The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-11-01
p. V. De Graw Sa Country
Folk Are Lessflicted
With Insanitlow.
MINDS KEPT DSY
BY DAIL'PAPERS
Fourth Assistant Pmaster Gen
eral Tells About provements
Throughout = Land.

'One of the bOOus the country, ana
especially 20 the farm that Is credited
to free rural delivers the betternent
OF our country ROAD said Fourth As
sistant Postmaster Eneral DE era"
Yesterday under ose jurisdiction
free rural delivery mes.
Why he said, has been said py
physicians OF celeby that since the
introduction of rurdelivery, bringing
to the farmers daHmah, newspapers
and magazines, gTs them Iood TOT
thought and compilation, the per
centage OF insanitsnd suicide among
rural residents ha4ecreased very ap-
probably. Furths0re. thousands OF
miles of good roa. and many bridges
have been built; arm values nave
greatly increased, some cases II II
said as much as per cent.
while we may DC some day TO have
ideal roads. such exist in Italy, Ger
many, France anEugland, our roads
are now, generalIspeaIing, poor The
fact does not se,s TO be appreciated
that the buTdinand maintenance Of
good roads enab farmers to market
their products w greater facility, and
with much Iessyear and tear on
wagons and stoc
ImpTes Roads.
There has be- nothing which has so
conduced to th Improvement of our
public highways the introduction Of
rural delivery. .ere seems TO be a mis-
taken idea thathe Postonice Depart
ment requires raj delivery roads to be
ideal, 10 be madamized or graveled,
and rolled. TT is not at all true, but
it is required that roads shall be
smooth. free fra ruts. and graded and
ditched, so thaearriers can serve their
routes with GETTY and safety
'In connects with the rural deliv-
cry service" ntinUed Mr.. De Graw,
at is now pr,Osed to confer yet an
other benefit U0n the residents OF rural
communities n his annual report for
the fiscal yea ended June 80. 1907, the
Postmaster GeTal recommends the es-
Enlistment GA system OF local parcel
post on ruraIieliveTy routes for pack
ages originate on rural routes or at
distributing gstofices for delivery by
rural CarrIeritO patrons thereof, at a
rate OF 8 cen for the first pound and
2 cents per lund for each additional
pound or fraionaI part thereof up 10
eleven pound
VII Be a Boon.
This adde facility, If instituted, viii
be a great Don TO the farmers, who
have not Inconvenience for obtaining
the necessars Of life such as residents
in cities eny. ana will also enable
them TO ex1anEe merchandise with
each other. thereby increasing local
business.
There is lUch Of both hum0r and
pathos show in the letters which car
riers write 1e department. Tales Of
woe and destinations induced by do
nestle iRteUties. love affairs, quar-
rels with neiabOr=, and other personal
business shas are poured out 20 Uncle
Sam. in thenope and belief, perhaps
shat ne can his all powerful way set
ghem right"
Speaking c the general high Charac-
ser OF the rraI carrier. Mr.. De Graw
said.
when co.sijeratiOn is given TO the
great numbt of carriers in the service
and the OmIpresenr temptation afford
ed in handing money and valuable
rails, the teh sense of honor and in
tegrity of IT, carriers is shown by the
fact that tring TIE last fiscal year
but little r0re than i0ur-tcnths Of 1
per cent of he entire number were dis
missed froH the service for all causes. %