Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1908-04-28
RURAL MAIL ROUTES
| HAVE RAPID GROWTH
Remarkable Progress Made in Dec
ade ia Establishment of Service
in Country Districts.
s7.72s CARRIERS ON THE LIST.
Appropriation Has Grown to rs Mil
lion Dollars, and the Ultimate
Limit Cannot Be Estimated.

Washington correspondence
The close of the year 1907 served
to call to mind several of the radical
changes this country has Witnessed in
the preceding decade said postal
official, land of these the Institution
and expansion of the rural free de-
livery system. begun in, 1897, is one of
many inviting brief attention.
Beginning with a modest initial APP
preparation of $4,000. of which only
about $14,0N was expended. this how
far-reaching postal scheme started its
existence with eighty-three carriers In
seven years the cost of the service
jumped to $12, 1000, 900. with 25.5G6 ear
was $2S.350,000, with 1852 carriers
on the rolls and total of 81. 72S routes
ON the list
No such stupendous figures as these
were contemplated by those who at the
outset favored rural service, as the
proposition at the time met with con-
siderable opposition in some quarters,
as the small, tentative appropriation
evidences.
Indeed, it was then considered that
about $20000,000 would be the maxi
mum ultimate appropriation when the
service would be fully extended, but so
great was the popularity of the move
ment in all parts of the country that
this sum was equaled during the first
eight years of its life, and while the
service is now we'll extended it would
be hard to state with accuracy its ulti-
mate maximum limits ana probable
cost. 1t has now, however, been pretty
Well developed. the system has settled
down to good working basis, and has
become a positive factor of the postal
scheme of the country along he lines
of the city free delivery.
'The stead growth of the service at
present is shown in the net increase
last year of 1862 new routes, and these
figures may be taken as a reasonable
basis of probable future yearly expan-
sion though the number of petitions
for new routes fell off several thousand
during the year as compared with the
preceding year.
Cost of Service Increases.
''The country is increasing in popula-
ton, however, so rapidly that new SER
vice is destined to keep pace herewith.
The cost of new service for last year
was approximately $S73,O00, and these
figures, as against the total cost of the
old service, will give the public and
tire student of postal affairs an idea
of the probable future yearly expendi-
ture for this item.
There are fifteen States in the I'm
ion in which there are in operation
over 1000 rural free delivery postal
routes. The three States containing
the largest number of routes are: Hi
nois, the 'bapner rural free State with
2,771 routes; Ohio being a close second
with 2.943, and Iowa third with 2,314.
The other principal States with their
respective number of routes are as fol-
lows: Indiana, BIB; PENNSYLVANIA,
BOSS; Missouri, 1913; Michigan,
1888; New York, 1,769; Kansas, 1,62S;
Texas, 1905; Tennessee, 1.544; Wis
consin, 1,541 Minnesota, 1,512; Geor-
gia. 1859, and North Carolina, 1,179
The fact that over 5000 postoffices
have been discontinued and their pa
irons are being served by rural car
riers tells story in itself of the rami-
fications of the system and what it
means to the millions of rural residents
from Maine to California who are dali
~ placed in touch with the outside
world.
AS a result of the establishment of
rural delivery and the necessity for the
maintenance of good roads to insure
its continuance great activity has been
displayed in various parts of the coun-
try looking toward the Improvement of
road conditions.
Taken all in all, the establishment
of the service as an entirety may be
said to be one of the accomplishments
of the times in which we live, and as
great as have been the results already
attained they may be considered small
TO what will accrue in tue next gener-
alton"