The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1905-09-27
RURAL DELIVERY.
Regulation Requiring That Rural
Mail Boxes Be Numbered.

u
the country:
For public convenience and to facil-
itate a more accurate handling Of mail
by rural free deliverey carriers, it has
been decided that each rural mail box
in use on a rural route, which, under
the regulations Of the department, is
entitled to service, shall be designated
by number in the manner and by the
method hereinafter set forth; and the
delivery by rural carriers of ordinary
mail matter Of all classes addressed
to such boxes by number alone is au-
thorized so long as improper and un-
lawful business is not conducted
thereby.
/. Postmasters at the respective dis.
tributing Offices are hereby directed
to instruct the carriers Of all rural
free delivery routes which have been
operated sixty days or more, to review
the rural mail boxes in use on theh
routes in the interval between the re-
ceipt of this order and September 81.
1905, and report which Of them con-
form to the regulations, and are thus
entitled to designate numbers.
2. The following, when found to be
safe, weatherproof, and fit receptacles
for mail, are entitled to Numbers:
(a) Boxes approved under Order
No. 73s.
(b) Non-approved boxes erected
prior to October l, 1902.
8. No non-weatherproof or otherwise
unfit receptacles for, mail be number
ed. All such must be replaced with
regulation approved boxes by the
owners. or no numbers will be as
signed.
No rural mail box erected within
the limits of an incorporated city or
town or within one-ha1f mile of a
post-office at an unicorporated town
or village shall be numbered unless
such box was erected prior to October
8, 1903, or is being served by specific
order of the department.
Service must not be withdrawn,
however, from any box now being
served until such withdrawal is ex-
pressly ordered by this office.
4. The numbers assigned to boxes
on each route will commence with
NO. L." which will pertain to the firsr
regulation box reached by the carrier
after leaving the starting point Of his
route, travelling in accordance with
| official description; box after box
thereafter to be counted and given the
proper number in regular sequence,
in order of service from mo. T. t.
and including all those boxes entitled
to service located on the route.
5. Each number thus arrived at
lshould be recorded in the carrier
book opposite the name Of the owner
Of the box so designated, and also op-
posite the name Of every other person
entitled to receive mai; in said box
| Numbers thus applied to boxes and
registered must be promptly reported
to and recorded by the postmaster OF
the Distributing Office to which they
belong, and must not be changed
thereafter, except by specific author
[ity OF such pos master.
s. AS soon as possible after com
pleung the assignment Of box num-
bers on route the po tmaster VII
| furnish each box owner with the Of
iciaI number of his box, and Request
that this number be at once legibly
land durably Inserted in a conspic
trous place on the outside Of the box
I. Boxes served regularly by more
than one route must, in cases where
such double service is duly author.
ized, be given numbers in regular
consecutive OIQer Qli ee-Si! lO0lS, OS
the method prescribed in the preced
ing paragraphs for numbering boxe:
served by but one carrier.
8. New boxes erected subseqquen
to :he original numbering, between
those already in position on route
and consecutively numbered will bt
designated by applying thereto in tht
~egular order the next consecutive
numbers shown, by the record O
numbered boxes already on the route
to be unused.
8. The work Of numbering boxe
on newly esta blished routes must no
be undertaken until the great major
ity are permanently in place. Not les
than sixty days should elapse how
ever. after service begins, before tn,
nuulD Decs are assigned.
10. Carriers must keep their rosie
books corrected up 10 date. New
boxes erected, removals, changes 0
address, names Of new patrons, etc.