Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1905-09-19
TO NUMBER RURAL MAIL
BOXES AS IN A CITY
Mail System For the Farmer Made
to Resemble System
Used in the Citv

With the new method of numbering
rural mail boxes, the farmer will be
in practically the same position as his
brother in the city. In past years the
farmer was considered as one VINO was
off the earth, nearly, and with whom
communication was very difficult to
secure. With the advent of the rural
free delivery service instituted by
Uncle Sam, ne was brought suddenly
from his retirement and was even
given more advantages than the
dweller in smaller towns, in that he
could get his mail every day, and have
it delivered right to his door for him,
even though he lived ten or fifteen
miles from the city.
Then came the rural telephone,
which placed the man on the farm in
direct communication with the
centers of INDUSTRY, and made him
and his mode of living more in re-
semblance to the city dweller, than
ever. 1t is true that in the country,
one cannot have quite all the advant-
ages of the city in getting to neigh
bors and to business places, but the
telephone and rural free delivery
make up, practically for the distance.
In the cities where free delivery is
established, every house and business
place is numbered, and 50 it will be
in the country hereafter.
Under daLe of August seventh,
postmasters are notified that if they
have any rural free delivery routes
going out from their office, the
boxes can and should be numbered.
This work will begin IN this part Of
Wood county this week. The in
StructionS read as follows:
For public convenience and to
facilitate more accurate handling of
mail by rural free delivery carriers, it
has been decided that each rural mail
box in use on rural route, which,
under the regulations of the Depart
ment, 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 sucn boxes by
number alone is authorized so long as
improper and unlawful business is
not conducted there by.
]. POStmaSterS at the respective
distributing 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 their
routes in the interval between the
receipt Of this order and September
80, 1905, and report which of them
conform to the regulations and are
thus entitled to designative 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. 739.
(b) Non-approved boxes erected
prior to October /, 1902.
3. No nOn-weather or otherw Use
unfit receptacles for mail shall be
numbered. All such must be replaced
with regulation approved" boxes by
the owners, or no numbers will be
assigned.
No rural mail box erected within
the limits of an Incorporated city or
town or within one half mile of a post
office at an unincorporated town or
village shall be numbered unless such
box was erected prior to October 3,
1903, or is being served by specific
order of the department..
Service must not be withdrawn,