The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-05-28
FREE DELIVERY POST OFFICES.
New York State Leads With 100 More Than
the Entire Country Had so Years Ago.

WASHINGTON, May 27.-A statement is
sued by the Post Office Department show
ing the cost of the free delivery service
in the larger cities. the number Of carriers
employed and the comparative increases
brings out some interesting statistics.
Taking the service by States New York
heads the list with 100 free delivery post
Offices, which is more than there were
in the whole United States thirty years
ago. Pennsylvania comes next with "a
Offices, then Ohio with 10, Massachusetts
with 10, Illinois with SO, Indiana with IS,
New Jersey with IS, Michigan with 50,
and Iowa with AS
The total number of city free delivery
Offices on Jan. /, 1905. was l,lO4. Bearin 6
in mind that the requirements Of free de-
livery are that the city shall have at least
0,0OO population or $4,000 gross postal
receipts, that its streets must be paved
and houses numbered this indicates how
great has been the development Of the
country since the service started in 1854,
when there were only sixty-six cities com.
plying with these conditions.
In area served Chicago takes first rank
with 1872 square miles of territory, covered
by 1871 ettercarriers. New York. with
Brooklyn combined, has 1872 square miles
of territory. served by 2.6o4 carriers. an
increase Of 1928 since january, 1904. Phila-
delphia has exactly the same area as New
York an d Brooklyn, but has fewer carriers,
l.l47, an increase Of 40 durin the past year.
Boston has 95 square miles and 957 carriers,
an increase Of 80. Cincinnati has 85 square
miles and 30l carriers, a very slight In =
crease.
Baltimore has not increased it's carrier
service, probably on account Of the FIRE.
1t has 357 carriers, covering an area Of
SIS square miles. Washington Tor the
District Of Colr mbia). once known as 'the
city Of magnificent distanc es, still has 10
square miles Of territory ser we'd by 25s
carriers. This is only four square miles
less than New Orleans. which city, how
has greater area than Indianapolis which
has 81 square miles and III carriers; greater
than Minneapolis, SO square miles, los
carriers; than st. Paul 43 square miles.
143 carriers; or than Buffalo, ~ square
miles, 246 carriers.
Wichita, Kan. has almost a freak service
Of 4S square miles and only % carriers, but
ing to sllosoe; making the percentage Of
cost Of free delivery 1894
Pennsylvania, the birthplace Of our
postal system. has the distinction Of having
the two. most costly free delivery Offices,
Nanticoke, with four carriers. whose pay
amounts to 5.ls per cent. Of the gross re-
ceipts, and Plymouth, with six carriers.
costing 54;l2 per cent. Of the gross receipts.
Each of these cities acquired the free de-
livery service by reason of a population,
according to TIE last census, Of 10000 or
upwards. The gross postal receipts in
both cases fall far below the $4,000 mark.
Our insular possessions make a good ex-
hihit. Porto Rico, with its three chief
cities, Mayaguez, Ponce and San Juan,
showing aggregate postal receipts Of over
$751; 900. has distributing force Of - car
riers. The one free delivery Office in Hawaii,
Honolulu, has II carriers and gross re-
ceipts of s54.2l0; percentage of 12.46.
The percentage of cost Of the carrier
is as follows: New York, 1851; Chicago, 1888;
Philadelphia. 24,O5 Boston, 81 SO; Baltimore,
25,26 and Cincinnati, 1871.