The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1909-05-05
CARRIERS MUST
COUNT PIECES
Post = Office Department
Issues This Order.
MAY MEAN THE CURTAILMENT
Of Rural ROuteS-Think This
Branch Is Not Self
Supporting.

The Postmaster General issued an
order recently instructing all rural
carriers to resume counting their mail
20 postmasters could compile a quar-
terly statement of every piece Of mail
both collected and delivered for the
period ending May 80, 1909. To those
in touch with government regulations,
this order comes as the forewarning
of a possibility of curtailing the rural
free delivery service and a discontinue
ance of some OF the routes already in
operation.
A little over a year ago an order
was issued allowing all carriers whose
count showed they had handled over
5000 pieces of mail matter for any
three consecutive months, to discon-
tinue their laborious count. From this
order it is evident the department COLI
sidered any route transacting that
amount of business was in a healthy
business condition and did not demand
as close watch as some OF the others.
Accordingly, a few of the carriers
stopped counting their mail, but the
majority of routes do not handle this
number Of pieces each month. But that
dates back about y months and it
seems the idea of overhauling the
rural service has once again crept into
the departments notice. Hence this
recent order for a count by all car
riers; regardless Of the amount Of
business they have been doing in the
past.
Rural free delivery is now about
13 years old. ia 1898 three expert
mental routes were established in
West Virginia and the service proved
so satisfying that the great system
now involving an annual expense Of
over 45 millions OF dollars is the out
come Very few sections of the South
are properly adapted for rural deliv-
cry on account Of the generally bad
conditions Of the roads. Southern rep
resentatives at Washington had to
labor and urge the postoffice depart
ment TO bring the service down into
this section and six or seven years
ago, when rural free delivery was es-
tablished throughout the South, few
people realize that they were the re-
cipients of a much-coyeted govern
ment favor.
The wonderful success OF rural free
delivery in the South, the great edu-
cational feature it has proved itself;
the splendid results obtained from
giving the inland people a daily mail
and all other forms OF mail that they
formerly received once or possibly
twice a week; the bringing of farm
life in all respects in closer touch
with the momentary happenings of the
world, have all proven the system a
potent factor in the upbuilding of
farming pursuits. and the ones who
know best say that rural delivery is
largely responsible for the marvellous
increase in farm values during the
past six years.
Put the effect OF the order requir-
ing all carriers to count their mail
and that all postmasters send in a
report showing what each route does
every day for the months of April,
May and June, may possibly go hard
with some Of the routes which do not
handle enough mail to make the de-
partment think they are worth the
5000 a year to continue them, and
they are liable to be discontinued.
Three thousand pieces OF maily per
month for a single route was consid-
ereC two years ago as being enough
to jutify the department in paying a
carrier So per month to deliver this
mail