Los Angeles herald., 1905-12-17

cured the necessary appropriation from the gov
ernment. then it is up to the postmaster of the
town from which the route is scheduled to start
The money secured for the route, the govern
ment inspector visits the town village from
which the petition has been received and goes
carefully the territory marking out the
roads and seeing that the work be carried
through without undue waste of time or money.
Then comes the selecting of the carrier. This is
done by civil service examination, and there
is usually lively competition. One man and a
substitute are appointed for each route, the
rier receiving S720 per annum, the position to be
held as long as he discharges his duties with
credit
Before route can be established it is neces-
sary that a certain number of boxes shall be
ordered, the number being regulated in accord
ance with the inhabitants of the village through
which the route extends. These boxes cost
/ from 81 80 to $780, according to the kind de-
sired. The boxes are placed outside the owners
grounds right along the road so that the carrier
can collect and deposit without alighting from
his wagon. Farmers from some of the villages
before the establishment of the free service were
obliged to drive five ten and fifteen miles to
the general store for their mail, consequently
during the busy seasons they frequently did not
get down to the postoffce oftener than twice
month and when they were not expecting any
returns from the city, full month would often
60 by without any one going for the mail. Some
one driving in to the store would frequently get
all the mail along his homeward road and leave
if as he went by but at best this was an uncer-
tain system.
R.'F. D. Wonderful Institution
| The service has its picturesque as well as its
utilitarian side and carries the investigator back
to early days of country when well mounted
carriers galloped the land with mail bags
and brought the eagerly waited for billet-doux
and important documents to the founders OF
American history. In those days. however, the
recipient of letter had to pay certain sum to
the carrier and was only too glad to hand over
the tax in exchange for the precious news from
sweetheart, conspirator or parent. This novel
rural system is being pushed through rugged
mountain passes, down leafy lanes and over PIC
turesoue streams in summer, and down icy noun
tains snow covered drives and across frozen
ponds in winter.
Uncle Sam has provided for the comfort of his
carriers in all seasons however. When the snow
is deep and the roads almost impossible for
wagon, a sleigh is used, snow shoes are strapped
on for snowy weather in the mountains, skates
when the streams are frozen. In the summer
there is the bicycle for the good but narrow
road the delivery wagon for the broad land, the
horse for the wood and mountain trail and for
the stream there is the Indians friend, the
canoe.
Usually it takes carrier from six to eight
hours to cover his twenty-five mile route, but
during the holiday season he rises early and re-
tires late being the go all day,
II is that the r. F. D. carriers may have
little easier time of it next Christmas that I'm.
Gle Sam proposes to spend, during the next tisca'
wear, those $29Oo0O00 spoken Of No remon-
STRANGE @ against expenditures for this service has
ever reached the Postoffice Department, and
with the entire country approving, the officials
feel at liberty ask for greatly increased sums
in order to carry the system to PERFECTION.
Where feasible mail carriers routes to be
shortened, and additional carriers placed on ex-
sting routes to increase the number of deliv-
cries. The ultimate purpose is to give daily de-
livery wherever feasible