The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-09-20

living here away off in the Wilds, and are
nevertheless, comparatively SAFE I met
the other day Capt. Mcqueen of the
mounted police of Mashonaland. He has
a territory as large as Illinois, which
he keeps In order with seventy men, who
ride on horseback from farmer to farmer
and bring back reports as to the condi-
ton of the country. Every European set
tier must be visited at least once a
month, and the policeman has to get from
each a written report as to the condi-
ton of the country about him. Said
Capt. Mcqueen:
II believe Rhodesa Is almost as safe
as England, and if it were not for the
lions and leopards a man might go over
it without gun. The natives are quiet
and our white settlers are great deal
better off than those of the ordinary
frontier. The conditions will grow better
than they now are as the country set
ties, as I believe it will rapidly do
A Mid-Afrlea Postoffice.
Speaking of the government, the British
postal system has now been carried into
every part of southern Rhodesia, and the
postol runners are taking mail as far
north as the frontier of the Congo Free
State. More than 100000 letters were
sent last year in and out of southern
Rhodesia, and there are now something
like So postoffices in the British terri
tories above the Zambesi river.
During my stay at the end of the Cape
70 Goir pail I a NH If
the Broken Hill postoffice, which is now
the mail station farthest north. 1t is more
than 1000 miles above the Cape of Good
Hope. The postoffice consists of a gal
vanized iron shed about Is feet wide and
80 feet long. The postmaster sleeps in
it, and he distributes the mails on the ar
rival of the trains. About seventy bags
of mail come every week. After this has
been sorted it is carried by natives to all
parts of the country. Sixty-four runners
left during the day I visited the office,
Fourteen Of Them went to the Kishanshi
copper mines, which are 2s0 miles away.
and each carried a bag weighing so
pounds on his head or back. The men
are expected to make that distance in Il
days. Another set OF post runners was
loaded with the mail bags for Fort jane
son, which lies 300 miles due east of
Broken Hill, and they will reach there
within IS days, while third has started
out for the station of Mumbwa, which is
100 miles westward At each of these far
away places, there are branch routes go
ing out in different directions, so that al
most every settler and miner has his reg
ular mail. There are altogether $50 rum
ners to whom the kings mails are in
trusted They have been carrying them
for some years, and so far only one has
failed to make good. The men are paid
10 shillings a month and their rations.
They carry two days food with them
and enough calico to purchase what they
need for the balance of the journey, each
being allowed one-half yard a day for
eating and lodging.
While at the postoffice I sent a letter
to the United States. The postage was 5
cents and my letter will be about a month
on the way. 1 asked as to the telegraph
rates and was told that I could cable to
telegram which sent to Livingstone, the
capital of northwestern Rhodesia, $50
miles distant, cost me only rs cents. which
was at least Is cents cheaper than I
could have sent it through the settled
portions of our own country. There are
now 1000 miles of telegraphs in these COL
onies. and there are 90 telegraph Offices.