The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-12
HOW 24o FAMILIES RECEIVED THEIR MAIL YESTERDAY MORN ING BEFORE ii O'CLOCK-ALL KINDS OF ROADS.
By WALTER HARPER.

The patrons of Rural Mail Route No. l, from Birmingham, received their mail yesterday morning before Il o'clock. The route is 20 miles long and serves about 24O families. It includes some of the toughest road territory in Jefferson coun- ty and has a number of difficult de- livery complications.
 The entire route was covered and all the mail delivered and collected in two hours and 35 minutes, including the time from the Birmingham postoffiee and the return to that point.
 The demonstration is a suggestion of what will be accomplished in the next few years in getting the mail into the homes of the people in the rural dis trcts.
 In an Automobile.
 The mail yesterday morning was de- livered in a 50-horsepower automobile furnished by The Age-Herald with the object of testing the efficiency and the practicability of this method of service, the road conditions, and other features connected with the service. The test was more than pleasing to the local postal authorities and the carrier, Charles C. Bailey, went home to lunch at high noon with a broad smile on his face and sur prised his family, who did not expect him before about sundown, and with that worn and weary from long day oi hard work and tiresome plodding behind suffering horse.
 The carrier according to schedule, is due back at the postoffice at $50 o'clock in afternoon when he arrives.
 His time of departure in the morning is S:15. He left in the automobile yes terday morning 20 minutes later, S:35, ana got back to the postoffice at n1o, with all mail delivered and in good shape.
 He left the office with S75 pieces of mail. good average for Tuesday morn- ing. The collection was not as good as usual from the fact that the patrons did not expect him several hours earlier than usual. but they seemed to be satisned with the prospect of a permanent early delivery in the future. The rural mail carrier in an automobile delivering mall almost on the breakfast table received many ovations along the route.
 Welcome improvement.
 The people in the rural districts of Jeff ferson county are progressive and well come every advanced step in all public service. They are interested in good roads, better schools and quick delivery of mails.
 The demonstration of The Age-Herald yesterday morning on Route No. sug- gests the doubling of the length of the route, paying the carrier more money and getting the mail to twice the number of people in half the time that it takes to cover the present route.
 This is not an extravagant suggestion and the thoughtful men can foresee the realization of it in the very near future. light, inexpensive machine can be oper- ated cheaper than the two horses that are required for the delivery of the routes under the present system am told that no average route in Alabama can be operated with less than two horses. They are usually driven alternately; one on one day and the other the next day. The life of a horse is very short on the rural route fhe cost of maintaining the horse is not less than $15 per month. TWO horses may be kept under some fa- vorable conditions for s25. A buggy cost