Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-07-31
RURAL MAIL SERVICE.
Healthy Increase Shown All Over the
Country.

| Country.
Washington, ID. c., July 30.-An in
| tereSting result of The installation of
| county rural free delivery service is on
| exhibition in the office of the Fourth
| Assistant Postmaster Gene raj. in the
| form Of completed service as shown hy
the departmental map for the county
of Lancaster. Pa. In This county the
| conditions We're particularly favorable
| 10 the OPERATION Of rural Tree delivery
| service by reason If us beng denSely
populated and well equipped with cool
| roads, enabling :nI unusually large pro-
portion Of th. patrons to receive thti.
| mail directly IN fIonI q: their homes.
The routes AS rtirr:tng.d ANA rStab-
! liShel III Lancaster county will con-
ycnirntly serve II, Sl3 families AT an an
nual cost of $G10l4. While this county
is rXctpti"nal work is hpW under way
ia many other sections Of the country
| VI irn viii give equivalent service at il,
| greater cost.
| The Post Office Drpl, tLlcnt finds it
| difficult Ia convince ruI"itirS of th;.
| jdstn'*i of the policy !:hich il en-
dctNnrs 10 follow reqIirin:; 100 families
| nu each rout" established. Petitions
| are. received daily fo" til" establishment
# service on routes Whit II. after in
| spccii"n. prove to have less than fifty
| families, or Wnud-bc patrons III ease of
| establishment. In :heSr circumstance;
| the work Of the rural agents becomes
| essential hcfor" action can be- taken ON
| petitions for routes in different sections;
| III the country.
| The popularity of tn, rural service
| continues undated. Hardly Il day
nasses that the mails d. MOI bring let
| tvrS OF high commentator Of the
| effects of the establishment of this or
| hat route. Some of those comment i'll
he line of fast conversions; of the rural
towns into cities; others Owen upon III"
| enhancement of values because of the
| increased convenience. while still
| Others lay great stress upon the cdu-
| c,ticnrl adv lntagrs which are being
| derived from the rural service.
| In Il communication received from
| Nacon ga Il patron of 4 rural routA
| clnanating from that ;'i:y proudly an
| nuunceS that he was largely inStru-
| mental in its establishment. and in that
| Ni"W desires To- impress upon tn" de
| pertinent the Importance to which tho
| route has grown. generally speaking,
| and cSpcCially to "mphasi;," that view
| hy lnStancin5 tn" fact that property
| values along the lines Of the route, in
| the short time the service kaS been rem
| derrd. have. greatly ihc:t aSed. The
| writer submits as proof Of his assertion
| the fact that the routc passes his catt; :
ANA fruit farm. ami Srys: 1t has
really increased the accessibility and
convenience of the blaze $" much that
the property is now considered decided
| ly more valuable"
| IN another communication from a
| southern city the suggestion is mad
that no higher compliment can be paid
| the rural service than t.l.u which il is
receiving AS IL factor of education
| Throughout the land. This cuiflluni-
cation suggests that whoever may take
| the. trouble to SntiId 4 few moments; in
the county where it was written with Il
| uan who owns land in that section,
ana Who Invariably slr.r,ls, lis time on
| the farm. will find him highly praisin%
ti,. rural :srrVirr aus = means of krti,iil.s
| the ruraitc abreast Of III. times. how
ever distant he may Dc from the people
|
A quotation from a prominent south
cin publication reached the department
| today through an enthusiastic CORE
| Spondant who enjoys the benefits nl
rural service in i}ibb county. Georgia.
which stated. "Much can bt said of
| the. improvements that have. come to
the farms nt this ana other Countries
in G., orgia through Tia" rural u.::.i Ser-
yirt. alone. There are few farmers
Who cannot get out early and See
through the morning; papers before tit.
hour for duty what has happrEei
Throughout th,. world during the past
twenty four hours. The thrifty farmer
has learned that the burden of liS
business can b" Transacted within his
home without til" needless Expenditure
of time journeyIn% 10 ana fran town.
There are few iarmt rs of l:ibh who
lave not the opportunity I" cummu
uicatc with the business people Of
towns fifty to on" hundred miles away
by letter and hay" an answer in Il sin
gle day. PERHAPS that which causes
tho broadcast Sinil" on the face OF the
farmer ami that which makes him
| more independent than anything ..lS,
is thu fact that tn" telephone ami ru-
raj mail service have Increased the
values of land from SO to $l0O per
| acre
| A correspondent from the middle
| west on The subject IF rural towns las:
bee oming cities in their general ap-
pointments. accommodations, etc, Su.-
gcStS that through Investments and
improvements the country is getting
+. nearer to the city nearer to the myriad
advantages Of comfort which human
ingenuity is dcViSing, al of which is
attributed to tn" modern conVeniencci
! which are being constantly installed.
includin, as a great factor in the cas,
that Of rural free delivery.
During the paS' wear there have been
received nearly 5000 applications for
the establishment of rural service" I'm
| to the close OF the fiscal year nearly
, - 900 of these had been rejected be-
| cause Of the fact that the proposed
routes, in the matter Of patronage. fell
below tn" standard required. OF The
500 petitions pending AT the close of
the fiscal wear. nearly 1000 have been