Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-09
RURAL PARCEL POST
De GraW Echoes Meyers Plan
for the Service.
CARRIERS UNIFORM URGED
Men Scorn Almost 100000 Worth
of Vacations.
3,076 POST OFFICES SHUT UP
Fourth Assistant Postmaster General
Would Also Stop "Unsight, I'm
seen" Dead Letter Sales.
3,o7e POST OFFICES SHUT UF


master general. has made public his an
nual report. which contains the following
recomme ndatons:
First. That the provisions of section
1867 of the Revised Statutes. authorizing
the Postmaster General to prescribe a
uniform dress to be worn by letter car
riers in the city delivery service, be ex-
| tended to letter carriers in the rural de-
livery service
Second. That legislation be enacted
supplementing the delivery by rural car
riers of mail matter to communities re-
mote from post offices, as now authorized
by law, by parcel post delivery at a spe-
cia1 rate of postage of cents for the first
pound or fraction thereof and cents for
each additional pound or fraction thereof
for packages not exceeding in weight
eleven pounds mailed at the distributing
post Office of any rural route for delivery
to patrons of such route or of loop routes
connected herewith, OF at intermediate
post offices supplied by such rural serv-
ice, or mailed on any rural route or at
any post office supplied thereby for dellV-
cry on said route or on any other route
served by the distributing post office
of such route or at any post office served
thereby or for delivery at the distribut-
ing post osce.
Third. That Congress appropriate S12,-
600 for the publication of a new edition
of the Street Directory of the Principal
Cities Of the United States.
Fourth. That Congress enact such
legislation as will secure an improved
| method of diSposing of unbelievable arti-
cles by sale, SO as to eliminate as far as
practicable the lottery features involved
subject.
The report in part follows:
Rural Delivery Service.
The extension of the rural delivery
service throughout the country has con-
tinued during the past fiscal year, but
there has been a marked decline in the
requests for new service, thus indicating
that the appropriations made by the Con-
gress for the development of rural de-
livery have fully equaled the demand
During the fiscal year ended June 30,
1907, 2,554 petitions were filed, decrease
of 2,133 as compared with the number
filed during the preceding year. OF the
petitions filed, 1904 were accepted for in
vestigation. Petitions are not so accepted
unless substantially all of the prerequi-
sites for the establishment of the service
appear to exist. These are that the roads
shall be in good condition, unobstructed
by gates, without unbridged streams not
fordable at all ordinary seasons of the
tronage of 100 families on routes twenty
four or more miles in length or a pro-
portionate number on shorter routes, and
that three-fourths of the families within
reach of the service shall pledge them
selves to provide for suitable boxes and
to avail themselves of the service. Where
the proposed routes traverse roads al
ready covered by star routes which can
not be discontinued or by which mail is
delivered to practically the entire popula-
ton desiring rural delivery, the provision
of law prohibiting duplication of service
has been closely followed.
At the close of the fiscal year 1907 rural
delivery was in operation on 37,72S routes
served by 1852 carriers. On $50 of
these routes service is performed tri-
weekly. On nearly all of the remainder
the service is daily. 1t is contrary to the
policy of the department to establish ru-
raj delivery with more frequent service
than once a day. During the year 2,312
new routes were established and $50
routes were discontinued, leaving the net
increase in the number of routes in opera
ton 1862 The number of petitions pend
ing June 30, 1907, was 1,4O4. Since that
date 552 petitions have been accepted and
574 routes established or ordered estab-
lished. There were on hand October 1,
1907, SOP cases favorably reported await
ing action, leaving the net number of pc
titions pending on that date $50.
Vacations Scorned.
The estimated cost of rural carriers
leaves of absence was $780,, 600 Only
$7O4, 337 As of this amount were expended
by reason of carriers failing to take adj
vantage of the privilege given them.
Complete rural delivery was in opera
ton in 653 counties on June 80, 1907, in
30 of which number it had been COM
pieted during the year. Since that date
and up to September 80 orders have been
in
additional counties.
Incident to the inspection of existing
rural service and the establishment of ad-
ditional rural delivery, 3,O76 post offices
have been discontinued and their patrons
are being served by rural carriers.
In cases where, in the establishment of
rural service, it was necessary to cover
roads traversed by carriers on star routes
or mail messengers. and where the post
offices supplied thereby could not be dis
continued, it has frequently been possible
to curtail or discontinue the star route
or messenger service and to have the
mails for the post offices involved trans
ported by rural carriers without additional
expense. The number of post Offices re-
ceiving mail supply in this way on June
80 1907, was $3.50
Road Improvement.
While material improvement in the con-
dition of roads on which rural delivery is
established has resulted through coop
GRAFTON by the department with the bu-
reau of public roads, Department of Agri-
culture, and state highway Offices, and
| through direct communication with local
road supervisors and commissioners, very
much yet remains to be done toward
bringing these highways to such a state
of improvement as to insure the most
satisfactory and efficient rural delivery
The difficulty which the department has
experienced in securing the Improvement
of highways on which rural delivery is
established lies in the apathy of patrons,
| in the absence of highway laws and of
| highway commissions in some of the
! and intelligent and proper methods in
| other states where highway laws exist.
| No great or general Improvement in the
| highways can be expected until the peo-
| pie take an active interest in the matter
| and secure the enactment and enforce
ment of adequate highway laws.
| In the report of this office for the fiscal
| year ended June so, 1906, it was recon-
mended that the maximum salary of rural
| letter carriers be increased to $500 per
| annum. This recommendation was adopt
ed by the Congress in a provision of Ahe
| act making appropriations for the postal
service for the current fiscal year, enact
| ing that ION and after July 1. 1907, letter
carriers of the rural delivery service shall
| receive a salary not exceeding 5000 pei
| annum." This increase in the maximum
salary which may be allowed rural car
riers necessitated a readjustment of the
salaries of carriers.
Rural Carriers Uniform.
1t is recommended that the provisions OF