Uncle Sans Mails.
w nat nCW Things are yOu uOluS lOI
the people?"
I'VE are improving the service In
every way possible, and our chief>work
this year has been done for New York
The mail Is greatly congested there
and great deal of time Is consumed in
getting 1t from the postoffice to the
railway stations. We have arranged
TO build a postoffice over the tracks at
the new Pennsylvania station and also
at the New York Central station. These
two places will be connected by pneu-
matte tubes with the other offices. They
will be so that the mails will be sorted
in them and dropped through chutes
or by elevators right down to the doors
of the cars. These two great depots
will take out 30 per cent of the mail
of New York, and the new arrange
ments. when completed, will save con-
siderable time in the forwarding of the
mails"
Then we are improving the ocean
service and our foreign postal arrange
ments," the Posmaster-General con-
| tinued. I'VE now have mail clerks and
postoff1ces in the large steamers just
| as in the railway cars. The clerks be-
| gin to sort the mail for different parts
| and towns of the United States as soon
as they leave Europe, and when the
ships arrive It is shipped off by rail
| without REMINDING. This saves ABOUT
e day on every foreign letter. We are
also increasing the number of ships
which carry the mails. We now have
| four regular mails across the Atlantic
| each way every week and we hope tc
soon send and receive mails daily. We
fwant to cut down the foreign postage
to the maritime nations to cents G
letter, and we 'v&'eve that the revenue:
will be greateRunder this reduction
| than at the scent rate as now"
Savings BaEfzs md the POstOmce.
| How about postal savings banks?'
| I'VE may have them some day fol
the smaller towns and villages where
| there are no such banking facilities.
| think they would be good for such
| places. 1 have tried to have them
| introduced into Porto Rico, but so far
| Congress has not adopted my sugges-
| ton. We have no banks in Porto Rico
| except at San Juan and Ponce. The
/ people understand nothing about saw
| ings institutions. and 1t seems to me
| that postal savings banks would dc
much to inculcate thrift and thereby
better the condition of the island
Porto Rico has almost a million people
and although the majority are very
| poor. many are well to do"
Postal Telegraphs and Telephones.
"wnl the Postoffice Department ever
J control our telegraphs and telephones?