The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-05-05
The RURAL
DELIVERIES
Mail Routes Throughout Couii-
try Cut Down Expenses III
Postofficc Department..
TIE ECONOMY EXPLAINED
system Of Delivering Mail by
Carriers ii Rural Districts Is
Great Benefit to Farmers.
!. ~, our Regular Correspondent

ft7rom our Regular Correspondent
WARRINGTON, D.. c.. May Alt Is
h,grH "a. the citizen and Taxpayer TO
rcnl,..e tnat this country Is rich enough
!, a,diver the mall to the door OF every
man IN the Union. 1t is still more diff
cult for him to believe the assertion,
made by officials Of the postofiice Depart
ment. that the more rural delivery routes
there are IN the country. the cheaper IT
viii be for Uncle Sam. 1t has frequently
heen source Of wonder to the citizens
az the country districts that 1t was 80
easy to secure the establishment Of
rural delivery routes. Tho government
insists on putting In these routes IN
Some instances against tho VIII OF the
patrons There are some sections IN
which there are no such routes at pres
ont. but they will not long be without
them. In the course OF year or two
every community will be served by the
rural carriers and every farmer VIII
haze his mail delivered at his door.
The explanation of the economy OF the
method which the government Is adopting
for the delivery Of the mall Is simple
when given. but 1t Is doubtful II the
father of the free rural delivery system,
thought It would ever save money to the
government.
rho postmasters at all fourth class
postofflces In the country receive the
total amount OF stamps cancelled IN the
yenr. up to 500. They receive. then.
sixty per cent. of the cancellation UP to
$1,000, and when the latter sum Is reached
tho Office lis raised 10 the third class.
and the official is paid a salary, based
on the receipts.
When rural delivery route " estab-
lished. all the fourth class offices on the
route. with the exception OF the one at
the starting point and the termination.
are abolished. This has the effect Of
greatly increasing the cancellation at
the initial and terminal offices. as the
letters mailed on tho route are cancelled
at those offices. The result is that the
two postmasters receive all the cancella-
ton UP to 500, and after that they only
get n percentage, while the rest goes
into the United States treasury. In
great many instances the increase In cam
collation. alone results In putting into
the treasury more money than the cost
of the route-that Is. the sixty dollars
a month paid to the carrier In the great
majority OF cases star routes are abol-
ished by the establs hment OF the free
delivery lines, and the salary paid tho
contractor Is saved to the government
and may be applied to the payment OF
the cost of the free route.
LARGE APPROPRIATION BY con-
GRESs.
Congress appropriated this year the sum
OF thirteen and a half million dollars for
tho maintenance OF rural free delivery.
4 am informed by postal official that
the total cost OF the system will be about
thirty-five millions, and that the in
creased Income from stamp cancellations
will amount to fifty millions. approxl-
mately.
The salaries OF rural carriers was In
creased to $50 a month az the recent ses-
sion OF Congress, but the carriers are
not allowed to solicit business or re-
ceve orders for any person or corpora
ton. and. quoting from the postafiice APP
preparation BILL Shall not during their
hours Of employment, carry any mer-
chandise for hire: provided that said
carriers may carry merchandise for hire
for and upon the request OF patrons re-
siding upon their respective roVes. when
ever the same shall not interfere with
the proper discharge of their official
duties. and under such regula lions as
the Postmaster-General may prescribe"
The last estate of tho carriers Is much
better than the former, for the reason
that very few of them ever made as
much as ten dollars n month from bust
ness solicited for another The present
law prohibits carriers from acting as
agents for newspapers or publications
OF any character.
The star route carrier Is doomed II will
not be many years before the delivery
of mail by contract carriers will be en-
tirely thing OF the past. and instead of
the farmer getting his papers and letters
from the local postoftice. where 1t is
left by the carriers VINO get the contract
to deliver 1t after competition with other
bidders, everybody Will get his mail at
his door, or as nearly at his door as the
route of the carrier runs The effects OF
the introduction of tho rural delivery
system are manifold. not the least of
which is the increase In the amount of
mail matter. Mail communication Is made
so much easier that more letters are
written daily: daily papers may be re-
ceived by subscribers In remote dis
tricts on the day of publication. and the
subscription lists OF such publications
show consequent increase, 1t Is not
possible to estimate the influence which
Will be eXerted by thus increasing to
such an enormous extent the amount of
reading matter in the hands of the
masses of the people.
EFFECTS BUSINESS CONDITIONS.
4 The establishment OF the free delivery
systems in the country districts also has
had the effect OF greatly changing bust
ness conditions 1t Is said that 1t has
volume of business of the great mail or
der houses In the larger cities. Money
which heretofore went to the local
dealers now goes to the mercantile
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