The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-01-24
RURAL FREE DELIVERY MAY
BE DECREASED.
The South Likely to Suffer Most
by Any Change.
SERVICE Is NOT Appreciated.
Postomce Department Ha Adopted
n Policy Of EcOuOmy which May
: Affect This Section.
The State Bureau,
Atraaf NJ w

ms SLdt6 DuTcdu,
l4l7 g Street, N. w.,
Washington, Jan. 20
Something Is going 70 be done In The rura
free delivery line before very long. The
postottioe department is going To discontinue
= large number OF routes, those on whioh the
is not appreciated" is the way II put In the
office of the department. ] asked Mr.. Spill
man, the superintendent OF the rural free de
livery service. yesterday what he meant by
"Why," said he, where the people are moi
using the SERVICE"
"But you have recently issded an order
directing that the counting ofthe mail pieces
be discontinued, how are you going 10 tell
Whenever we have reason to believe that
the service Is not being appreciated we Will
send our inspectors over the route and nave
them report on 1t. Then we will order the
u lumber ,naI nar Of pieces handled counted for a
II understand, Mr.. Spilman, that there is a
disposition TO cnt on a number Of routes IN
certain Sections"
and talk with somebody else. l can only tell
you the facts. II you want to know about
disposition l suggest that you go and talk 10
the fourth assistant postmaster general him
SELF
The fourth assistant postmaster general Is
Mr.. P. ". DeGraw, q most genial man, who
was willing TO discuss Iacts, dispositions or
anything else. I put the same Question TO
him, "Wnat do yon mean by appreciated?"
Are you inst going TO haul mp a free delivery
route aud cut IL out whenever you feel like
IL. or have you some basis OF
when u thing is appreciated: You know
appreciation OF THINGS"
I'VE wall coun; the mall pieces for q given
time and II they are not sufficient 10 warrant
the continuance OF the service we Will cut on.
What do you mean by warrant The COLI
tinuance?"
"Why, that the service is appreciated"
After q while, though, Mr.. EeGraw told me
that II was their determination TO dlsoon.
tinue all routes which do not handle as much
400 pieces OF mail d month: that In fact,
they considered the.routeid did not pay II no
more than 1900 pieces were handled but that
they had fxedIupon 1000 az the minimum.
In this he appealed 10 Mr.. Spilman, the
superintendent, who CHANGED In about that
time and VINO declared, ''Still each route
must tand on Its own merits. There are
other circumstances than the mere number
OF mail pieces. For Instance, we have just
discontinued a route In Wisconsin because
out OF So families on the route, only "a were
using the service. Another route was not
far away and 1t was more convenient Tor q
OF the patrons OF that route TO use
another. You see In that case the number
OF mail pieces had nothing to do with IL at
ALL"
/ have talked with a,pumbor of congress-
men OF late upon this subject. Some of them
are inclined, 10 believe, Mr.. Lever especially
that there Is an effort on The part of the post
department TO make q discrlmlnatlon
IN this matter against the southern states.
The rural free delivery was hrst lnauguarted
the nation Of Southesn members, and the
idea Was TO give the South, which Is almost
altogether rural, some OF the benenls q the
North which 10 largely urban. Blu the North
was not slow TO realize what q good thing II
was. The Northern States were interviewer
with a network Of rural routes, and now the
service is 10 be restricted. II they count the
families on q route, che South will show up
fairly we'll for there are q number OF negroes
which swell the number. Blu they are asout
10 ouit counting the families and count the
pieces OF mail. When the South begins TO
lake daily newspapers IN the country, they
stop counting the number OF mail pieces and
20 TO counting the cost.
: 'If there are 1OO pieces OF mail" said Mr..
DeGraw, "and all OF them leLtess at 2 cents
each, that would make only $40. The carrier
halt or the pieces OF mail are letters,
Thus, you see, tue thing doesn't pay"
Mr.. DeGFaw says however, that there IL no
disposition on the part of the department 10
discon tin Tue any routes where they are apprt-
ciated. Efforts are being made 10 improve
the service ali up and uown the line. "All
want TO be sure OF is that the service Is
being appreciated and Will warrant cou-
tipuauce."
The average number OF pieces OF mail per
month handled on these routes In South Car
oIlna Is 2,4OO. In low the average IL 4,5C0.
In North Carollna 1t Is 800. In Virginia IT is
UO In Ohio 1T Is 4,4OO, In Texas, 2.3OU, south
Dakota, $500, Kentucky, 270O, New York,
!, 100. From these few figures given me by
Spilman, II does not look as II there is
any great probability of routes In New York,
Ohio and Iowa being cut of for not having
he minimum 1000. But fellows in North ana
South Garcia VINO are interested in a daily
delivery service had better look out.
Represe NATIVE johnson In talking With me
about this matter a few days ago SAID that the
best way for the country people Of South
"a olina to maintain their routes Is TO begin
using them more, and the best and cheapest
way 10 90 this is 10 begin taking more daily
papers. Each paper counts a piece OF mail
the paper Is a good thing for the
nan 10 have, be ought TO take 1t anyway; and
10 like the quality OF mercy II bIssses him
Who gives and him who axes:
Zach McGhee