The daily sentinel., 1908-12-01
PACK AGE
PL A N
WINS
Long Desired Service for
Rural Routes Favored in
Important Report Today
1Rv Associated Press. |

Washington. Dec. 1.-Touching
the heart of the agricultural COM
munities in every state of the union,
the annual report of Fourth Assistant
Postmaster General p. V. Detiraw,
made public last night, announces in
creased usefulness of the rural free
delivery service and the unpreoede
ed bringing of the work of the bu-
reau up to date. and recommends the
rural delivery of packages of IL
pounds maximum weight at a special
postage and the uniforming of the
rural carriers. The package provis-
ion suggested requires congressional
legislation and is designed to be eff
fective between the distributing post
Office and the patrons of any rural
route emanating from such postoffice.
Such a service. according to the
report would benefit alike the rural
delivery patrons and local merchants
without iniuring or competina with
any other service. lit can be given.
adds Mr. DeGraw. with the facili-
ties now employed and would mater
tally increase the revenues of the
department \ special reduced rate
of postage for merchandise carried
only by rural carriers would unques-
tionably be of material value to the
retail merchants on rural routes and
at rural delivery distributing centers
! as well as enhance the influence OF
/ the rural service in making life in
the country more attractive.
Rural carriers at present are not
permitted TO carry for hire any mat
ter or package that is mailable, but
congress increased the salaries of the
carriers The demand for a package
service by them. fostered in the first
years of rural free delivery still eX-
lists. 1t should be met, according to
! Mr.. DeGraw. not in the old way.
which permitted the use of the gov
ernment's agency for private gam.
but by the establishment of a system
for the carriage of merchandise by
rural carriers at such rates rs Will
/ be fair. compensation for the ser
vice performed, the revenues to be
credited to the postal receipts. Pat
rons and merchants, he adds, desire
to have small packages delivered by
rural carriers, but will not pay the
present fourth-class rate which is
Z prohibitive as applied to this class of
service.
The rural carriers in the service.
of which Mr.. DeGraw is the head.
daily pass 100000 homes, and he
7 recommends once more the adoption
of n uniform suitable to the condi-
/ tions under which they must work
as undoubtedly adding to the dignity
] y
/ Their high standard of efficiency is
attested by the fact that only 165
carriers out of a total number of
80. Is We're dismissed for cause dur
7 ing the past year.
Rural delivery is now in operation
ON 945.0S7 miles OF road. over which
/ carriers are required TO travel daily
The report shows that there We're
/ |9,21I routes in operation on June |
! last, The estimate pf Dupronrin tinuS
nee cessary for the service for the next
/ fiscal year is $36, 246 900. an increase
OF sG13.0u0 over the current appro-
priation.
During the past year there were -
612 new routes established. : routes
discontinued nrior thereto were re
established apd 40 routes discon-
tinued. leaving net increase in num-
ber of 1919
During the year .95S postoffiees
We're discontinued and the patrons
rendered service by rural carriers
On only little less than 10 per
cent of the rural routes the quantity
of mail handled was less than 5000
pieces per quarter. which heretofore
has been considered a fair average for
standard route. Included in this
number are GAG tri-weekly routes and
a number of short length routes SER
wing restricted territories.
Inc report recommends legislation
by congress which will permit the
adoption of an improved method of
disposing of unbelievable articles OF
mail by sale. so as to eliminate as far
as practicable the Objectionable lot
terry features involved in carrying out
the existing law on the subject. In
the dead letter office during the year
there were received 49, 45,i7 pieces
of mail. and there were returned to
senders 7,202,GS4 letters and par
cells. or almost 1000. 900 more than
in the previous year. On the last
day of the fiscal year every piece of
mail matter received had been opened
and treated, an unprecedented con-
dition in the work of the division.
The report recommends increasing
the number of positions in the high
er grades of clerkships. with CORES
ponding decrease in lower grades