Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1905-09-14

To Postmasters:
For public convenience and to facilitate
a 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
Department is entitled to service, shall be
designated by slumber in the manner and
by the method hereinafter set forth; and
the delivery by rural carriers of ordinary
such boxes by number alone is authorized
so long a IS improper and unlawful business
is not conducted thereby.
/. Postmasters at the respective dis
tributing offices are hereby directed to
instruct the carriers of all rural free deliv-
cry routes which have been operated sixty
days or more, to review the rural mail
boxes in use on their routes in the interval
September 30, 1905 and report which of
them conform to the regulations and are
The following, when found to be safe,
weatherproof. and fit receptacles for mail,
are entitled to numbers: :,
No. 7s9
o. Non-apoproved boxes erected prior
to October l, 1902.
fit receptacles for mail shall be numbered.
All such must be replaced with regulation
approved" boxes by the owners or no
No rural mail box erected within the
limits of an incorporated city or town or
within one half mile of post office at an
unincoporated 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 lie: Department e ut
from any box now being served, until such
withdrawal, is expressly ordered by this
office.
4. The numbers assigned to boxes on
| EACH route will commence with No. l"
which will pertain to the first regulation
the starting point of his route, travelling in
accordance with official description; box
after box thereafter to be counted and
| luence in order of service from No. p to
| md including all those boxes entitled to
service located on the route.
| 5. Each number thus arrived at should
re recorded in the carriers roster book
| opposite the name of the owner of the box
| % designated, and also opposite the name
| fevery other person entitled to receive
nail in said box. Numbers thus applied
% boxes and registered must be promptly
rported to and recorded by the postmaster
| ut the distributing office to which they
belong, and must not be changed there
| after except by specific authority of such
| postmaster.
6. AS soon as possible after completing
the assignment of box numbers on route
the postmaster will furnish each box ow
ner with the official number of his box
legibly and durably inscribed in con
spicuous place on the outside of the box.
Z. Boxes served regularly by more thar
one, route must. in cases where suci
double service is duly authorized. bt
given numbers in regular consecutive
order on each route, by the method pre-
scribed in the preceding paragraphs TO
numbering boxes served by but on,
carrier.
s. New boxes erected subsequent to the
| original numbering, between those al
| ready in position on route and consecu
lively numbered, will be designated b,
applying thereto in the regular order TIN
next consecutive numbers shown, by TIN
record of numbered boxes already on TIL
route, to be unused.
| 8. The work of numbering boxes OIL
newly established routes must not b
undertaken until the great majority ar
permanently in place. Not less thar
sixty days should elapse. however, afte
services begin, before the numbers ar
| assigned.
TO- Carriers must keep their roster book
corrected up to date. New boxes erected
removals, changes of address, names @
new patrons, etc, must be punCtual
entered up and promptly reported to pos
masters. The latter must CAREFUL
, maintain in their offices accurate an
, complete lists of the names and DO
, numbers of all patrons of each rout
attached to their offices.
= IL. Any instructions issued by thi
, office conflicting with this order are her,
by revoked.
possible publicity to patrons of the rur;
service, without expense to the Depar
D ment.
Fourth Assistant Postmaster General.
Chamberlains f 6ia4Sbe ehol Reane ana