The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1907-04-04
FARMERS WARNED
Continuance of Rural Routes
Up to Them.
MORE INTEREST NEEDFUL
Where Rules of Delivery Service Are
CisregarGed 1t Will Be Reduced
or Discontinued Altogether
by Authorities.


A Washington special says: The de.
cision OF the Fourth Assistant Post
master General DeGraw concerning
the discontinuance Of rural mai!
routes, where they are not supported
by those living along those routes.
is a matter of the utmost Importance
to every r. F. D. route, especially
in the southern states.
Investigation shows that these
routes are not being patronized in
the south anything like as literally a.;
north of the Ohio river.
In order to ascertain the cause of
the trouble and to see just to what
extent r. F. D. routes generally are
being patronized, the postoftice de-
partment during the past few months
instituted a careful inquiry through.
out the country. Special inspectors
have been instructed to make lnves-
tigation, and these reports recently
submitted account for the department
orders discontinuing quite number
of rural routes-more in the south
than anywhere else.
Fourth Assistant Postmaster Gen
eral DeGraw has rendered decision
insisting upon adherence to the reg
ulations requiring that boxes on rural
mail routes should be erected by the
roadside so that carriers can get easy
access to them without dismountins
from their vehicles. Not only are
boxes to be erected by those who ex
pect to patrOnize these routes, bu.
wheer it is ascertained that residents
living along a route are not patroniz-
ing the mail service to an extent that
will justify continuance of the route,
orders will be issued abolishing the
route, leaving the people to get their
mail the best they can by sending TO
the nearest posofice.
The policy Of the department will
be that where the country people
want a daily mail service, they will
be given it, but it will not be forced
upon communities that do not want
it. Where a daily mail service is pa.
tronized it will be continued, but II
the people do not manifest an interest
is such a service, it will he changed
to a tri-weekly or even to weekly
service, and if not patronized, thu
delivery service will be dropped alto.
gether, forcing recourse to the near
est postofice to which patrons will
have to send Tor their mail.
1t is inconceivable how so many
country people in the south should
manifest such little interest IN a
daily R. F. D. service, which, by uni
versal consent among farmers of the
east and west, is considered to be
| the most advanced step ever takeI
for the betterment of country life.
In the south it is found that while
| invariably the most up-to-date, pro-
gressive farmers are deeply interest
| ed in their R. F. D. service, a large
percentage Of the patrons living along
the different routes pay but little at
tention to it, and seem to care very
| little whether or not the service is
discontinued. 1t is such Indifference
| as this that may result in the dis
continuance of a great many south
| ern routes; the liberal and progres.
sive element paying the penalty for
| the lethargy of the Indifferent and un-
| progressive residents living along the
| route.
! In some cases it has been found
| that where a route has been establish
ed upon the showing that there were
as many as 125 homes to be served,
| not more than fifty of these homes
| would patronize the service after it
| was established-the other seventy
| five rot even manifesting enough in.
| terest to put up mail boxes.